Unlocking the 'Good Ending': What Can Video Games Teach Us About Conflict Resolution

Video games that feature war or armed conflict are regularly criticised as exacerbating aggressive behaviours, impairing ethical and moral judgment, and desensitising gross violence. However, these criticisms often neglect the nuanced narratives that some video games present with regard to violent conflict and its consequences. Some video games that feature violence use story-telling devices and/or gameplay features to address complex themes such as victimhood, reconciliation, justice, and accountability.
This paper presents some interesting examples of gameplay that forces the player to confront these complex themes through their in-game choices. These include narrative devices that reward non-violent approaches with ‘good’ (optimal, or happy) endings, and violent approaches with ‘bad’ (negative, or sad) endings; and gameplay features that emphasise the value of dialogue, active listening, and empathy.
This paper argues for the development of these narrative devices and gameplay features, and highlights how these features can be utilised in developing and assessing educational curricula. This includes gauging player progress against optimal and negative ‘endings’ in peace gaming role-playing simulations, and emphasising the value of non-violent alternatives to conflict to schoolchildren and young adults in post-conflict societies.