as a kid who grew up playing sims, i was deeply invested in this book when i saw the title..

not only did this book explore the popular games played but differentiated how even seemingly innocuous games of our childhood aka n64 stuff was still baseline violent and highlighted games that were clear of violence.

enjoyed this book however at times a bit tedious to read but only because some of the material and games i have never played but nevertheless this for gamers and non gamers alike.

thank you NETGALLEY for the arc

Quick heads up, this post will include references to a very specific form of violence that is all too common in American schools. Please don't read if that could be triggering to you, or at least skip the next paragraph. Thank you and take care of yourselves.

As someone who has always been more comfortable playing non-violent video games, this book was a no-brainer for me. I'm not sure how I feel about the impetus behind its creation. The author introduces the book by speaking of Sandy Hook, and a subsequent 'day of cease fire' that the gaming community held in December of that year. He goes on to say that he was inspired to start sharing non-violent games as alternatives, so that gamers could still play on that day. There's a couple of reasons I'm not completely comfortable with this; 1) the gaming community has been the scapegoat for far too long as it is and offering absolutely any credence to that theory is just obscuring the actual problem; and 2) non-violent games should be spotlighted, not as an alternative to shooters and the like, but as their own rich and diverse category. I'm glad the author sings the praises of non-violent games and proclaims them as just as valid as any other, but treating them as alternatives or substitutions in any way (especially when they're already looked down on and derided by a large chunk of the gaming community) just doesn't sit well with me.

The book itself collects a wide array of games, starting back in the 1980s, clear up to the last few years. They're listed in alphabetical order, with a small amount of information about them, and a picture from the gameplay of the entry. Personally, I wish they had been broken up just a bit more. Maybe separate chapters for different genres, or separate chapters for the decade the game was released. The format didn't offer any natural breaks, so it could feel a bit monotonous at times. That said, it was still very informative, even if it wasn't an exhaustive list (I cannot believe that the author did not include Paradise Bay, as I'm fairly certain it falls under the non-violent category, and was really quite popular at the time and really doesn't have any past or current equivalent, but I digress), and didn't list more than a single game from any given franchise (I'm looking at the unbelievable number of Sims games, here). Anyway, it is definitely worth a read if you are interested in gaming, particularly ones from the early days of video games, though the price may be a barrier for some readers.

The author also runs a Twitter account which spotlights a non-violent video game of the day, so that might be worth looking at if you find yourself interested in this collection. I know I plan to give it a look. I'd also be interested in seeing other books of this kind, maybe with a focus on specific platforms, or only currently available games.

I would recommend this to anyone with a strong interest in video games, both past and present. Personally, I'm only rating this a 3 out of 5, but that is only due to the lack of chapters/breaks.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pen & Sword in exchange for an honest review.

This is a nice collection of non-violent video games, collected from Twitter/Tumblr accounts that the author runs. It's a nice book to just kind of casually flick through and read if you want some ideas about video games to play. There is a nice mix of 'big' games and lesser known ones, so even as a video game researcher I was able to find entries I hadn't heard of. It's not an examination of non-violent games (except content wise I guess) so don't expect that, but it does the the job on the tin

I was making my master's thesis on memes and video games and violence in video games so this was definitely an interesting reading for me. I now want to try at least 80% of the video games listed in this essay.
I am just wondering if this can reach the right audience. I think people who will read this are already kind of backing up from "violent" video games, and I'm not sure this is the right book to convince people who aren't to do it. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Just to say there are a few formatting issues where the reviews get muddled and mixed up

Reading this as a gamer fanatic I wasn’t sure what to expect but really enjoyed it….because it is all about non violent games obviously there are a fair few puzzles and management games but found it did span history well from Candy Crush to City Sims

I enjoyed the history,the sales info and info re sequels and also was pleased it listed the platforms the games were released on

A true handbook of facts that any gamer will find concise and interesting

I came here for the Sims cover and I got so much more. What a great book!

I hadn't really ever thought about family friendly games like Plants Vs Zombies or Mario as being violent, but of course they are. 🍄

This book really gets you thinking about what games you might already play that are truly non-violent. It offers an extensive list of fun games to try depending on which platform you use.

I was thrilled to see games like Pong, Tetris, the Sims, Beat Saber, Fall Guys and George's favourite; Frogger, make an appearance. The Sims being the GOAT, in my opinion 🙃

I've already added some of these games to my list. Happy gaming! 🎮

I didnt fins any Videogames with violence in the game, maybe some games, specially the onlines can have some toxic behavior inside the online community. But is a minority. Not bad selection I just miss a few titles, includes classics games and also more actual.
The most problematic thing is that in a few months/years it will be missing more titles.

I love this book. It is so helpful to know more about non-violent video games. There are so many violent games that kids play I wish there was more push for the games highlighted in this book. Hoping this book excites kids to try some games they have not heard of before.

It was really interesting to read the reasoning behind what was selected, and the criteria that each item had to meet. There are a lot of games that I love on here, and some I haven't heard of but want to look into.

An engaging and informative guide to lesser known but no less entertaining section of video games. Each entry details a game where the goal is not to win through violence or harm to others. The games themselves range from titles from major companies to indie picks and hidden gems and span a wide range of genres as well. A wide-ranging and insightful guide to an important collection of video games.

Video games get a bad press for encouraging violent behaviour, despite there being absolutely no evidence to show that playing games causes players to commit violent acts. This collection of 300 video games is specifically chosen for having no violent content (including even mild cartoon comedy violence such as in the classics Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog). With a mixture of old games to reminisce over, and newer games still available to try, from a number of different platforms, this is an interesting collection. However it is worth bearing in mind that just because a game doesn't have violent content, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is 100% warm, fuzzy and wholesome, and several of these games do have serious content which isn't for everyone. I am however now heading directly to Steam to see which of these games I can add to my ever-growing collection!

A great look at a load of video games that aren't your typical 'violent' computer games. An interesting read for all ages!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.