I was thinking to myself at work, trying to think of a new multiplayer game that wasn’t just get a gun and shoot the other guy. I had the idea of you have a target and instead of you taking them out you had to trick npcs to do it for you. It ended up being your a bully in school getting people to prank the other kids. I thought about it and I was thinking with all the school shootings lately it would be distasteful. What do you think and have you ever stop yourself for going too far?
Not really no, but I typically try to make fairly nonviolent games by nature. However I’m not opposed to using violence or other social taboos in what I’d like to think are interesting ways, to challenge the player.
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I don’t make traditionally violent games because then it undercuts the impact violent situations in the game can have. I just don’t have any stories to tell that involve rampant violence.
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Is violence really that big of an issue?
Letting players talk to each other over voice chat has the potential for 100 times more harm than any amount of violence in gameplay.
There are dozens of other things that I personally believe do more harm than violence shown in games.
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You don’t draw the line. You pick the line that your target audience draws. And then you stick to it.
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My first reaction to any questions of this kind is ‘just do it’, and if you’re really keen I think that’s exactly what you should do. I don’t buy the idea that violence as such in video games produces violence in real life, or even bad character.
However I think it’s worth asking why you want someone to have the experience of doing whatever it is you’re trying to get them to do in the game? Is it just because you can’t think of anything else that seems like it would sell well in this climate? I like to think I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to artistic freedom, but I don’t think there is such a thing as art without message, and art creators should be able to stand by what they make with some sort of pride. You’re not only asking people to pay money, but also to give up some small amount of the time they have on this earth to play your game, so you might want to think about what the purpose of game development is for you.
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That’s the thing, I don’t thing violence in games makes you violent in life. If anything it gives violent people a safe way to let it out. It’s more about kids hurting kids even in a game just makes think if it’s even worth it. I changed things up a bit and used adults in a business setting and it feels better. Maybe it’s just the dad in me
Who knows, maybe it’ll make the bully kids realise they are bully’s? It could have a good outcome. But unless there is a large scientific study done, all you can do is guess and use best judgement which i think you’re doing. If that’s the best you can do, at least you are doing your best.
And even then we’re only grasping at straws half the time.
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I draw the line when it comes to hurting animals outside on non preventable self-defense scenarios.
Children are OK, until my audience says otherwise.
So fishing games are out?
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Aren’t all violent games out, except where the opponents are either machines or plants?
Aliens and Zombies don’t have feeling either.
Unless you’re fishing for humans, yes.
And marxists.
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All creatures on this planet exist by capturing other things and masticating their flesh.
Just be yourself. Do what you want to do.
But we are humane, we do it humanely! 
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I look forward to the day when television shows, movies, and especially games are completely devoid of gratuitous violence because the human condition will have advanced to the point where gratuitous violence is no longer viewed as entertaining or fun.
I do think that media does strongly influence human behavior. I am not advocating censorship, just wishing that our collective sense of entertainment would move to a higher richer level.
I am raising a daughter and that is the world I hope she and her generation will enjoy. Not the world we currently occupy.
Just my polyana 2 cents.
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That’s why we award bonuses for headshots in games!
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Either all of its okay or none of it is. Oh wait. That’s comedy.
I personally don’t care for or include violence against animals. I have even been kicking around ideas for non violent mobile games for children where the player helps/protects animals instead. Like helping puppies and kittens find their way home.
I don’t think it is really up to the developer to draw the line. It is up to the audience, and the developer needs to be responsive to the audience or risk not many people enjoying the game. The “audience” is not just the potential players, but the market the game would be delivered through, where it would be promoted, etc.
Lets say a developer wants to go full on distasteful, and create a game that recreates a famous criminal shooting event. For example, the 2011 shooting spree murder of 80+ kids on the island of Utoeya Norway. What market is going to include that game? Even Steam’s lax curation isn’t going to allow that game. Google Play or the Apple App Store aren’t going to allow that game. The developer would have to market the game from his/her own website. How is the dev going to promote it? Any ads for the game will get taken down off of any of the major advertising platforms as soon as they get reported.
The dev is going to end up with a game that hardly anyone ever hears about, because the audience for the game won’t tolerate it. The only hope for getting any real traction is if a major news org reports on it, inadvertently promoting it in the process.
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