Poll: Playing Evil

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keithkc81

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Mar 20, 2011
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From what I have seen on these forums, it seems that playing an evil character in a game is almost unthinkable. I am confused by a lot of the recent threads. When I play a game I feel that I am playing a role that has been placed in front of me. That may be the role of a great hero, or an unsavory *bleep* saving the world just because.

I've been playing a pathfinder game where my character is evil and is serving evil. I don't have a problem with it. The DM has provided a story where there is a greater evil that the group has to stop. I know that sounds like my previous unsavory *bleep* comment, but it is much deeper than that.

In my character's back story I have done things that seem to be taboo. He completely destroyed his home town, children included. He raped females of the caravans he raided. After having his mind invaded by Tiamat he wasn't a nice person.

I have fun playing this character. I would say that I've had more fun playing this character than any of the goody goods that I have played in the past. I may be trying to save the world, but I don't have to be nice about it.
 

tippy2k2

Beloved Tyrant
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Mar 15, 2008
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I try to play "evil" in games...I really do. I just...I can't :(

Funny enough, it's not my actions that make me feel too bad but the way I interact with my friends. I have absolutely no problem shooting a man in the back or running over Grandma because she just wasn't fast enough to get out of the way of my car but the second I act like an asshole to one of my NPC buddies, I feel bad. It's a strange reason but I've never been able to play "evil" in games because of this.
 

Requia

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Apr 4, 2013
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Yes, but I need to have a context for doing so. Games with good and evil options have a tendency to be cartoonishly evil. It just doesn't make any sense for me to murder people by the dozens in order to get paid a tiny sum of money. What Fable 3 tried to do with pushing you to make evil choices in order to save the Kingdom, that was really cool (though it failed because of how easy money was, that every single choice you had had a better third option not available, and that everything not related to ruling choices was being evil by murdering random people).
 

Extra-Ordinary

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Mar 17, 2010
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Depends on what I could do as a bad guy.
I generally like to play hero just because I genuinely feel bad when I do bad things. What can I say, I've got a weak heart. Still, as long as I'm not killing innocents, or seeing them directly affected by my actions, I could do it. That's why I still love God Of War III. Well, it's also just a fun game to play but it still meets my criteria of being a bad guy.
I have no problem condemning the entire human race to extinction but as soon as you show me the effects of my deeds on an individual, especially a child, yeah, I can't take that.
 

verdant monkai

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Oct 30, 2011
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I'll play as anything.

I'll play as the most filthy diabolical rude lecherous amorphous mass of evil, as long as its all interesting and entertaining. I may feel slightly bad when I see children crying as I trample their mothers corpses, in my effort to loot their cupboards and draws. But its all just a game so with that in mind I go on as rampages and grand theft auto's as I want.

When given a choice I tend to go down the nice guy route especially in fantasy rpg's. I find the sense of being a hero to a filthy beleaguered peasantry, more rewarding than making their shit lives worse.
 

NightmareExpress

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Dec 31, 2012
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I don't play "good or evil", I play "whatever my protagonist's goal is" in a state of moral ambiguity.
My end goal can be described as a near-universally "good" thing, but I'm willing to do some pretty "bad" things to make ends meet (especially in times where it can quicken progress and I can justify my actions). My characters, just like myself and plenty of real people, often have a general code of conduct. Things they are willing to and are not willing to do.

I like playing dynamic characters rather than static caricatures.
Generic avatars of morality are...boring, regardless of whatever side they're on.
So yes, but also no.
 

Nazulu

They will not take our Fluids
Jun 5, 2008
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I sure would. The only time I wouldn't want to play an evil character is when I'm forced to do something too graphic of sick altogether. No I'm not talking about seeing children dying, I don't give a shit about that. Depending how you kill them though, and I definitely don't want to be doing any realistic torture to anyone.
 

Loremaster P

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Nov 23, 2009
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In one of my RP games i play a necromancer who's currently out to save the world, or that's atleast what i know. Thing is, his charisma is in the toilet so i play him as a cynical asshole who completely lacks empathy. This has led pretty much everyone else in the group of 10 people to conspire against me, even though i still think my bodyguard is on my side yet. Well, about being evil, let's just say they've kept a list of crimes they believe i am guilty of. But the funny thing is, i haven't actually killed anyone in the whole campaign, i haven't even used any magic. This is mostly cause there's an antimage in the group who can tear spells to pieces and damage the individual cause the magic goes out of control. Magic is kinda volatile in this universe.

Anyway, pretty much everyone in the group thinks iäm evil but i just want to dowhat i do for my own reasons. One of them finding out about my past. Apparently i'm some kind of incarnation of death itself, jolly good times.

Also, if anyone wants a quick laugh, my actions and words as the character has led my group to create a meme about him, Scumbag Lashtor. Includes me helping the group out of the drug addiction i inflicted them with all because i was out of drugs to give them :p
 

solemnwar

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Sep 19, 2010
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The older I get (*obligatory cane shaking?*) the harder it seems to do "evil" things. Or even just mean things. Being renegade shepard is hard now! ... although that's mostly because renegade shep goes from "making the hard decisions and gleefully stepping on people's toes" to "full out genocidal maniac" :c


Although every once and a while I have the urge to create an asshole in one of the TES titles or Fallout games (the Bethesda ones, the first 2 are really difficult to go on murder sprees... mostly because of time JFC so many people moving around takes forever) and murder every single NPC that doesn't have essential status on it.
 

Ed130 The Vanguard

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Sep 10, 2008
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I can easily be a dick in games, but actual dyed in the wool evil is a little harder.

Running over random pedestrians, ok.

Backstabbing someone I know and setting fire to the orphanage, not really my cup of tea.
 

flarty

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Apr 26, 2012
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keithkc81 said:
From what I have seen on these forums, it seems that playing an evil character in a game is almost unthinkable. I am confused by a lot of the recent threads. When I play a game I feel that I am playing a role that has been placed in front of me. That may be the role of a great hero, or an unsavory *bleep* saving the world just because.

I've been playing a pathfinder game where my character is evil and is serving evil. I don't have a problem with it. The DM has provided a story where there is a greater evil that the group has to stop. I know that sounds like my previous unsavory *bleep* comment, but it is much deeper than that.

In my character's back story I have done things that seem to be taboo. He completely destroyed his home town, children included. He raped females of the caravans he raided. After having his mind invaded by Tiamat he wasn't a nice person.

I have fun playing this character. I would say that I've had more fun playing this character than any of the goody goods that I have played in the past. I may be trying to save the world, but I don't have to be nice about it.
It depends on how the story and the characters are presented. If you are playing a fully fleshed out character that the writers have decided to make evil for the purpose of the story, then yes, why not?

If you mean would you make evil decisions in game such as Dishonoured then no i wouldn't.
 

knight steel

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Jul 6, 2009
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Yep I like to play evil characters it's exhilarating and I just wish more games maker's allowed more evil freedom such as allowing me to violently murder children :D

Only twice did I feel bad both when I was young/naive and still believed that morality was real and existed >_<
 

Zac Jovanovic

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Jan 5, 2012
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I like to try and put my self in my character's shoes, sometimes you need to do terrible things with a greater good in mind.

ME3 gave me an option to do that, most games don't. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face after I had Mordin killed :p

I don't like bland good or bad characters, I pretty much despise most superheroes like Batman and Superman because of their idiotic moral codes.

solemnwar said:
The older I get (*obligatory cane shaking?*) the harder it seems to do "evil" things. Or even just mean things. Being renegade shepard is hard now! ... although that's mostly because renegade shep goes from "making the hard decisions and gleefully stepping on people's toes" to "full out genocidal maniac" :c
Quite the opposite for me, it gets easier the older I get. I don't like letting the morality system of a game leading me to making decisions, picking Renegade or Paragon and sticking to that choice till the end of the game takes a lot from the experience IMO. Problem with ME3 is you don't know what the actions are until you pick them, wanting to slap a ***** might end up with something quite more severe :p
 

Vausch

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Dec 7, 2009
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I couldn't even be evil in Prototype. Any civilian I killed was either an accident or happened because he military shot at me and missed.

I do get tempted to play as an actual supervillain sometimes and in the Saints Row games I'm a total prat, though.
 

Delerien

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Apr 3, 2013
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Right now i can't think of any game where i think being evil actually worked. In Dragon Age, Neverwinter Nights and generally in games where you're out saving the world, being a dick to everyone you meet just feels completely out of place. In Mass Effect renegade worked (for me at least) because it wasn't evil, just hotheaded and a bit ruthless. Another Example would be Tropico 4 where you can build a police state and oppress your people but there really is no reason to do so. It just works better if you don't do it.

I still think i would play as an evil character in games like GTA, where you being evil is part of the game and not a tacked on choice that doesn't really make sense.
 

Maximum Bert

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Feb 3, 2013
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I generally play whatever I believe will benefit me most in game whether thats being a complete dick to everybody or acting the goody two shoes basically I game the game but really I like playing chaotic neutral characters the most basically do what I want whenever I want and to hell if it hurts or helps anyone at least I think thats chaotic neutral but whatever it is thats what I like to do.
 

Madman Muntz

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Apr 16, 2013
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UrKnightErrant said:
Why would I spend hours of my life engaging with a character I despise?
Well gee Wally, what if the OP feels the exact same way about playing "good" characters? Being allowed, even encouraged to play an evil character is one thing, well probably the only thing, I feel that SWTOR did right. I think most people would agree that heroic fiction would be pretty boring if there were no villains. And I for one see no reason why at least some games shouldn't allow players to explore that facet of the story.
 

Evil Smurf

Admin of Catoholics Anonymous
Nov 11, 2011
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Ed130 said:
I can easily be a dick in games, but actual dyed in the wool evil is a little harder.

Running over random pedestrians, ok.

Backstabbing someone I know and setting fire to the orphanage, not really my cup of tea.
This, however I label senseless killing evil. So by running you are being evil.