Nonviolent video games are video games characterized by little or no violence. As the term is vague, game designers, developers, and marketers that describe themselves as non-violent video game makers, as well as certain reviewers and members of the non-violent gaming community, often employ it to describe games with comparatively little or no violence. The definition has been applied flexibly to games in such purposive genres as the Christian video game. However, a number of games at the fringe of the "non-violence" label can only be viewed as objectively violent.
Surgeon General David Satcher has conducted research in the field of video game violence and has concluded that "findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on [youth] violence."
Former attorney Jack Thompson has filed lawsuits against the makers of violent games, alleging the violent content causes real-world violence.
Games such as Nintendo's Barbie have been designed specifically to target female markets and contains little or no violence in keeping with what some Gender HCI studies have suggested appeals more to female audiences.
Seiklus is a platformer that lacks much of the violence traditionally associated with platformers.
Effects of violence in mass media
The study of violence in mass media analyzes the degree of correlation between themes of violence in media sources with real-world aggression and violence over time.
Many social scientists support the correlation, however, some scholars argue that media research has methodological problems and that findings are exaggerated. Other scholars have suggested that the correlation exists, but can be unconventional to the current public belief.
Bandura's Bobo Doll experiments
Photo of George Gerbner, founder of cultivation theory
