Non-Violent Video Games
Non-Violent Video Games are video games that are not violent, and can help educate and entertain children in a safe, family-friendly manner. Ratings are usually useful for determining if a game is family-friendly, but this doesn't always work better than actually knowing the game, as some games may contain elements not taken in consideration when rated or may simply lack educational value. Examples of non-violent video games include:
- Tetris - the player requires quick-thinking skills to align falling blocks in order to obtain points.
- Mario series - all the games from the Mario series are family friendly and the types of games vary widely, examples are sports games, party games or traditionally platform games. Some games require mental or physical dexterity, strategy, etc.
- Madden - players can draft football teams and create their own defensive and offensive playbooks, helping children to learn strategy and quick-thinking skills.
- Adventures of Lolo - players assume the role of Lolo and rescue the kidnapped Princess Lulu. Players guide Lolo through a series of puzzles.
- SimCity - the player assumes the role of a city's mayor, which he must help grow. It teaches children organization, direction and problem-solving. There are other "Sim" games, ranging from managing a simple ant colony (SimAnt) to a whole planet (SimLife).
- Sonic the Hedgehog - the player controls Sonic and must frequently use his dexterity and reasoning to navigate through obstacles.
- Kirby series - a family-friendly and easy to play platform game where the player must use his reasoning to solve puzzles, usually involving obtaining special powers from enemies. The series also includes puzzle games (Kirby's Star Stacker), a Breakout clone (Kirby's Block Ball), and various others.
- Pac-Man - the player must guide himself through a labyrinth in order to collect pills with at the same time using his mental dexterity to avoid ghosts chasing him.
It should be noted that in some games, especially platform games, that player controlled characters can die by falling into holes or on spikes, common in Mario and Sonic games. Also, these games feature "boss battles" where a player must defeat an opponent, usually through physical means, such as jumping on the boss's head.
Party games, however, are usually non-violent, but may require parental review.