Poll: Compassionate Gaming

[Jason Danger Keyes]

A lot of it depends on the game or the character. It's easy to go on a rampage in GTA because the people just randomly spawn by the hundreds and you'll never run out. In Fallout 3 or Oblivion, there's a finite number of innocent NPCs, and I really don't want to depopulate permanent characters from the world. I will, however, frequently make a quicksave and butcher everyone in the vicinity with the most awesome weapons in my arsnal, then reload the save and continue as I was before.

Character-wise, I find it really hard to make a character I like into a brutal psychotic. I really liked John Marston, and I just couldn't bring myself to rampage with him, or even do mischevious or villainous things. Same with Ezio, he killed a a lot of people, but only the ones that were targets or had the ability to prevent me from reaching my targets.

 

[Sharky200]

been playing Oblivion and well I have made several characters. Some of them I have tried to make Evil but as I play I always end up being nice. And i let people live more often that an Evil character would.

I mean .. I'm even nice to the Adoring Fan D:

and the guy respawns every 3 days

 

[C95J]

I don't know why people get upset over killing innocents, or children in video games. When will they understand that they aren't actually real, it's just a game...

 

[Thyunda]

been playing Oblivion and well I have made several characters. Some of them I have tried to make Evil but as I play I always end up being nice. And i let people live more often that an Evil character would.

I mean .. I'm even nice to the Adoring Fan D:

and the guy respawns every 3 days

I might be a good guy, and I never raised a weapon to the Adoring Fan.

However, I do enjoy decking him.

I don't know why people get upset over killing innocents, or children in video games. When will they understand that they aren't actually real, it's just a game...

And the exact same could be said about real life. What separates the average person in the high street from your average person in GTA? At first glance, they look like mindless artificial constructs just wandering the high street. In fact, they could be. You have no reason to think they are real people with a life behind them, so you might as well shoot them, eh?
Let's face it, if you think it's a bad thing to be nice in games, what reason do you have to be nice in real life?

 

[C95J]

I don't know why people get upset over killing innocents, or children in video games. When will they understand that they aren't actually real, it's just a game...

And the exact same could be said about real life. What separates the average person in the high street from your average person in GTA? At first glance, they look like mindless artificial constructs just wandering the high street. In fact, they could be. You have no reason to think they are real people with a life behind them, so you might as well shoot them, eh?
Let's face it, if you think it's a bad thing to be nice in games, what reason do you have to be nice in real life?

So you would just walk up to someone in real life and kill them would you, without any emotional remorse for them?

If you think that killing someone in a game is no different to killing someone in real life, then I am sorry to say this but you are wrong.

In real life people have emotional connections with other people, have emotions, feel pain, they are actually living beings, not just a computer generated AI.

Think about what you just wrote in that last post. You are also the only person I have seen so far on this site defending all these people who want to stop violence in video games, which is really strange considering this is primarily a gaming site.

 

[Thyunda]

I don't know why people get upset over killing innocents, or children in video games. When will they understand that they aren't actually real, it's just a game...

And the exact same could be said about real life. What separates the average person in the high street from your average person in GTA? At first glance, they look like mindless artificial constructs just wandering the high street. In fact, they could be. You have no reason to think they are real people with a life behind them, so you might as well shoot them, eh?
Let's face it, if you think it's a bad thing to be nice in games, what reason do you have to be nice in real life?

So you would just walk up to someone in real life and kill them would you, without any emotional remorse for them?

If you think that killing someone in a game is no different to killing someone in real life, then I am sorry to say this but you are wrong.

In real life people have emotional connections with other people, have emotions, feel pain, they are actually living beings, not just a computer generated AI.

Think about what you just wrote in that last post. You are also the only person I have seen so far on this site defending all these people who want to stop violence in video games, which is really strange considering this is primarily a gaming site.

What? I don't want to stop violence in video games! I never even said that. Have a look at my original post. I said I didn't commit mindless killing sprees. Why? Because I just can't bring myself to end the lives of innocent people, especially since there is every possibility that we too, as people, could just be AI ourselves. You can't prove we're not, and if you even put yourself into your games, like I do, then you should get emotionally involved.
Would you kill lots of innocent people in real life? Why not? Because it's wrong. Exactly.
So why would you have your virtual representation of yourself kill other virtual representations of people? Same logic.

And I approve of blood sports, just so you know. If somebody suggested bringing back the gladiatorial arenas, and have volunteers and convicts fight to the death, I would pay to see that. Killing's fine, as long as both parties accept that it's coming.

A raider shoots at me in Fallout? I'll shoot his kneecaps off first.
An innocent civilian wanders past with a sarcastic comment? Leave them be.
The Adoring Fan won't get out of my way? Deck him and move on.

Sometimes for the reward, a lot of the time because they annoy me for a partly-imagined reason but mostly because I'm a terrible human being and murdering npc's can be far more amusing then it has any right being. I will only spare the innocent/undeserving if given a very good reason (ie: little sisters are awesome and if you harvest one you deserve the business end of Mr bubbles) but those infected colonists in mass effect 1? went our of my way to destroy everything because it made me laugh. Yep...really not helping matters here any

Oh GOD! Don't bring up the Big Daddies. I already felt so bad killing those guys. Apart from the ones that hit me first...because they got caught in the crossfire. I wanted to let them live so bad...but I needed the Little Sisters. And then they would cry and I'd feel so bad about it.

 

[Frotality]

depends on the people...if their mindless sheep that are at best inconsequential and at worst a constant annoyance, then they are the victims of my never ending cathartic desires. an npc giving a slightly hostile remark is usually reason enough for me to deem their life not worth the processing power it takes to run their AI. case in point the fable games; if you havent gone on at least one murderous rampage in those games, then you have an inhuman level of tolerance; those freaking people exist solely to be killed, for that is perhaps the only thing they contribute to the entertainment of the game.

if they are actually useful or sympathetic in some way, like npc allies that actually help or civilians in the crossfire, i go out of my way to keep them safe. best example is probably half life 2, where i made sure to save as many citizens as possible in the final levels, saving way more than i could have in my squad at a time and trying to get to the end of the level with the same group of civvies i started out leading. in ep1, i would defend alyx knowing full well she had virtually infinite health; once i saw her being mauled by 5 ant lions at once, i made it a point to not abuse her infinite health anymore... of course when escorting civilians became mandatory in the end of ep1, they started to annoy me and i found myself saving the minimum then finding creative ways to indirectly kill off the rest.

i love the cathartic potential of video games, so when i am supposed to avoid killing bystanders, i kill bystanders, and when their deaths dont mean anything, i try to keep them alive.

but when their lives are so meaningless they might as well be ants, you have prototype; where civilians are health packs and projectile weapons. occasionally i would grab a person from an infected area and bring them back to safer area, but then you realize the nicest way to set them down is hurling them across the pavement...

 

[Thyunda]

depends on the people...if their mindless sheep that are at best inconsequential and at worst a constant annoyance, then they are the victims of my never ending cathartic desires. an npc giving a slightly hostile remark is usually reason enough for me to deem their life not worth the processing power it takes to run their AI. case in point the fable games; if you havent gone on at least one murderous rampage in those games, then you have an inhuman level of tolerance; those freaking people exist solely to be killed, for that is perhaps the only thing they contribute to the entertainment of the game.

if they are actually useful or sympathetic in some way, like npc allies that actually help or civilians in the crossfire, i go out of my way to keep them safe. best example is probably half life 2, where i made sure to save as many citizens as possible in the final levels, saving way more than i could have in my squad at a time and trying to get to the end of the level with the same group of civvies i started out leading. in ep1, i would defend alyx knowing full well she had virtually infinite health; once i saw her being mauled by 5 ant lions at once, i made it a point to not abuse her infinite health anymore... of course when escorting civilians became mandatory in the end of ep1, they started to annoy me and i found myself saving the minimum then finding creative ways to indirectly kill off the rest.

i love the cathartic potential of video games, so when i am supposed to avoid killing bystanders, i kill bystanders, and when their deaths dont mean anything, i try to keep them alive.

but when their lives are so meaningless they might as well be ants, you have prototype; where civilians are health packs and projectile weapons. occasionally i would grab a person from an infected area and bring them back to safer area, but then you realize the nicest way to set them down is hurling them across the pavement...

See, now eating people is fine. Serves a purpose. Mercer gotta eat, y'know?

 

[SwagLordYoloson]

I like it when the scream, especially the children... I don't mind ketchup on my hotdog, as long as the bun is tight.....

 

[Thyunda]

I like it when the scream, especially the children... I don't mind ketchup on my hotdog, as long as the bun is tight.....

....you are aware that can only be interpreted in a sexual way, right?

 

[Thespian]

For me, it depends on the tone that the game sets.

I like being Paragon in ME because the Galaxy feels like a living, moving thing.

In Fable, I couldn't care less about the strange, squeaky voiced clay creatures who will stop adoring me if they see me commit a minor crime and become an angry pitchfork-wielding mob, then drop their torches in a second because I did a funny little dance. I'd just slaughter them and run from the guards at my whim, until I got stronger and then I just killed the guards too >_>

Likewise, Crime Sandboxes and stuff leave me indifferent to the fates of people, but certain games tug at my heartstrings.

Such as in Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood. I love the Italian language, people and culture, so I find it hard to hurt any of the rustic roman villagers. And their yelps of terror and begging for mercy puts me off.

The game itself will determine whether I kill people or not, really.

 

[Lord Doomhammer]

I typically assume a retaliatory mode in RPGs. If someone slows me down, gets in my way, or is in any way a douche to me. they die. end of story, no apologies no sadness, the leaper punches me>they die.

 

[Levethian]

Killing men I don't mind too much.

I can't kill animals in Minecraft. Wildlife is a no-no.

 

[Thyunda]

You might want to do a reality check if you have that level of "compassion" for polygons and lines of code.

And I approve of blood sports, just so you know. If somebody suggested bringing back the gladiatorial arenas, and have volunteers and convicts fight to the death, I would pay to see that. Killing's fine, as long as both parties accept that it's coming.

And now you're just plain creepy.
Way to go.

I think it's pretty creepy that you have no compassion for polygons and lines of code. You're only bones and lines of DNA yourself, so don't start getting all uppity.

And it's not creepy to accept that there's nothing wrong with death. If two people fight to the death, fine. As long as it's not excessively painful, and as long as both parties know what the outcome will be. People gamble their entire lives away, why not go the full circuit?