We continue to do the planning for a new initiative, dedicated to the legacy of Jim McGinnis, on specific ways to counter the culture of violence. The initiative will include work on advocacy on gun control issues, recommitment of the Pledge of Nonviolence, and alternatives to violent toys and entertainment.
The gift-giving holiday season is upon us.
One of the dilemmas often faced by parents and others who are gifting young people is the overwhelming presence of violent video games. Below is a resource that we hope will be a help.
The first part is a listing of Alternative Healthy video game for different ages.
The second part is a listing of games considered specific alternatives to some of the more popular violent video games. While there is some violence in some of these games, it is of a lesser degree and may be more likely to satisfy some gamers, especially teen-agers.
| Party Games for Families and Friends |
|
Name |
Age |
Information |
| 1 |
Pix the Cat
|
Age 5+
|
►Throwback arcade puzzler with impressive scope. |
| 2 |
Super Mario Maker
|
Age 6+ |
► Extraordinarily fun game-maker for kids of all ages. |
| 3 |
Wii Party U
|
Age 6+ |
► Lots of group fun encapsulated in 80+ mini-games. |
| 4 |
Flinthook
|
Age 7+ |
► Intuitive, madcap action stays fun despite repetition. |
| 5 |
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
|
Age 7+ |
► Family-friendly racer gets large update with bonus content. |
| Thought-Provoking Nonviolent Games for Tweens and Teens |
|
Name |
Age |
Content |
| 1 |
404Sight
|
Age 10+ |
► Fast-paced challenging action tries to teach Net lesson. |
| 2 |
Abzu
|
Age 10+ |
► Artistic aquatic adventure filled with mystery, wonder. |
| 3 |
Blackwood Crossing
|
Age 10+ |
► Story with clumsy controls explores loss, letting go. |
| 4 |
One Upon Light
|
Age 10+ |
► Challenging yet frustrating puzzler has confusing story. |
| 5 |
Rituals
|
Age 10+ |
► Short adventure captivates with puzzles, intriguing story. |
|
Violent Games |
2 Alternative Games Each |
| 1 |
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition
Age 18+
►Focuses on players using guns, kicks, and an electric whiplike device to destroy their opponents.
► Plenty of blood, gore, and dismemberment and players get points for killing enemies in extreme ways.
|
ReCore: Definitive Edition
Age 12+
Upgraded action game has robot violence, strong heroine.
Gravity Rush 2
Age 14+
Strong female lead returns in soaring action-adventure.
|
| 2 |
Conan Exiles
Age 18+
►Full of bloody, gory hack-and-slash action that includes decapitations and dismemberment.
►Other game events highlight the brutality of Conan's world, its environment, and its subject matter, which includes cannibalism, torture, and human sacrifice.
|
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns
Age 12+
Epic fantasy MMO expansion vastly improves gameplay, story.
Marvel Heroes 2016
Age13+
Embrace your favorite hero and save the world.
|
| 3 |
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City
Age 18+
► The end of this incredibly difficult action role-playing game franchise doesn't skimp on the blood, gore, or shock factor, as fantasy creatures moan and gush blood when struck by medieval weapons.
► Bodies are frequently seen scattered throughout the environment, and players will slash, impale, and smash enemies to pieces.
|
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Age 10+
Vast adventure with some combat rewards logical thinking.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Age 13+
Fantastic, imaginative adventure with strong female lead.
|
| 4 |
Dead by Daylight
Age 18+
► In this slasher game, a remorseless killer hunts down survivors to sacrifice them to an evil entity, using a variety of weapons to hack, stab, and impale characters.
► Injured players may crawl on the ground leaving pools of blood behind and can be hung on meat hooks in brutal death sequences.
|
Five Nights at Freddy's 4
Age 12+
Jump-scare-packed finale hits home.
Darkest Dungeon
Age 16+
Challenging, violent, but entertaining role-playing game.
|
| 5 |
For Honor
Age 18+
► Combat between three factions plays a major role in this action fighting game set in a medieval fantasy world.
► Each entity tries to assert its dominance over the others using melee weapons, such as swords, pikes, and spears.
► Kills are frequently shown in close-up with large splashes of blood, while plenty of arenas show severed heads on spikes and other gruesome imagery.
► Players also slaughter dozens, if not hundreds of computer-controlled enemies wholesale with no ability to negotiate peace.
|
Portal Knights
Age 10+
Addictive sandbox crafting adventure with RPG elements.
Fortnite
Age 13+
Fantastic action sandbox has some messy base management.
|
| 6 |
Friday the 13th: The Game
Age 18+
► This multiplayer slasher game places one player in the role of Jason hunting down and killing opponents, who assume the roles of different camp counselors.
► Adding a sexual angle to the violence (a potentially harmful combination for tweens and teens), the female characters are scantily clad or skinny-dipping while they are being hunted down.
► Grisly violence abounds as characters are killed with weapons, environmental objects, or even Jason's bare hands.
► The cut scenes and gameplay feature tons of blood and gore.
|
Cuphead
Age 10+
Charming retro-themed game presents maddening challenge.
Alan Wake
Age 14+
Story-driven thriller with lots of terror, some violence.
|
| 7 |
Outlast II
Age 18+
► Gory scares run throughout this bloody horror game, which forces players to try their best to escape from cultists wielding weaponry and farm implements. These enemies only want to catch and torture the player in bloody, gruesome ways, and multiple scenes of viscera and stabbing are frequently shown, as well as the violent birth of the Antichrist.
|
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Age 9+
Light scares, clever puzzles make for a fun adventure.
Zombie Vikings
Age 13+
Comically crude yet amusingly chaotic Norse action game.
|
| 8 |
Player Unknown's Battlegrounds
Age 18+
► Gamers try their best to be the last one standing in this online shooter, which throws up to 100 players into a constantly shrinking arena.
► Whether using firearms, cars, melee weapons, or bare hands, you have to try to kill everyone you come across to ensure your safety.
► Even alliances between players can quickly be tossed aside in favor of points and survival, undermining the concepts of cooperation, loyalty, and teamwork.
|
Hard Reset Redux
Age 10+
Old-school bot shooter updated, but play still feels rusty.
Destiny 2
Age 13+
Online shooter promotes social play, has violent combat.
|
| 9 |
Resident Evil 7 biohazard
Age 18+
► Scares aren't the only thing to shock gamers in this violence-packed game that glorifies cruelty as players use shotguns, chainsaws, explosives, and other weapons against human and inhuman creatures.
► There are plenty of disturbing images of open wounds and injuries, and characters are dismembered, impaled, or killed in brutal ways.
|
Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
Age 10+
Weird cartoonish multiplayer shooter grows fun for all ages.
ADR1FT
Age 13+
Controls can frustrate in tense, scary space-survival game.
|
| 10 |
Sniper Elite 4
Age 18+
► War games frequently highlight massive casualties, but this World War II shooter casts the player as a sniper. Using knives, explosives, and a variety of firearms, you travel to some of the most dangerous locations of the war to conduct stealthy attacks against Nazi soldiers.
► There aren't any nonviolent attack options, so these strikes are simply ways to kill enemies without poking the ant hill of enemies that scour the grounds looking for you once they've detected something's amiss.
► Some kills are slowed down and highlighted with graphic X-ray visuals indicating the brutality of the damage inflicted on its target from a fired bullet.
|
Splatoon 2
Age 10+
Colorful multiplayer shooter is captivating, can melt hours.
Overwatch
Age 13+
Fantastic, frantic shooter with some violence, open chat.
|
