Learning something about yourself... From Video Games!!

[comadorcrack]

This may have already been done, so forgive me please if it has, but recently I had an experience in a game that made me realise something about myself... It was during a side quest in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (the last place I expected to have a meaningful experience...) so for the sake of those who haven't yet played it ... Spoiler Warning

Spoiler: a little bit of text...

So during the mission "Birth of the Conversationalist Movement" you are taxed with hunting down and killing the Sasquatch creatures that lurk in the forest. As you kill them off one by one, they put up little fight... in fact all they do is run away from you when they see you. Eventually you find the last one, crying by the river... This is where you learn that they were fleeing because they're intelegent gentle beings that have never caused harm... And you have been needlessly extinguishing their race. This is the last of the Sasquatch and he is a broken, pathetic man bringing for death as he cannot take the loneliness of being the last of his kind...

But I couldn't bring myself to kill this last one... After I had so easily killed them before because I just assumed they were vicious animals... just because someone told me to kill them... I honestly didn't have the strength to pull the trigger one last time...

So I guess It made me realise that shouldn't be so quick to judge... and I also learnt that I am most certainly not a cold blooded killer...

Anyone else have an experience like this? Ever Learn something about yourself from a game?

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

I learned I'm not a risk taker. I'd much rather grind for confirmed results than risk all on a chance.

I'm the sort of person who always has a full clip of ammo and a back up plan.

 

[shreedder]

I have never had that profound of an experiance, but I actualy have felt bad about killing nazi's in WWII games. They are always so demonized, when most were just trying to make a living following orders, just like your American military men.

 

[tombman888]

Amnesia taught me that i am a massive coward and probably shouldn't be watching/playing all these movies/games in quick succession.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

I learnt that given the right stimuli, I have anger issues.

 

[comadorcrack]

I have never had that profound of an experiance, but I actualy have felt bad about killing nazi's in WWII games. They are always so demonized, when most were just trying to make a living following orders, just like your American military men.

You know what... I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. It is quite harsh, I'd love to get things from their point of view one day....

 

[badgersprite]

I learned that I really crave being liked, even by fictional NPCs with no personality or character whatsoever. It was quite something to realize I was feeling insecure about what people who don't exist and don't impact the story in any way think of me,

 

[Demons_Bane]

Video games in general have taught me quite vaguely about morality, to be accurate the lack of such. Perhaps it is intrepid of me to say but only a few games such as Braid and Machinarium have portrayed characters to me that I endear to learn about and experience things with. It has taught me the contrast of subtle story telling and the contrast of smooth character development (the majority have at least).

To conclude the grandest lesson that gaming has taught to me is the ability to convey a story through the perspective of an individual.

 

[Vault101]

I am a very good person who will always try to do right....that is unless you are wearing somthing I want, in that case I may kill you and steal it

 

[Demons_Bane]

I have never had that profound of an experiance, but I actualy have felt bad about killing nazi's in WWII games. They are always so demonized, when most were just trying to make a living following orders, just like your American military men.

You know what... I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. It is quite harsh, I'd love to get things from their point of view one day....

Honestly I find these topics quite ironic, yes we all know that many of them did unspeakable evils and to a little extent so did their opposition. But in my mind I find it sickening to give them any benefit of the doubt even if there was one person amongst their ranks, were against what they did it does not redeem the malice of their wrath. But I presume there are books that detail such an interest.

You probably didn't need my opinion but I gave it regardless.

 

[katsumoto03]

Grand Theft Auto 4 taught me that I am a serial killer waiting to happen.

 

[comadorcrack]

Honestly I find these topics quite ironic, yes we all know that many of them did unspeakable evils and to a little extent so did their opposition. But in my mind I find it sickening to give them any benefit of the doubt even if there was one person amongst their ranks, were against what they did it does not redeem the malice of their wrath. But I presume there are books that detail such an interest.

Actually fair play... to an extent... Not all the Nazi's took place in the genocide. Plenty just fought the Allied troops, because it was their jobs. But at the same time, there were a lot who did murder jews, gypsies and the others... so you do have a strong point there.

 

[Kasper Gundersen]

That sounds like something they talked about in Ekstra Credits: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/1974-Enriching-Lives

 

[Reaver3]

In real life I am a really nice guy, WAY to nice, nice enough to be walked over for many MANY years. When Fable came out I was the evilest bastard out there.

I learned deep down I want to stand up for myself and maybe be the one that does the tromping on the nice guys...

 

[Frybird]

I always try to be nice, even in videogames...even if i want to be evil in a game, i have to work around being evil for evils sake by warping the morality of the character i play to make the evil stuff that i do justified or at least understandable from a certain point of view.

And given how much i tend to restart in score/time based games like the Tony Hawk Games or NFS: Hot Pursuit, i think i'm easy on giving up and starting again than make up for mistakes i do (...i think....I'm so confused...)

 

[Professor James]

Video games taught me that I'm a really nice guy. I don't even try to be good yet I'm usually a saint in games with morality systems. I also learned that I'm a very frugal person. In Call of Duty Black Ops online I have $50000 at level 40. And that's surprising considering the fact that I never play wager matches and my COD skills are average at best.

 

[fozzy360]

Call of Duty taught me I might get too angry at times.

Mass Effect taught me I like being the good guy.

Conflicting with the aforementioned, GTA taught me I have a blast plowing through cars an people at high speeds.

Many games in general have shown me that I love exploring. I need to visit every nook and cranny of a world.

 

[Biosophilogical]

Resident Evil 5 has taught me that, while I have integrity about collectibles (djinni in Golden Sun don't count as collectibles and you know it!). Honestly, I've played through the some of the levels So. Many. Times. and I still only have 16/30 BSAA emblems (honestly, it took me about 6-8 playthroughs of the second level to find the third BSAA emblem, and all three that I found were found by accident).

 

[Wigglyman]

I'm a collectormaniac (if that is even a word?!?)

I hate moving on in games such as Mario when I haven't got all the coins!