Miyamoto: Violent games may damage “the potential of what games can do”

[Impulsivity]

I would say that violence is rather inherent in even Nintendo games. Every major tent pole game on every Nintendo system other then a few exceptions like Animal Crossing are rooted in violence.

In Smash Bros you use weapons to smash others off the screen
in mario you flatten enemies or burn them alive (is violence to turtles somehow not violence?)
in Zelda you slash enemies to death with a sword and blow them up with bombs
in Metroid you shoot enemies with a multitude of gun arms
in Mario Kart you shoot at other drivers with a ton of gadgets, in Donkey Kong you break things with hammers and can be run over with a barrel etc etc.

Is it different because its cartoony? Maybe, but I've seen people get more angry and violent getting a cheap death in smash bros then I've ever seen them get playing more realistic gun games like Goldeneye.

There are a handful of Nintendo games, like Wii Fit and Animal Crossing, not based on violence, but it's nowhere near the majority.

Games are based on conflict, one of the easiest types of conflict to depict is violent conflict thus game companies, including Nindendo, go to the violence well time and time again.

Also all violence isn't created equal, I would say when its used for dramatic effect such as in Heavy Rain with powerful consequences it is more artistically useful then even Nintendo games where Mario just casually pushes yet another reptilian humanoid into the lava.

Really violence is pervasive in Children's material. Look at the average Warner Bros, Ninja Turtles or Mickey Mouse cartoon and you'll often find more violence then in nearly all of the adult primetime programing other then shows like 24 specifically built around violence.

That when you hit someone with a hammer or kill someone they pop right back if anything makes violence worse since it removes the real world harm from the equation. I would say cartoony violence from a young age is almost certainly more harmful to the psyche then some realistic violence in adulthood when people are more capable of separating reality and fantasy.