setting the zombie things in half-life 2 on fire made them make a horrible wailing sound. it made me feel guilty for killing them in such a slow way because they could feel pain... but then i remembered that its just a sound file and pixels. but for moment there...
Poll: Have you ever experienced guilt in a game?
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Heavy Rain, as Jayden I was checking out the scary blackman in the junkyard. Then he knocks me unconscious and when Jayden comes around he's handcuffed to his car and about to get a quick ride into the trash compactor. After some frantic action I get out just in time to avoid having Jayden minced. I feel good, I saved Jayden. But then the guy returns and I totally blow the input sequence in the following fight. That was it, as they say. Jayden disappeared.
I felt guilty because Jayden had died from my poor reactions. I was supposed to save him.
I felt guilty because Jayden had died from my poor reactions. I was supposed to save him.
Yup, I've felt guilty before. In the Mass Effect games (both 1 & 2), I always play Paragon the first time around, but the second playthrough, I usually go renegade, in order to see both sides of the coin. In ME1, I was a male Renegade, so I let Kaidan die on Virmire (big Kaidan fan girl here, so I was pretty torn up about it). In ME2, I've shot people in the leg, let innocent bystanders get killed, and so on and so forth. I felt *really* guilty. But I also got to head butt a krogan, so that was fun! =D
But of course, at the end of the day, when I turn off my computer, I do try to remember that it is "just" a game, after all.
Edit: Oooh! How could I forget Morrigan's offer in Dragon Age: Origins! That certainly tied my Female Warden up in knots, especially since she was involved with Alistair...
But of course, at the end of the day, when I turn off my computer, I do try to remember that it is "just" a game, after all.
Edit: Oooh! How could I forget Morrigan's offer in Dragon Age: Origins! That certainly tied my Female Warden up in knots, especially since she was involved with Alistair...
It wasn't my friend. It was a piece of plastic. Also, it was a hinderance, complicating my tasks. The only reason I might have to consider it a "friend" was GLaDOS' word, and that damn computer can't be trusted. I never played much FF7, but if I had to kill Barret (that's the big black guy with a minigun hand, right?) to advance the plot and no choice was offered, I wouldn't feel guilty. I might feel sad or angry or disappointed, depending on the context (did he betray me? was it a misunderstanding? etc.). But I wouldn't feel guilty.apelsz said:Well, sure, if you look at it as "just a cube", but it wasn't. It was your only friend in Aperture Science, with GLaDOS and turrets trying to kill you. I mean, for example, using one from FF7, how would you feel if you had to kill Barret to advance in the game?Jandau said:I must say, I felt nothing. Not only do I not get why everyone loves the damn cube so much, the game could not be advanced without incinerating the damn thing. Therefore, what's there to feel guilty about?Blitzkrieg64 said:Same on my first playthrough for that and to see if I could and to see if I could fall on top of the cube which didn't happen. I may be weird but damn if that game didn't make you feel bad about that part.apelsz said:I ended up jumping in with it. I'm not leaving my best buddy!Meemaimoh said:Incinerating the Companion Cube. I beat the record, damn it.
HOWEVER! If me killing Barret was a result of poor decisions on my part that shifted the game's plot in that direction, THEN I might feel guilty. Then I'm the one who failed. Barret might still be alive if I played better or paid more attention. Only when the tragic event is the result of my actions do I feel guilt. If I had no part in setting the course that caused the event, then feeling guilt is pointless...
Yeah, that's him.Jandau said:It wasn't my friend. It was a piece of plastic. Also, it was a hinderance, complicating my tasks. The only reason I might have to consider it a "friend" was GLaDOS' word, and that damn computer can't be trusted. I never played much FF7, but if I had to kill Barret (that's the big black guy with a minigun hand, right?) to advance the plot and no choice was offered, I wouldn't feel guilty. I might feel sad or angry or disappointed, depending on the context (did he betray me? was it a misunderstanding? etc.). But I wouldn't feel guilty.apelsz said:Well, sure, if you look at it as "just a cube", but it wasn't. It was your only friend in Aperture Science, with GLaDOS and turrets trying to kill you. I mean, for example, using one from FF7, how would you feel if you had to kill Barret to advance in the game?Jandau said:I must say, I felt nothing. Not only do I not get why everyone loves the damn cube so much, the game could not be advanced without incinerating the damn thing. Therefore, what's there to feel guilty about?Blitzkrieg64 said:Same on my first playthrough for that and to see if I could and to see if I could fall on top of the cube which didn't happen. I may be weird but damn if that game didn't make you feel bad about that part.apelsz said:I ended up jumping in with it. I'm not leaving my best buddy!Meemaimoh said:Incinerating the Companion Cube. I beat the record, damn it.
HOWEVER! If me killing Barret was a result of poor decisions on my part that shifted the game's plot in that direction, THEN I might feel guilty. Then I'm the one who failed. Barret might still be alive if I played better or paid more attention. Only when the tragic event is the result of my actions do I feel guilt. If I had no part in setting the course that caused the event, then feeling guilt is pointless...
Anyway, you make a good point about GLaDOS. Still, I can't help that I felt guilty about killing it. I guess I just feel guilty if I kill a character on purpose. Like killing Rundas in Metroid Prime 3.
Killing Antoinetta Marie made me sad. She was so sweet in a demented sort of way.MiracleOfSound said:
And I've never been able to bring myself to blow up Megaton. I tend to become fiercely protective of the place (and I actually like Moira Brown. I know that's weird since she seems to be the love child of Sarah Palin and Ryan Stiles if the latter were in permanent Carol Channing impression mode.)
I just recently did the Death Knight quests in WoW for the first time.
I think the worst part came when I was trying to kill fleeing peasants quickly and painlessly, when one begged me to spare her life. I immediately stopped attacking...and she dropped dead five seconds later from one of my DoTs. I felt like shit. And slaughtering innocents never got any easier.
But really, guilt is a common factor in some of the games I play. I knew damn well what I was doing when I killed <color=white>Dark Saber in Fate/Stay Night. I also knew that I had no other choice. It was still one of the hardest things I ever had to do...
I think the worst part came when I was trying to kill fleeing peasants quickly and painlessly, when one begged me to spare her life. I immediately stopped attacking...and she dropped dead five seconds later from one of my DoTs. I felt like shit. And slaughtering innocents never got any easier.
But really, guilt is a common factor in some of the games I play. I knew damn well what I was doing when I killed <color=white>Dark Saber in Fate/Stay Night. I also knew that I had no other choice. It was still one of the hardest things I ever had to do...
http://kotaku.com/321259/the-official-plush-companion-cubeMeemaimoh said:Incinerating the Companion Cube. I beat the record, damn it.
This should help you sleep at night =)
My personal moment: Damnation, when I ripped the disc out of the PS3 and broke it in half. Could have traded it in... felt awful.
The one where Lucien has you do his first mission? Cracked me up when the Kajiit started acting friendly... didn't save him though. I felt guilty the first time I ever used the Death Star in Star Wars: Battlefront, used it on Kashyyyk and looked down at the controller thinking "what have I done?". Of course after playing Empire at War, the Death Star jaded me on the topic of planet destruction.
Whoops, missed the quote button, this is aimed at MiracleofSound.
Whoops, missed the quote button, this is aimed at MiracleofSound.
Dwayne and Playboy X. You're welcome.Birdman1604 said:
Yup, I did the exact same thing. And I did it intentionally, after one line of dialogue.Delock said:
That was pretty depressing.
But I redeemed myself by
giving Kramer his medicine. Although, he is a jerk and deserved to die
Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood questline. Oh, and my first murder. That was phun. One-hit stabbed a beggar at midnight, but I got arrested as soon as a guard saw me with a weapon drawn over her corpse. Unfortunately I didn't have enough gold at the time to pay it off, so I lost the 10 skill points. Don't plan on getting arrested any time soon, but I steal from everyone who's anyone.
Phunny story: I broke into a Thieves Guild fence's house while he was out, stole everything that had a value or was a weightless ingredient, then went straight to the same fence and sold him his stuff for profit. I did that for every fence, but I still don't know how to get the keys to their chests so I can raid them.
Phunny story: I broke into a Thieves Guild fence's house while he was out, stole everything that had a value or was a weightless ingredient, then went straight to the same fence and sold him his stuff for profit. I did that for every fence, but I still don't know how to get the keys to their chests so I can raid them.
Dragon Age (spoilers)
I really wanted to try the Loghain ending in Dragon age, and had set up Alastair, my love interest, to be king with Anora. However picking Loghain got me a huge, emotional speech from Alistair about being betrayed. Then he stumbled off to go and live in dumpsters or something. I felt like I was kicking a puppy. So, I reloaded the save and made him King again. Five minutes after that, he dumped me :|
I really wanted to try the Loghain ending in Dragon age, and had set up Alastair, my love interest, to be king with Anora. However picking Loghain got me a huge, emotional speech from Alistair about being betrayed. Then he stumbled off to go and live in dumpsters or something. I felt like I was kicking a puppy. So, I reloaded the save and made him King again. Five minutes after that, he dumped me :|
I killed an infected in Left 4 Dead 2 today and it made me feel sad. Poor guy was just standing there chillin' and I shot him in the back for no reason.
The survivors are the real monsters here.
The survivors are the real monsters here.
1. RED ALERT. The first mission of the Soviet campaign.Kelbear said:
2. I was acting under orders (same excuse as the nazis used at Nurenberg).
3. I murdered every man woman and child in that village. And I know fully well that is wrong.
4. I do not know. That cutscene with the dropped teddy bear and the machinegun fire affeced me deeply.
*Mass Effect 1 Spoilers Ahead*.
When I first started playing games that had moral choices, I would invariably go for the evil path first and foremost, because it was easiest, and it was damn fun being an evil bastard. The one thing I've always had problems with was the Love Interest. In KoTOR, I hated myself for abandoning Carth to go with Bastilla.
The first time I played a "good" character before an "evil" one was Mass Effect 1. I have no problem with the day-to-day Renegade choices (threaten a police officer, shoot a pirate rather than arrest him, that sort of thing), but when it comes to the big choices, and interactions with my crew, I have no stomach for it. In fact, my one Renegade character ended up "switching sides" during the Feros mission, to avoid killing the colonists and later, to save the Council. Killing the Rachni, who once started a galactic war, was one thing. Shooting Fist was one thing. Being borderline xenophobic was one thing. But killing 24 innocent men and women when there was an easy alternative is just plain unconscionable. Likewise with the Council. They may not have always been humanity's best friend, but they were the best hope for stability and peace. To jeopardize that for the sake of a few thousand humans is nigh unthinkable.
The much lesser guilt comes from being a dick to your crew. No matter what you say to them or what reprehensible things you do, they still follow you, either out of necessity or respect. When you trample all over that respect, it makes you feel like an asshole. These are good people you're insulting here, not some smug terrorist. They react to your vitriol, and it fills you with shame.
There is of course the Sadistic Choice on Virmire: Ashley or Kaidan. If you save your Love Interest, it makes you understand exactly why there are regs against fraternization. If you choose the non-Love Interest out of pragmatism, you wonder what kind of desensitized jackass you are, to leave your lover to die because they weren't part of your favorite squad. If you chose Liara, the choice becomes even more arbitrary and cold-hearted. You likely don't have a personal stake in either of their lives, and therefore choose one over the other for no particular reason at all.
When I first started playing games that had moral choices, I would invariably go for the evil path first and foremost, because it was easiest, and it was damn fun being an evil bastard. The one thing I've always had problems with was the Love Interest. In KoTOR, I hated myself for abandoning Carth to go with Bastilla.
The first time I played a "good" character before an "evil" one was Mass Effect 1. I have no problem with the day-to-day Renegade choices (threaten a police officer, shoot a pirate rather than arrest him, that sort of thing), but when it comes to the big choices, and interactions with my crew, I have no stomach for it. In fact, my one Renegade character ended up "switching sides" during the Feros mission, to avoid killing the colonists and later, to save the Council. Killing the Rachni, who once started a galactic war, was one thing. Shooting Fist was one thing. Being borderline xenophobic was one thing. But killing 24 innocent men and women when there was an easy alternative is just plain unconscionable. Likewise with the Council. They may not have always been humanity's best friend, but they were the best hope for stability and peace. To jeopardize that for the sake of a few thousand humans is nigh unthinkable.
The much lesser guilt comes from being a dick to your crew. No matter what you say to them or what reprehensible things you do, they still follow you, either out of necessity or respect. When you trample all over that respect, it makes you feel like an asshole. These are good people you're insulting here, not some smug terrorist. They react to your vitriol, and it fills you with shame.
There is of course the Sadistic Choice on Virmire: Ashley or Kaidan. If you save your Love Interest, it makes you understand exactly why there are regs against fraternization. If you choose the non-Love Interest out of pragmatism, you wonder what kind of desensitized jackass you are, to leave your lover to die because they weren't part of your favorite squad. If you chose Liara, the choice becomes even more arbitrary and cold-hearted. You likely don't have a personal stake in either of their lives, and therefore choose one over the other for no particular reason at all.
In Fallout 3 there was a mission where you had to escort these people through a sewer while on the run from the enclave and getting into constant encounters with ghoul.
I ventured to play the good character and during a frantic sessions of VATS I accidentally targetted the head of one of the people whom I shared a name with, needless to say I accidentally blew his head clean off. I reloaded a previous save and kept going.
I did it by accident.
I felt guilty because he didn't deserve to die, he shared my name and I had pretty much psycho-conditioned myself at that point to feel terrible if I so much as stepped on an innocent little ant so as to keep on the straight and narrow.
I ventured to play the good character and during a frantic sessions of VATS I accidentally targetted the head of one of the people whom I shared a name with, needless to say I accidentally blew his head clean off. I reloaded a previous save and kept going.
I did it by accident.
I felt guilty because he didn't deserve to die, he shared my name and I had pretty much psycho-conditioned myself at that point to feel terrible if I so much as stepped on an innocent little ant so as to keep on the straight and narrow.