History Main / NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters

* ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'': The Salieri family is presented as this at first, especially contrasted against the far more brutal Morello family. [[TheProtagonist Tommy]] gives a few examples when telling his story to the chief of police, such as their refusal to deal in drugs and that their version of a ProtectionRacket came with actual services instead of the usual "give us money or we'll torch your restaurant" shtick. Ultimately becomes a subversion, as by the end Salieri is shown to be every bit as violent and cutthroat as Morello, he's just less capricious about it. Even the drugs were, by Tommy's own admission, more a case of PragmaticVillainy than EvenEvilHasStandards. ("With drugs comes big money and even bigger problems.")

* [[http://www.snopes.com/crime/mootloot/mafia.asp This urban legend]].

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'':
** This is the justification used by the 3rd Street Saints in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1''; specifically they seek to end a [[MobWar turf war]] in the city, but they [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jump off the slippery slope]] pretty quickly, particularly in the [[SequelEscalation sequels]], even then they are a lot more respected than the other three gangs and [[spoiler: Ultor]] as people often come and show approval to the Boss.
** This is the major theme of ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''; the gang has been selling themselves out for popularity and power, to the point where the victims of their robberies ''ask for autographs mid-shakedown'', the penultimate choice of the game that decides the ending is completely dependant on if you want to go back to being corporate whores or (violently) show the world you're serious.
* Despite what Peggy Li might tell you, the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Water Street Boys]] from ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'' are a subversion. They may protect vendors and stores from rival gangs and thugs but will strong arm them into earning protection money, deal drugs, and are quite thuggish to boot. Them, including Jackie, even casually talk about the last undercover officer who was tortured and then BuriedAlive. Unfortunately, "merely" running extortion and protection rackets pretty much makes the Water Street Boys a picked-on "lower class" of the Sun On Yee triad, whereas more powerful subsidiaries are involved with more profitable drug trafficking, prostitution, human trafficking, pornography, and money laundering, and the events of the game start with "Dogeyes" Lin's Jade Gang encroaching on the Water Street Boys' territory. It's also stated that the reason Winston's gang only runs extortions and protection rackets is that they're too dumb to successfully pull off anything more complicated than that (not helped that Conroy is essentially a symbol of Winston's inability to attract effective subordinates since he only makes his boss look even worse than better by comparison).
* The [[{{Yakuza}} Kantou Haguro-gumi]] in ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'' are a quick-tempered bunch, but they're generally Robin Hood-types. When their community is threatened, they are more focused on and do a better job of protecting it than the Army.

* The Thieves Guild in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' plays this trope straight. They're based in the waterfront (poor district) and refuse to steal from the poor as well as stealing their tax money back from the guard.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' as well. Gentleman Jim Stacey runs an orderly, profitable business and avoids bad PR. Members of the Guild do not kill, do not rob those who cannot afford to be robbed (no profit in stealing from the poor anyway), etc. The heroes of the Guild are Robin Hood-type figures, and later missions include things like saving a poor woman's home from a corrupt official by stealing his forged land deed, stealing a locket that a retired miner was forced to sell to pay his taxes and returning it to him, and stealing history books to give to a temple trying to help educate the community.

* The Yoshimitsu Group of the VideoGame/SoulSeries. They are established to protect the poor from both the corruption of the rich and the permeating evil of Soul Edge.
* The Hidden Beks in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. For a while, they were [[LaResistance a resistance cell]] against the Mandalorian occupation of Taris, and Gadon was planning to repeat that by fighting the Sith's occupation. Unfortunately, Carth turned out to be right - the [[ProudWarriorRace Mandalorians]] like a good one-to-one fight, but the Sith prefer things like OrbitalBombardment.
* The Freakshow in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' are a gang of scary, drug-addicted, {{Cyborg}} gangers that exemplify the trope "AnarchyIsChaos". That is, until [[CoolTeacher Miss Francine]] comes along and teaches them how to [[ComesGreatResponsibility to use their powers for good]]. Westin Phipps has you [[KickTheDog kidnap Miss Francine and bring her in for torture so the Freakshow will stop being altruistic]]. [[spoiler:Thankfully, [[VideoGameCaringPotential you can willingly fail this mission]]. EvenEvilHasStandards, after all]]. Friendly Neighborhood Freakshow "inspired by Miss Francine" [[ContinuityNod later show up in a Going Rogue tip mission]]. [[spoiler: Heroes can [[FixerSue rescue Miss Francine from Arachnos]] in another tip mission. Or they can just [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge beat Phipps.]]]]
* The Mox in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' are a BandOfBrothels that started out as a VigilanteMilitia protecting [[WretchedHive Night City]]'s sex workers from abuse. They're the most benign gang, as unlike the others they have no interest in gaining territory, focusing instead on running their club and protecting their own.

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'', the ThievesGuild and TheQueenpin Nine-Fingers Keene take the form of this. The Guild get up to all sorts of criminal endeavors but Keene also considers it their duty to defend common Baldurian citizens from outside threats and the depredations of the rich.
* In the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'', the Brotherhood of Nod is a terrorist variation on this, at least in [[VillainWithGoodPublicity the public opinion]] in the Yellow Zones by ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars''; what they actually do isn't much better for people in Tiberium-contaminated areas, frequently kidnapping people for use in various experiments.
* The Claire Brothers of ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'', who seized control of the local Dockworkers' Union and used their criminal ties, popularity with workers, and ruthless politicking to make it the only authority in town. [[spoiler: They've bargained for better wages and benefits for the local workers, established a neighborhood watch in the form of the Hardie Boys to make up for the RCM's decades-long absence, and they have big plans to renovate the poorer parts of town (although they're willing to expel people in the fishing village to make this happen). Even their involvement in the drug trade has had a net positive effect on Martainaise, as they ensured that it stays regulated and that its destructive excesses are kept in check. Despite appearances, the twins genuinely care about Martinaise and want to lift the neighborhood out of poverty, even if they are willing to screw over some of its inhabitants in the process.]]
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' crime boss, Aria T'Loak, who controls the [[WretchedHive Omega space station]]; she provides useful information to Shepard, refuses to deal with the Collectors, she even provides the grieving mother of one of Morinth's victims with Shepard's e-address so she can properly thank him/her for avenging her daughter, and in ''Videogame/MassEffect3'' she puts the Blood Pack, Blue Suns and Eclipse crime syndicates at Shepard's disposition to help in the fight against the Reapers.
** Also from Omega, the Talon gang which is led by Aria's old friend, Nyreen: They actively resist Cerberus' occupation while assisting and evacuating civilians caught in the crossfire.

* Implied to be the case in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. Most of the game takes place in rural New Mexico, so the communities are understandably small and close-knit, and the local criminal/spy bases are [[PaperThinDisguise so poorly disguised]] that watching violent turf wars is a substitute for going to the movies. More to the point, it's mentioned that without a fire department of their own, the town of Teufort relies on the Mob to put out fires.

* To combat the Templars and the Blighters gang who are under their control, Jacob and Evie Frye in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' found their own gang the Rooks to take back the city of London bit by bit. Note that they are also technically working alongside the police of London; presumably Chief Inspector Abberline takes a "don't ask, don't tell" approach.
** Subverted in the ''Syndicate'' DLC, when [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper someone significantly less neighborhood friendly]] takes over the Rooks, and they turn on Evie and Jacob without any signs of internal conflict.
** The Assassins were involved in organized crime before that game: In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' Ezio works with the Venetian ThievesGuild; in ''Unity'' Arno works with Marquis de Sade, the new King of Beggars. It's always treated as preferable to being under Templar control (except in ''Rogue'', which is from a Templar's point of view).
* ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'': The Salieri family is presented as this at first, especially contrasted against the far more brutal Morello family. [[TheProtagonist Tommy]] gives a few examples when telling his story to the chief of police, such as their refusal to deal in drugs and that their version of a ProtectionRacket came with actual services instead of the usual "give us money or we'll torch your restaurant" shtick. Ultimately becomes a subversion, as by the end Salieri is shown to be every bit as violent and cutthroat as Morello, he's just less capricious about it. Even the drugs were, by Tommy's own admission, more a case of PragmaticVillainy than EvenEvilHasStandards. ("With drugs comes big money and even bigger problems.")
* ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'':
** Lou Marcano runs a slew of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs in the French Ward of New Bordeaux, and to the public, he plays up an image as a Mafia-esque guy who's nonetheless a family-friendly Santa Claus figure. Olivia Marcano, meanwhile, is a socialite and a major fixture of New Bordeaux's high society, supporting a scholarship program with Remy Duvall, himself an example of this trope who puts on a SouthernGentleman image on his talk radio show. [[SubvertedTrope Make no mistake, though]]: they are just as ruthless and degenerate as any other leaders in the Marcano crime family. Lou runs drug dens and prostitution rings in the French Ward, Olivia pushes PCP to bored housewives in the suburbs, and Remy is the head of the [[TheKlan Southern Union]].
** In the ending where [[spoiler:Lincoln and his associates choose to take over the city themselves, they take the Marcano family's place in this trope. Lincoln rebuilds the ghetto after a major hurricane, reopens the theme park, sponsors schools and hospitals, and supports local charities, but as Maguire points out, the money that he uses to do that comes from the criminal rackets he built his empire on. Father James flat-out ends his interview in anger rather than continue talking about Lincoln, the man and his crimes having become a major BerserkButton for him.]]
* It's revealed in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' that Ash used to be the leader of a group who defended Raquel during the CivilWar in ''Cold Steel II''. [[spoiler:When he finds out that his former group that he disbanded after the CivilWar was over, was smuggling in weapons in ''Cold Steel IV'', he calls them out on it.]]

* The protagonist gang (Grove Street Families) and their allies (Varrios Los Aztecas and the Triads under Wu Zi Mu) in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' fall on this side of the moral barrier. They are violent and will not hesitate to use to force on enemies, but they are all big on family, brotherhood, and loyalty ([[spoiler:well, the part of the GSF that are under the Johnson brothers are, anyway]]) and all refuse to deal with hard drugs.
* Vinnie Pappalardo, TheDon of [=LEGO=] City's Mafia branch in ''VideoGame/LEGOCityUndercover'', is an AffablyEvil family man who dresses up as a clown for a kid's birthday party, and runs a high-class ice-cream restaurant/factory. When Chase [=McCain=] goes undercover in order to find out what [[BigBad Rex Fury's]] planning, Vinnie is one of the two crime bosses he spends the most time working with. In spite of the fact that Chase is required to pull off robberies for Vinnie, we never see any of the illegal activities carried out by Vinnie himself. And whenever Vinnie appears to be making a DeadlyEuphemism about a person who used to work for him (the old "sleeps with the fishes" remark), we then find out [[BaitAndSwitch that he means literally what he says]] ("he's a night watchman at an aquarium"). Certainly Vinnie's a lot easier to get on with than, say, [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Chan Chuang]], [[spoiler:or Forrest Blackwell.]]

* The Wrights in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' were a [[FamilyValuesVillain literal crime family]] who refused to take part in the gambling, prostitution, and drug trades within the WretchedHive of New Reno. Alcohol, however, was fair game and their main source of income. One potential ending has them [[HeelFaceTurn go straight and reform the city]], although ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' renders this non-canon as it's mentioned they're still a major faction in conflict with the other families and the NCR.
* The Kings of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' are a gang of {{Elvis Impersonator}}s who help protect the locals of Freeside, the slums of New Vegas. Mr. House provides power and security to the people on the Strip, but doesn't care about Freeside or the even-more-dilapidated Westside -- the Kings are effectively both the government and the police in his stead. However, the game makes it clear that although the King himself is a genuinely good person who cares deeply about the members of his gang and the people of Freeside, there are some in the gang (especially his right-hand man Pacer) who are really just in it for power and the opportunity to feel important.

Compare EvenEvilHasStandards, DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster, GentlemanThief, LoveableRogue, TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily, HonorAmongThieves, and FriendlyPirate. Contrast RuthlessForeignGangsters and TotalitarianGangsterism.