Do you think it is possible for a video game to address anti bullying?

Sure. Games can address anything if they try. Whether they do it well or not is a different matter entirely.

But will it sale? I don't see how.

Didn't Bully and Rule of Rose already do that?

using Video Games for anything other than entertainment is not reccomended.

Saturday Morning Cartoons have address the issue of bullying and the consequences it can have everybody (Like the possibility of a school shooting or a suicide). So I don't see why Video games can't address that same message.

A Cartoon Example:

I think if Video Games are to be an accepted medium in society like music and movies, they should try to address more serious issues. Now I am not saying all video games should tackle serious issues. But a handful of developers should try their hands in them.

If think about, there is such great opportunity in video games to convey serious topics that no other medium has. It just has to be done right.( which is easier said than done, I know).

People will read a book, or listen to music, or watch movies that deal with a wide variety of topics.

People who play video games will only (on a mass consumer level) buy things where you get to kill stuff.

Can they do it? Yes, as long as the people involved don't mind not making a profit.

@Behardy24

You can do that with Non-games, simulations, interactive narratives, etc. The potential of Interactive Entertainment being used for just about anything is extensive..... But Video Games specifically are quite strictly about influencing outcomes through a set of rules and mechanics.....which is alot of fun.

You can do what other games do and sliding some cutscenes or teachings in between or parallel to the gameplay but mixing them together to create something new is highly improbable. An attempt to do so might compromise it as a "game".

It depends partly on how someone defines a videogame and the amount of play elements someone thinks it has to have in order to be labeled as such. But if you see videogames as interactive virtual experiences with some form of play, then I'd say yes... One could argue about how dominant the gameplay should be when addressing topics like this.

Mass Effect and Dragon Age tackled being gay in a game. Last of Us also handled some very serious issues. Gone Home, Braid etc all have serious issues. Sure they are entertainment, but saying they are tackling serious issues is stupid

A lot of games are actually used for something other than entertainment, a lot of games are aiming to tell something to people, and I think that behind the entertainment part, you can actually learn something from video games. Not so long ago, it was the same debate about movies, people said it was for entertainment purpose only: now everybody concede that movies can handle serious issues. So why not bullying? Video games can be really interesting and serious about a lot of things.

@The_Last_Ride

I look at those things as "flavours"..... TLOU simpy laced a 3rd Person shooter with "serious issues", ... It didn't really use them. Basically its like the game's infected... They maybe named clickers and maybe a result of a fungus instead of a virus but in function... In gameplay its still a zombie.

As for Mass Effect... Its Dialogue system is too flawed to allow for any of its choices to have meaningfull impact.

If its not woven into the gameplay mechanics then how can one believe video games do anything fun ?

I had a simular issue with many JRPGs, people say their the games with vastly superior storytelling and that maybe true but how is it a win for video games if these stories are told using cutscenes and text dumps. To me that only shows what video games are not good at.

If someone is a bully or has that mentality, I don't think watching a cartoon, movie or playing a game that addresses the issue will change them. It's more likely they will not care or even the idea that they can have the power over others to possibly commit suicide would perhaps wet their sadistic appetite. There are bullies elsewhere besides in school as well, such as work bullies. Adults that take their position at a company and use it to be mean to other co workers but really it's everywhere, you even see bullies in nursing homes bullying old people, only the person being bullied has the power to prevent it imo.

Of course it would be possible for a video game to address anti-bullying.

Maybe a karma system could be used to implement it.

Bully was a good game for this, you got to fight for the innocent and lay down beatings on bullys and other lame kids. They should make a sequel to this game

@thereal25

a Morallity system is guarnteed to lead to disaster.

Hm, maybe it would be better for the player to JUST be about stopping the bullies - rather than having the option of actually being one.

On the other hand if a player were to choose to be a bully - then the programming of the game would ensure that they get constant negative feedback on their actions.

No a game cant do anything except provide a tool for the bullies.

bullying is the fault of the parents and the school and its on both sides, but the bully and the person who was bullied.

So the people who need to take care of it are of course the same people,

@thereal25

I actually love Negative Feedback Loops. :D.

I can't stand the way the term "bullying" is used today. Today, "bullying" is just a term used by women to describe something they don't like. Calling a fat person fat isn't bullying. It's telling the truth. Bullying is when a kid waits for another kid at the bus stop every morning before school, and beats the shit out of him.

@psx2514

You're very bold... I'l give ya that.

Calling someone fat everyday is bullying

If it was told with strong characters and script, then yes it could be very interesting and heart felt.

Whilst that is true that it sill considered bullying, its by far a better kind of bullying, as it encourages the victim to actually make a change as opose to staying fat all their life

If you really believe this...oh boy

I believe this, because I went through this. When I was year 7-8 I was teased for being fat, because of being teased, I made a 180 in my life and lost the weight and started living a healthy active lifestyle, I know of others aswell who have also gone through the same scenario. So yes I do believe this, because I have gone through this.

@Mesomorphin

Too bad your health lifestyle did nothing for your Attitude. And FYI... I'm Fat !

It's true. People get teased or get picked on because of their weight or the way they dress or look. So people go into the gym, lose a lot of pounds, gain muscle, and people will see them in a totally different light. It's all about confidence and people, especially bullies, are afraid of that. Totally!

In any case, I agree with C_Rake; anyone can make a game like that, but only if it's done correctly.

my attitude? Why because Iam being straight about everything....would you rather I be all soft and cuddly? lol

Thats just the way shit is man, I aint going to lie but the motivation that got me where I wanted to get was from bullying, and whilst in the short term its suck ass! it really does deliver in the long term.

ps: I have nothing against being fat or fat people, I just wanted a different life style for myself personally, so please dont take me as an ass.

@Mesomorphin

If you say so... But I got my Fat Eye on you.

Sounds like the making for one boring video game. Bullying (a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller orweaker people...per dictionary.com) has been around since just after God created man. I would leave those stories to the news outlets.

@MonsieurX:

No, it's not. You're confusing teasing with bullying. Waiting for someone everyday before school and beating the shit out of them and stealing their lunch money = bullying. Calling a fat person fat != bullying.

@MonsieurX:

I really respect that. Rather than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, and blaming others for you problem, you actually went out and fixed it. If fat people don't want to be ripped on for being fat, then maybe they should take the fork out of their mouth, and hit the treadmill. Eat more salads and less chips. Most fat people are fat because they're too lazy to put in the effort to lose weight. You weren't one of those people, so you have my respect.

You're confusing being ripped on with bullying. Being ripped on is just part of growing up as a male. Kids rip on other kids for anything. Actually, today, I think kids are a bunch of pussies compared to the previous generations, but that's not their fault. It's the parents, and the fact that a lot of them are being raised by single mothers who don't have a clue of how to raise a boy to be a man. But I digress. Kids ripping on kids actually builds character and helps them improve themselves. For instance, kids ripping on you for being fat motivated you to go change that.

@psx2514 I completely agree. People complain and accuse anything and everything as bullying these days, and without sounding like the world's biggest asshole, if someone out there is being bullied, man or woman, instead of sitting around and crying about it, stand up about it and make a difference. Just recently I had a mate's younger brother approach me about a situation where he was being bullied for being fat, and told me he was on the urge of depression. What was my advice? well it sure as hell wasnt "consult a family member or teacher" I simply said, "f*ck those who view themselves higher than you, and give then a reason to crouch to their knees when you see them again in 2-3 years time" And for me, I didnt just lose the weight, I went above and beyond and started to body build for the mere joy of laughing over those who had originally put me down. Most of which are scrawny little nuggets that can only talk sh*t.

Again I have nothing against fat people, alot of my closest friends arent exactly skinny, but I know alot of them are trying and I realise it isnt an easy road. But **** is it the most satisfying one, once you smash that finish line!

It is if you do it constantly.

I guess calling someone stupid over and over is not bullying?