Poll: Compassionate Gaming

[Thyunda]

I did a searchbar check...didn't find anything, so here we go.

Now we're all familiar with the tired old 'video games make murderers' arguments. But let's look at the good side. Are you compassionate in games? And why..or why not?
For example. When I was younger, in games such as Grand Theft Auto, I would casually shoot civilians. Why? I don't have a bloody clue. Maybe that's what kids do. Casually butcher innocents.

But...let's take Fallout: New Vegas. Free-roam. Violent. Theoretically, you could depopulate the entire wasteland with an axe. And it would most likely be great fun.
A twelve year old me would probably do it. This me wouldn't be able to bring himself to slaughter the innocent men and women of the wastes. My guess is that this stems from the fact that in the previous game, mindless killing resulted in the blocking off of several quest chains. Killing had consequence beyond losing some in-game currency and waking up outside of a police station. Permanent consequence, provided you didn't save beforehand. So now I won't kill anybody unless they shoot first. Or unless they're Caesar's Legion. I cannot stand them. Not because they're aggressive or imperialistic, but simply because they rape and burn. They kill innocent people purely for being 'immoral'. I will never support that...and even in game, I can't bring myself to help them. After the events at Nipton, I made a real vow to come back and kill Vulpes Inculta when I had the backup to make his death permanent.

So, that's my little story. Do you have any examples of games where you couldn't bring yourself to be bad? Or do you still mindlessly butcher civilians for fun?

 

[Watchmacallit]

I don't know. I've killed the innocent. Army of Two is a good example...and Morrowind, KotOR, Oblivion, Fallout...Okay, I've killed a lot. But they got me money and if I didn't they would of ran to the guards when I started stealing...its not stealing if they're dead? Who said two wrongs don't make a right?

 

[Thyunda]

I don't know. I've killed the innocent. Army of Two is a good example...and Morrowind, KotOR, Oblivion, Fallout...Okay, I've killed a lot. But they got me money and if I didn't they would of ran to the guards when I started stealing...its not stealing if they're dead? Who said two wrongs don't make a right?

Definitely a more practical...mercenary approach to things. I like that.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Depends on the game. Gta, I would see as a sort of sandbox game, made for experimentation. The people there aren't really people, merely toys for my amusement. There's no other way of interacting with them, and the fun comes in experimentation of pushing the destructive mechanics, to see how far you can go.

Fallout, on the other hand, infuses its characters with personality. They're not there to be fodder, they talk to you, and you can have quite lengthy conversations with many of them. They feel like real people, and the game is pushing for that kind of immersion, so in that case, no I never kill anyone, unless they have it coming. Even then, I tend to prefer the non violent approach.

I don't believe it has anything to do with growing up, it's about the fundamental nature of the game.

 

[LesCorbeaux]

From time to time I mess around with harmless NPCs but when I look back at the character and how he/she would react I feel sympathy, specifically in RDR and ACII.

 

[Thyunda]

Depends on the game. Gta, I would see as a sort of sandbox game, made for experimentation. The people there aren't really people, merely toys for my amusement. There's no other way of interacting with them, and the fun comes in experimentation of pushing the destructive mechanics, to see how far you can go.

Fallout, on the other hand, infuses its characters with personality. They're not there to be fodder, they talk to you, and you can have quite lengthy conversations with many of them. They feel like real people, and the game is pushing for that kind of immersion, so in that case, no I never kill anyone, unless they have it coming. Even then, I tend to prefer the non violent approach.

I don't believe it has anything to do with growing up, it's about the fundamental nature of the game.

I won't kill anybody in any games now. Not Grand Theft Auto or Assassin's Creed. I used to find killing the minstrels funny...now I just don't. Gratuitous killing stopped being fun and has started genuinely being depressing.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

nope, i'm the damn straight arrow in most games, (unless its crackdown or GTA, then those are just lifeless pixels) so i hardly ever kill anything, unless they clearly deserve it

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Depends, am I playing Half Life 2, where I hate letting teammates die?

Or Fable 3, where I actively turn evil every weekend and slaughter the entire world, then go back to good on monday?

 

[Iwana Humpalot]

Yeah, i'm always the good guy in video-games, i just can't help it. Even if i want to be bad i get the feeling i'm doing wrong when i kill innocent. (Exept in gta where civilians have no personality whatsoever and usually drive their cars like they would be blind)
I hate that i have morals in videogames but it's something i just can't seem to control.

For example: I went to store in Saints row2, some woman talked really loud on annoying voice so i hit her whit baseball-bat, she started screaming in pain and i started to feel really bad; What had i done? So i turned off my computer and went outside.

For some reason i just start to feel bad if the character acts like a real human or even close to it.

 

[darth.pixie]

Sometimes I'm nice, otherwise the NPCs just say something that annoys me and they're dead. I do that in all the games I play. If they are quest giving NPCs than I will probably finish the quest, get my XP and then kill them.

Take Magicka for example...I slaughtered whole villages in that one and all the NPC did was say that wizards are trouble.

 

[dogenzakaminion]

Depends on the game. In elder scrolls games it's so tempting to slaughter the whole population because they're usually idiots and I rarely ever care about them. Then again, it's also more about the challenge of having 50 guards after me and seeing how long I can survive. Same goes for GTA and the like.

In Mass Effect, I find it so hard to be a dick, just because I'm immersed and I feel like it's my own voice. Doesn't feel right.

 

[Berserker119]

I kill people if they look at me funny, or screw me over.

 

[Marmal4de]

Killing civillians would always make me feel really guilty. This actually got better as I grew older, I used to reload checkpoints when I killed innocents by mistake and eventually learned to just shrug it off. Nowadays I can even bring myself to creating neutral characters! Who knows, maybe some day i'll enjoy being an evil bastard.

 

[whycantibelinus]

In games like GTA I go on killing sprees sure, the game is designed to entice you into that sort of thing. In Fallout I usually start out trying to be good, but taking a firm stance on everything and telling people in conversations that it's basically my way or the highway. At that point they usually develop an attitude and lets be honest here, there is only enough room in the wasteland for one arrogant prick to roam around acting like he owns the place; it's at that point that these characters generally meet their demise with a sledge hammer through their cranium, plus then I get all their stuff and can make a ton of money. =-D

If the characters are nice to me I'll leave them alone though, I just can't stand the ones running around loike it's their game, the story is about me fools!

 

[loc978]

I voted "depends on what mood I'm in"... but really it depends on what character I'm playing. When I'm role-playing a basically good (but selfish) mercenary, I won't go around killing people randomly, but I will demand payment for saving them. If I'm a selfless paragon of virtue, I turn down payment where possible and try to reason with anyone and everyone before fighting starts. If I'm playing a misanthropic sociopath, I'll kill anyone and steal anything if I can get away with it... with no one the wiser. Then occasionally I'll just play a psychotic killing machine. "He glanced at me... the proper response is to shoot him in the face. Repeatedly"

 

[Jandau]

I seriously have trouble playing evil in games where there's an alternative. Also, I tend to pick the non-violent option whenever possible and generally act nicer in games than I do in real life. I also spare the lives of enemies when given a chance in-game. Except for Benny in New Vegas. That guy had it coming.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I tend to be a "compassionate gamer". I'm playing the old Deus Ex right now, and for a long while, I tried my hardest not to kill anyone.

Now....Well, Some CLEARLY deserve it. But if it's an enemy not DIRECTLY working with the villains (anti-terror grunts, sailors, etc), then I try my damnedest to just tranq 'em. Anyone working for *two letters two numbers*, on the other hand, had better have their Will in order.... >

So yeah, I try not to harm the innocent. But if you are an enemy and piss me off...RUN. When I did my hero run of Infamous, I often just kicked my downed enemies in the ribs rather than capture them alive. Why? Because they pissed me off. I'm vindictive like that.

 

[thatman]

Depends on the game. In elder scrolls games it's so tempting to slaughter the whole population because they're usually idiots and I rarely ever care about them. Then again, it's also more about the challenge of having 50 guards after me and seeing how long I can survive. Same goes for GTA and the like.

In Mass Effect, I find it so hard to be a dick, just because I'm immersed and I feel like it's my own voice. Doesn't feel right.

This basically. In some sandbox games i don't give a damn about NPCs and love going on mindless killing sprees (mercenaries in particular - they're only my allies while they're useful...) but on games like mass effect, i can't bring myself to commit random acts of violence and murder. Can on KOTOR though...huh, guess i'm just a sucker for the dark side.

 

[Krantos]

When games literally give you no choice (Prototype) I don't get too worked up about. It's not me, it's the game.

Other games (Oblivion, Fallout, etc), though, I tend to avoid killing as much as possible.

Heh, I even get worked up about killing the random guards sometimes in games like Assassin's Creed or Splinter Cell.

 

[Woodsey]

I really don't have the heart to go on one of those murderous rampages in Fallout or Oblivion, even though I quite want to.

When games literally give you no choice (Prototype) I don't get too worked up about. It's not me, it's the game.

This too.