Is Killing in Games Necessary?

Yesterday a new episode of the PBS gaming series "GameShow" was released on YouTube.  In this episode the idea of using killing as a mechanic to keep people playing and entertained is questioned.  Here is the episode.

Killing is a vital mechanic in so many games and it is rewarding.  Every time you kill a foe you are rewarded with loot.  The bigger and tougher the baddie, the better the loot.  Are these games violent?  Much of the time, yes.  Has this violence caused me to become a psychopathic serial killer who slaughters people on the street?  No, and I don't feel like it has really had much of an impact on my personality or psyche.  I do feel that I've been somewhat desensitized because of it.  I try to avoid games that seem to use gratuitous violence--I'm not really into gore just for the sake of making things gory.  (It's actually funny that this aired when it did--my brother is trying to convince me to buy a game called Nazi Zombie Army which involves slaying masses of zombies and other creatures.  One of the mechanics used by the makers of this game is the "x-ray kill cam" which slows down time and shows you the internal results of your sniping skills.  It looks fun--ugh, is there something wrong with me?)

Why do I like killing in games?  It's rewarding--both challenge-wise and loot-wise.  It's enjoyable to figure out the best way to take out your foe.  I'm re-playing Borderlands 2 and always enjoy dousing my enemies in flame, slag, or acid and watching their health tick away.  That huge red "critical" that pops up when you score a critical hit just feels so great.  The best is when you line up some uber-headshot and manage to land it.  I always find myself grinning or laughing when that happens.  In games like World of Warcraft that require a group of people to take down raid bosses it's extremely enjoyable.  Ask any WoW player who raids what the best feeling is and they will tell you killing new bosses.  There's nothing like the sense of achievement that comes after dying repeatedly and then finally getting a boss down for the first time.  I still remember the first times that my guild took down the big baddies like Illidan or Deathwing.  Then there's the loot...the feeling of seeing a piece of loot drop that you absolutely need is somewhere between Christmas morning when you're a little kid and pure elation.  So not only do you get an emotional high but you also get something tangible for your effort.

Killing things in a game also makes you feel like your character is someone powerful.  You can mow down an army of zombies or bandits no problem.  You're not like any other character, you are special.  Being able to slay masses seems to be the video game staple for proving this superiority.

I don't think that killing is a necessary mechanic in games.  There are plenty of games that don't use any killing that are really great games.  I'm really into Cook, Serve, Delicious which is a restaurant sim.  You get rewarded for your ability to multi-task and fill orders correctly.  The episodic story genre doesn't hinge on killing.  The player gets to interact with the story and see their choices come to life and have an effect on the story.  In Papers, Please you process documents (occasionally you have to make a choice to shoot someone--but you can always choose the non-lethal option) and are rewarded for your attention to detail and speed.  With the popularity of indie games, I don't think that players are limited strictly to games that use killing as a mechanic and that the game industry is changing.  There are so many cool games with novel ideas that are way outside the box.  Games can definitely be fun, challenging, and emotional without all the killing.