No Violence Necessary: The case for The Sims as a role-playing game
Filed under: Features, PC, RPGs, Simulations, CasualThis is a weekly column focusing on “Western” role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity. Is combat a necessary component of a role-playing game? It doesn’t seem to be, by any number of common definitions. Yet if you look at how the genre is interpreted, combat seems to be essential. RPGs are built around swords clashing and guns blazing, with occasional conversations. Sure, there are a few games like Fallout and Deus Ex which offer non-violent, alternative pathways, but the bulk of the game is still oriented towards players who want to fight.
There’s a wildly popular, but under-discussed role-playing game that only includes a tiny amount of violence. It’s The Sims, a game that shares almost every trait with role-playing games … except combat. Don’t believe me? Well, what do you actually do in The Sims?Continue reading No Violence Necessary: The case for The Sims as a role-playing gameNo Violence Necessary: The case for The Sims as a role-playing game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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