History Main / MakeGamesNotWar

* ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'' has a the titular Robo Battles supplant the need of actual weapons, which is especially noted in the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube version. This initially seems incredibly strange and quite silly [[spoiler:until it is revealed that the only reason that they managed to beat Rahu, the being who almost demolished humanity, was to trap it in a a child's toy (a robo). Following this, the robos were used as a means to train people to defend themselves from such an end, even if they were the cataclysm was then wiped from memory.]]

Some sort of competitive sport or game is used in lieu of warfare, in order to settle disputes with less bloodshed. Most examples of this trope DO usually end up being {{Blood Sport}}s - less bloodshed doesn't mean ''no'' bloodshed, after all. Note, however, that not ''all'' examples of this trope are Blood Sports, and not all Blood Sports exemplify this trope, so it is not simply a sub-trope. International examples usually overlap with InternationalShowdownByProxy.

* One episode of ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'' has Kino encountering a country that used to be at war with its neighbor before someone proposed they resolve their differences through friendly competition. [[spoiler: Horrifyingly subverted when it turns out their competition involves slaughtering the indigenous people living on the border between them.]]

* ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'' has, as its premise, the newly-minted deity of Disboard, Tet, outlaw all forms of violence in the wake of a massive war that destroyed much of his/her race, the Old Deus, instead encouraging its peoples to solve conflicts through games. However, the sixteen Exceeds, as the sentient races are called, still consider the games a new way to express enduring racial rifts and territorial squabbles. When Sora and Shiro, stepsiblings and gamers from Earth, arrived at Disboard, they proceeded to not only unify the races (in their own bid to face Tet), but also teach to them the true meaning of the last of the Ten Pledges made by Tet -- for all the races to simply enjoy the games as (s)he wanted them to.

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* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In [[Recap/BlakesSevenS3E12DeathWatch "Death Watch"]], two planetary systems routinely wage war via CombatByChampion, with the combatants implanted with microsensors so the audience can experience what they feel. Although it's a BloodSport for the audience, the governments concerned regard it as SeriousBusiness as the losing side has to make the same repatriations as if they'd lost a real war.

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[[folder:RealLife]]

* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', the world of Bara Magna instituted a (heavily-regulated and ''not'' bloody) GladiatorGames system to settle disputes; the justification being that CombatByChampion is a lot less taxing on already-scarce resources than equipping entire armies.

* In ''[[{{Literature/MythAdventures}} Myth Directions]]'', the city-states of "Ta-hoe" and "Veygus" used to fight all the time, but at the time of the novel they have formalized their rivalry into a sporting competition, once every N years, with rulership of the dimension at stake. The game is sort of like American football, but the only formal rule is "No edged weapons."

Some sort of competitive sport or game is used in lieu of warfare, in order to settle disputes with less bloodshed. Most examples of this trope DO usually end up being {{Blood Sport}}s - less bloodshed doesn't mean ''no'' bloodshed, after all. Note, however, that not ''all'' examples of this trope are Blood Sports, and not all Blood Sports exemplify this trope, so it is not simply a sub-trope.

* ''Film/FutureSport'' also uses the titular sport as an alternative to war. Of course, some countries decide to cheat...

* Suggested in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' by Lord Vetinari once he notices how well Carrot's football game has worked to pacify the troops of both armies. Sadly, it doesn't happen again, except in ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'', where the problem is that [[RugbyIsSlaughter football IS war]] and it needs to be made more civilized for the good of the city.

* In ''Anime/DogDays'', we have a possible inversion in that war ''is'' a game, in and of itself. The countries maintain perfectly friendly relationships, and go to war for fun and profit. Also, defeated units either turn into cute furballs or, in the case of major players, [[ClothingDamage lose articles of clothing]]. This is facilitated by special areas protected by magic fields that render all damage non-lethal to the inhabitants: They can go at each other with real weapons and WaveMotionGun-class magic attacks, and nobody gets hurt.

* The kingdom of Dal Perivor in ''[[{{Belgariad}} The Malloreon]]'' settles arguments between nobles by holding tournaments. It's not unheard of for two nobles to decide they want to have a tournament and colluding to come up with a "disagreement" to justify it.

->''Know this, young warrior: In times long past, man waged great wars, with huge death tolls and massive destruction. When we stood at the brink of utter destruction, when all hope was lost, our leaders did the unthinkable - they actually stopped to think. They took a step back, and came to an agreement that perhaps all of that was unnecessary - perhaps there was a better way, without quite so much death, and without destroying our homes in the process. And so was created... The Game.''