Poll: Taking the Non-lethal approach in games

[sidewinder fang]

I was thinking about playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution a while back and I got me thinking about non lethal and pacifist approaches in gaming, violence gets talked about so much in video games that I thought it'd be good to try and balance the scales a bit.

Anybody who's played Human Revolution knows that its got quite a range of options, in both the lethal and non lethal departments, from kicking in the doors and unloading with a chain gun to sniping with a sniper rifle or tranquiliser to stealth and close quarters take downs, both lethal and non lethal, but we can talk about all the interesting ways to kill people another day.

Personally when playing I found myself slipping into a semi pacifist role, taking out purity first fanatics with the tranquiliser and saving my bullets for the masked mercenaries, I pretty much viewed purity first as a group of misinformed and dumb kids, a perspective likely coloured by the games first mission, likewise I saw the mercenaries as ruthless thugs in uniform, a perspective again coloured by the games opening tutorial section. I could go on but I'll try not to spoil it too much for those who haven't played.

A perhaps more interesting example is my playthroughs of Crysis 2, while this game doesn't come with a defined non lethal option I found myself sneaking past the CELL mercenaries quarantining new york during the earlier sections of the game, with the help of the nanosuits cloaking ability. While they were trying to kill me and there are documents found which indicate that they have been shooting civilians in some cases, I viewed them as the lesser of two evils compared to the alien disease outbreak and the aliens themselves.

I'm not saying that shooting people in games is wrong or that all games should have a non lethal option, it sure as hell wouldn't fit in some of them (borderlands comes to mind) but in some games, especially ones that are more choice oriented I think it can add an interesting new dimension. I'm very interested to hear other peoples thoughts and stories on non lethal approaches in games, and those can be any genre, not just FPS's like I've listed here, so please feel free to vote in the poll and leave your comments below, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the subject.

EDIT: It looks like the poll clipped off some of the questions, would be nice if it actually have a character limit somewhere instead of just decapitating them without letting me know beforehand Escapist. Here are the actual questions.

Yes, always, I dislike uncessasery violence
Yes if its more challenging
Yes if it gets me a better score/rewards
Yes sometimes if I don't think the enemies should die.
No, I like using my weapons
No, just killing them is easier
No, most of the games I play don't have a non lethal option.
Other, please state.

 

[rofltehcat]

I always try to play games with stealth elements as a ghost: The job is done best when nobody knows it even happened. So I basically play Hitman, Splinter Cell etc. as if being detected is a failure state. I even try to not even distract guards and killing one is far too obvious.
I think it makes sense: If they don't know you were ever there, they can't start investigating for more or even adapt their safety procedures (so you can get back in once more if needed)

Sadly, some games just don't make it possible. But Deus Ex HR for example did it right. I didn't even use invisibility until the incredibly obvious trap. I had to use it because those guys actually did their job right.

I wish more games had (good and functioning) stealth mechanics.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I don't think a whole lot about which option I'm going to take, but I do often take the non-lethal option. There are probably a few reasons for this:

The first is that I try to utilize every option available in the game, and since it is normally very hard, if not impossible, to switch from combat to stealth in the same scenario, I often go stealth until I get discovered and am forced into action.

The second is that in some games, they sort of assume that you'll use stealth at least part of the time and don't offer enough resources to do a pure action run. Going stealth sort of ensures that I don't run into these situations.

Third, I enjoy games that present their challenges as puzzles, and stealth is the most natural way to treat each encounter as a puzzle rather than a test of reflexes.

Now, there might also be an aspect to how easy the two are. I tend to find stealth easier than action, so I can vastly minimize deaths if I go the stealth route. Overall, though, I just find stealth the most natural and enjoyable option.

 

[krazykidd]

I like being able to kill people silently. It's why i like alpha protocol so much, and why i get man when Wolfenstein : TNO forces me into gun fights.

 

[Malbourne]

Oh, stealth is such a joy. I tend to avoid casualties if I can help it, and games like Mark of the Ninja reward you for making stealth and pacifist runs (with shiny medals, I mean). Not only that, the game gives you the tools you actually need to make your way through a level without detection. You can use noise bombs, sleeping darts, smoke bombs, etc. That's not to say it doesn't give you a lethal option. I definitely indulged in several of those the first time I played through the game.

Lots of my stealth ventures turn out like that, actually.

Hitman: Don disguise, infiltrate estate, tip hat, find target...Now what? Get frustrated, take out the ballers, blast my way back to the suit and the exit.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Well, that was fairly easy. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting through that mess of guards-GAH, thwack. Okay, where's a convenient body-sized vent...
Dishonored: Reload, did he see me? Reload, he didn't see me but his buddy did. Reload, where did that guy on the balcony come from? Reload, when am I gonna get out of the prison cell already?! Reload, screw it, I'm going Rambo on these toadies.

I'm a lover, not a fighter. And I love stealth assassinations.

 

[tippy2k2]

When I'm playing and I have a choice, I almost always do non-lethal unless I feel like the person I'm after has given me a reason to remove them from this Earth.

Deus Ex HR examples (1st level spoilers):

When the bad guys first break into the lab and start attacking everyone, I generally went non-lethal. Until I saw a scientist begging for their life and the soldier gunned him down. A defenseless man gunned down in cold blood; fuck that! Bring out the blades for it thirsts for the blood of the evil and it will have its thirst satisfied!!!

I find in a lot of games with stealth like Splinter Cell or Metal Gear, you inevitably run into people just doing their jobs and it just doesn't feel right to kill them. Sure, they won't show me the same kindness but they don't realize I'm the good guy and their working for Dr. Evil!

Basically I'm Judge Dredd out there; judge, jury and executioner based on my own sense of right and wrong.

 

[Elfgore]

See, I always try a non-lethal approach. It tends to work fine through the starting levels, sometimes not even then. In case it does work, once I hit the halfway point. Everything just goes downhill. The enemy becomes either to numerous or intelligent for me to avoid. I get tired of being detected and usually just charge in and kill everyone. That's my usual stealth run in a game. *glances at Dishonored*

Edit: Or I run into a bullshit restriction like in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I have battery power to preform non-lethal takedowns? That's just bullshit!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Generally try to be as stealthy as possible. If I must confront them, then I try to knock out people rather than kill them. Or pick them off one by one if there's no other option.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I do like being able to bypass; when the objective is reaching a place rather than clearing it out.

That's why I can't get into Dead Space. I can appreciate the design of a spaceship, but when corridors are too narrow to bypass flailing scythe-limbs it gives you the option of standing back and shooting, not much more.

I do like to see stuff skewed towards non-lethal being the more difficult option as well.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

Depends on the game and my character.

Sometimes I like to go non-lethal, try to avoid bothering to murder everything I meet. But if I come across a certain asshole or two, like in Metro or Deus Ex, here comes the shotty.

 

[DrOswald]

It depends. I tend to role play as "the professional." A professional has style. A professional has standards. Bodies are nasty. They lead to uncomfortable questions. Collateral damage damages my reputation.

This extends to other aspects of the game. Never use 2 bullets when 1 would suffice. Don't taunt the enemy. Don't be seen if you can't help it, always follow though on a contract even if it means passing up on bigger opportunities (unless, of course, the original employer wasn't strait with you.) You are a man of honor, your word is your bond. And if you do have to kill someone make sure they suffer as little as possible. That's just polite.

 

[Demonjazz]

Usually I try to go non-lethal at first but in the end I just kind of get bored of dying for the umpteenth time trying stealth so I try it with more violence just for the heck of it.

 

[Super Cyborg]

It depends on my mood and the game. When playing Mark of the Ninja, which is a great game, I'd either try to not kill anyone, or I would try to sneak up on everyone and kill all of them silently. If I don't have to defeat an enemy and only complete an objective, I will start avoiding enemies when health is really low. I've been playing sly cooper quite a bit, and I try to not take out enemies as Sly.

The one game I try my best to kill as few as possible is Metal Gear Solid 3, because of that one part near the end that's a pain if you killed lots of enemies.

 

[JagermanXcell]

It was definitely my first time playing Metal Gear Solid 2 that stopped my murder runs. It was just so swift and easy (ironically fitting Raiden's character if I might add), thus making my sneaky treks through the Big Shell so much easier. And you would not believe the kick I got when Arsenal Tengus got to face my katana's wrath side by side Solid Snake.

And then I got the Elephant Rank........... I don't like the Elephant rank...

So it's been nothing but Foxhounds and Wolf ranks for most stealth games ever since, if you catch my drift. It's certainly a very unique and fun way to play a stealth game when given the option to go non-lethal.
But I guess that means I should give credit to The Last of Us for bringing back the joy of stealth murder ONLY tendencies. Flaws aside, those takedowns were satisfying.

 

[Gunner 51]

I will try and prefer to knock out rather than kill in a game. It's one thing to become Lord Death of Murder Mountain, but discretion is the better part of valour. Besides, it's always fun to imagine a mook waking up from being knocked out back to his superior and explaining why all his friends got knocked out from someone in the shadows.

 

[Gergar12_v1legacy]

I prefer to kill. Even in Fallout I could have spared allot of people Like the legate, But if you don't kill him... Then he will be a problem later on.

In Deus Ex it's hard not to kill people... If only there were an AA-12 shotgun firing stun rounds or something.

 

[Denamic]

I do it because I can. There's literally thousands of games where you just kill shit to progress. If I've got an option to do it non-lethally, I'll do it simply because it's different. There's also the satisfaction of having that perfect run. Completing a violent game not harming a single person is a special feeling. That's not to say I hate violence; I love those magnificent headshots in Sniper Elite 3 as much as anyone. Variation is the spice of life and all that.

 

[Zhukov]

I do it because I can. There's literally thousands of games where you just kill shit to progress. If I've got an option to do it non-lethally, I'll do it simply because it's different.

What he said.

Although there's really not much point to it. I mean, it just consists of playing the game the same as always except using "stun bullets" and a blackjack instead of regular bullets and a knife. Or you get the Dishonored approach where 90% of the tools at your disposal are lethal, so non-lethal players get to use precisely fuck all.

 

[Callate]

I was mildly annoyed that DX:HR didn't take more note of the question of whether you were using non-lethal methods against the "zombies" in the last segment. I mean, talk about innocent bystanders; those people were literally hijacked and had no recourse about attacking you or not, but the game didn't care if you sedated them or mowed them down like lambs to the slaughter.

I do appreciate games that give the option (though I'll note some of Dishonored's fates for those eliminated non-lethally were arguably worse than death, or likely to lead to it in the near future.) Having to kill people diminishes the player's sense of agency and meaningful morality.

(Something I wish Bioshock Infinite had given more thought...)

 

[FPLOON]

I play to kill... for the experience [points]...

Other than that, whichever feels right for the situation at large, I do that with a bag of chips... Besides, I rarely thinks things through until I'm actually forced to, for the most part...