Undertale: Violence in Context

The following capstone paper analyses the communication of non-violence and killing in the digital computer game Undertale (TobyFox, 2015). I discuss the implications this has for how we speak and think about violence and (virtual) pacifism in games and game spaces. I conclude that we need to consider a more nuanced approach to discussing violence in digital games. I further argue that Undertale, and related Indie games, bridge the (artificial) gap between serious games and entertainment games. The line that exists academically and economically between these two sectors ultimately contributes to an extreme understanding of games on either side that limits our understanding of what games are and what they can do that is ultimately harmful to both sides. I therefore encourage a reconsideration of these two game genres.