I blame the Americans. Just kidding. But did you notice how all multiplayer online games seem to be about violence? There are MMORPG where players either kill each other in PvP or kill computer controlled creatures in PvE. There are all sorts of shooter and strategy games where players can't do anything but attacking each other. There are a only a handful of peaceful online games, A Tale in the Desert, The Sims Online, or Second Life, and despite getting lots of coverage from the media, there aren't very many people interested in playing these.
I've read an article in The Escapist about playing Animal Crossing with strangers, via Nintendo DS wireless connections, but where is Animal Crossing Online? Where are the massively multiplayer games in which each player controls a village, city, or factory, and interacts with other players without the option of attacking them? Where is "Sid Meier's Railroads Online"? Or Zoo Tycoon Online, where players can trade rare animals with each other and compete to build the biggest zoo? Where is a version of EVE Online after galactic peace has broken out, and players can shoot neither each other nor are there any pirates to attack. I'd like to play Ports of Call online, a shipping simulation we used to play many years ago on my Amiga. Or economic games like Industry Giant. Hey, I would even play The Sims Online, if somebody made a half-decent version of that game, the current one is atrocious.
In my Real Life ® I have all sorts of peaceful interaction with other people, be that social or economic, and there is no violence whatsoever. In my virtual lives I either fight with or against other people, with social and economic interactions being of lesser importance. And I think peaceful online gaming could be a huge market opportunity, as not everybody enjoys violence, even if it is just pixelated. Maybe Will Wright's Spore will be the game I'm looking for, but the intro flash animation doesn't look very peaceful to me, and "galactic dominance" seems to be the final goal of the game. Do games have to be violent to sell?
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