Gun obsession in video games

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Echo136

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Feb 22, 2010
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I wanted to pose a question to some folks on the forum. What, exactly, is so appealing about shooter games? And by that, I mean the shooting in general. I enjoy a good shooter as much as the next person but Ive sort of realized something since christmas. My dad bought a sidearm for christmas (its going to be his new hobby) and it was the first time I ever held a firearm. It terrified me. The clip was empty but the knowledge that I held something in my hand that could end a life really terrified me more than I thought it would. Probably a good percentage of people who play shooters are like me, in that they have never even held a real gun before, and yet there is a huge obsession with them.

So basically, why do you think there is such a love of guns in video games.
 

Hister

Don't Run You'll Just Die Tired
Apr 8, 2010
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I'd say probably for the same reason violent crime has gone down over the last decade. People are using shooters to help releve stress and frustration, better to take out your anger on a computer game than someone in real life. This is just my personal opinion though, I have no reliable facts to back that up
 

Heathrow

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Jul 2, 2009
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TestECull said:
First of all, OP, you need to conquer that fear of guns. They only kill things when they're asked to kill things.
Regardless of whether or not it's currently being called on to perform the task of killing the whole essence of a gun is focused on its ability to snuff out life. That is the length and breadth of its purpose. You can talk about how cool it is to fire them on a range or out on the farm but that doesn't change their nature. This is a tool we humans have made to kill each other with.

I fail to see why the OP's trepidation at holding such an item is unwarranted. To me it seems very wise to be afraid when touching a gun for a first time. After all, a gun is the culmination of the very worst aspects of human nature and it can be jarring to be confronted with that fact in such a physical way.

Edit: To those joining this discussion and reading my post with a growing certainty that you have the perfect argument to put me in my gun hating place I will thank you to first read all the other posts I've scattered across this thread and, if your certain that your argument is fresh and holds merit, to then read them all again.

I enjoy stimulating debate as much as the next man but having to endlessly reiterate what I've already said because people simply did not bother to read it does wear thin eventually.
 

mireko

Umbasa
Sep 23, 2010
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Using firearms in a game has very little to do with firing a gun in real life. I've never fired anything bigger than a .22, but it obviously feels completely different.

So why do people love them in games? Because they destroy your enemies.[footnote]Enemies that incidentally aren't real living things[/footnote]
 

Heathrow

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Jul 2, 2009
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TestECull said:
I never said it was unwarranted, I just said he needs to conquer it. I had to do the same thing myself. Guns are intimidating at first but once you realize they only kill things they're asked to kill and are perfectly safe once you know how to safely handle them they become no more scary than holding any other mundane dangerous household item. Perhaps even less so, because I've never heard of a gun kicking back and decapitating their owner. But many a chainsaw has done so. Hell despite all the safety features and proper operational procedure those damn things can still bite you in the head. Literally. Even now I still hold the chainsaw in higher regard, danger wise, than I do the .22 or the shotgun because I know the guns will only fire if I want them to.


Fun fact: I conquered guns at age 7. Didn't conquer chainsaws until 19.
You cannot conquer the force behind the gun, of that you should be fearful.
 

Heathrow

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Jul 2, 2009
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TestECull said:
Fix'd. You should conquer your fear of them, but that doesn't mean you can get careless. As long as you respect their capabilities and know what to do with them they're perfectly safe.
I wonder if you are not considering every possible meaning of the word force in that sentence.
 

TriggerHappyAngel

Self-Important Angler Fish
Feb 17, 2010
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Killing people in games satisfies my brain enough, so that I won't have to kill people in real life :)

/crazytalk
 

XIxDAxREAPERxIX

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Oct 5, 2009
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OP, I guess it's mostly down to the primary human craving of power. That primal thing we all seem to have installed in our phsyicy that just makes us relish the chance to be powerful, but also to have the ability to control that power. For instance, the idea of being a werewolf and transforming into an extremely powerful being that we, however, have absolutely no control over does not glimmer in the eye of most. But the idea of having, say, a controlable super power is what keeps most young children from taking a toaster in the bath. =) Firearms in VGs posses this power. They hand over to you the power to be a courageous war hero, or just a plain old prick, and having the ability to control that power is what makes most shooter fans perpetually coming back for more.
In short, it's simply down to wanting the power to destroy and the power to conqueor without truly having to fuck anyone over.
Hope I've helped. =)
 

Scabadus

Wrote Some Words
Jul 16, 2009
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I've fired guns in games and real life; both are fun but in a very different way. In real life there a feeling of honest satisfaction after an accurate shot that you just don't get in a virtual medium, but at the same time you can pick up a gun in a game and blast away, the worst that happens is that you hit Reload when you blow yourself up. When you're holding a gun in real life you have to double check every movement you make to make sure you don't end up pointing a firearm at somebody. Sure it's unloaded and sure the safety's on, but it's still one of the most deadly devices on Earth so you can't go running around with it like you can in games.
 

manaman

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Sep 2, 2007
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Echo136 said:
...it was the first time I ever held a firearm. It terrified me... the knowledge that I held something in my hand that could end a life really terrified me more than I thought it would...
A hammer can end a life. I think you need to conquer your unfounded fear of firearms. It's a lifeless hunk of metal, it's the wielder you only need ever worry about.

Now that aside a healthy respect for a firearm you hold is a great thing. Always treat it as if it is loaded even when you know it isn't. This way you won't ever make a mistake with it that could end badly because your habit is to already to avoid those behaviors.
 

loc978

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Sep 18, 2010
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I've never really understood that fear of firearms... may as well fear an automobile, which is often a much more potent (if less precise) weapon. Once you understand the workings of a piece of technology, you no longer need fear it... only the person operating it.

OT: As for the posed question... it's a loaded one. There are plenty of psychological reasons for wanting to play combat-related games that are as realistic as possible. Many people grow up fantasizing about fighting in wars and such. This is just one outlet for that. A pretty harmless outlet, at that.
 

manaman

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Sep 2, 2007
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TestECull said:
Heathrow said:
I fail to see why the OP's trepidation at holding such an item is unwarranted. To me it seems very wise to be afraid when touching a gun for a first time. After all, a gun is the culmination of the very worst aspects of human nature and it can be jarring to be confronted with that fact in such a physical way.
I never said it was unwarranted, I just said he needs to conquer it. I had to do the same thing myself. Guns are intimidating at first but once you realize they only kill things they're asked to kill and are perfectly safe once you know how to safely handle them they become no more scary than holding any other mundane dangerous household item. Perhaps even less so, because I've never heard of a gun kicking back and decapitating their owner. But many a chainsaw has done so. Hell despite all the safety features and proper operational procedure those damn things can still bite you in the head. Literally. Even now I still hold the chainsaw in higher regard, danger wise, than I do the .22 or the shotgun because I know the guns will only fire if I want them to.


Fun fact: I conquered guns at age 7. Didn't conquer chainsaws until 19.
I just wanted to say as a regular chainsaw user, it's very easy to become complacent with them. Until they kick back on you and only the guard keeps your from sawing your head in two. Has happened to me on more then one occasion. I also nearly lost a finger to a hydraulic splitter.
 

Mrrrgggrlllrrrg

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Jun 21, 2010
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A gun is nothing more than a tool, it has a use and the user must make the distinction for when to use it but the man who does not respect life will use it to harm needlessly. It is the person that kills, the tool is just the means to an end.
 

NinjaDeathSlap

Leaf on the wind
Feb 20, 2011
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Probably because if you can immerse yourself enough in the experience you get all the adrenaline of a shootout situation without the morality part in your brain holding you back.

I'm fairly desensitized to guns. But not because of shooters, more because of my family's military background. In fact, I would say this has made me (although more knowledgeable and in a sense less scared) more responsible around firearms than most people.
 

Shakaar9267

Look at me, I'm burning.
Nov 30, 2009
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Guns are not the only weapons (or even the first) that were made from the ground up to kill humans,

Swords were the first.