Do you ever feel guilty

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I disagree. You are arguing for a reduction in empathy; that sociopathic and psychopathic traits are somehow "addictive", or triggerd by roleplay.

 

Why can't the audience of one be fascinated in a horrified way by the actions of their avatar? I don't believe most people who watch a horror film are imagining themselves as the monster! I think it is a case of poor roleplay. By experiencing the feelings of killing another, I would expect a normal individual to feel uncomfortable and not want to imitate the action in RL. (There are estimated to be about 2% of the population who are maladjusted and find homocide uneventful.)

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If you can be desensitised by video violence then in an RPG (and games in general) its even moreso because you are in control of the violence, no longer are you merely an observer of it. Whether you imagine yourself as the monster dosnt really matter, only that you would not want to reflect that type of experience for yourself.

 

While you may be roleplaying the lead in the movie, it's still YOU who are the audience. Therefore anything that you dont want to experience you wont make portray on screen.

 

Thats the thing see, if you want to roleplay a type of character then there must be some interest there whether it be positive or negative, since the experience is yours and yours alone.

[metadigital]

Sure, but that interest could be a morbid fascination in what makes someone want to be evil. It doesn't necessary follow that the person investigating is evil, or will become evil.

 

I would suggest that current evidence is we develop our ehtics pretty early in life (say by seven years old), with scope for only minor modifications later (barring some life-shattering event, like a loved one being raped or murdered, which may send the person off on a behavioral tangent, or not).

 

You are basically arguing that screen violence leads to real violence. I hope you are wrong, or our children's generation are in for the apocalypse. (But those who have experienced real violence, like a war, are seldom violent -- apart from those that were psychopathic before the experience). Otherwise the 50s in the US would have been like the Balkans in the 90s.

 

I think you're making the mistake of either / or. Either you don't like to roleplay against type (e.g. evil), or you harbour urges to be that type (evil).

 

I think the situation is slightly more complex than black and white.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Sure, but that interest could be a morbid fascination in what makes someone want to be evil. It doesn't necessary follow that the person investigating is evil, or will become evil.

 

I would suggest that current evidence is we develop our ehtics pretty early in life (say by seven years old), with scope for only minor modifications later (barring some life-shattering event, like a loved one being raped or murdered, which may send the person off on a behavioral tangent, or not).

 

You are basically arguing that screen violence leads to real violence. I hope you are wrong, or our children's generation are in for the apocalypse. (But those who have experienced real violence, like a war, are seldom violent -- apart from those that were psychopathic before the experience). Otherwise the 50s in the US would have been like the Balkans in the 90s.

 

I think you're making the mistake of either / or. Either you don't like to roleplay against type (e.g. evil), or you harbour urges to be that type (evil).

 

I think the situation is slightly more complex than black and white. 

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I never said there would, only that there was an interest whether it be to see how the other side live, or just because it's the "unknown".

 

I'm not arguing that screen viloence leads to real violence at all. Only that as the audience you are basically projecting the experience you want to see. You have total control over it. Not for a minute saying that everyone will rush out and lightsaber someone to death. As long as it's kept virtual then no one should have a problem with it. Which Is what I meant by roleplaying being a cathartic experience.

 

psychiatry purging of complexes: the process of bringing to the surface repressed emotions, complexes, and feelings in an effort to identify and relieve them, or the result of this process

 

There is of course the completist, though I would not qualify them as roleplayers, they will simply play whatever the game offers in order to get maximum value from it.

 

If I played myself on the KOTOR scale I would come out around 75%. :D

[Atreides]

Mater Skywalker, there are too many of them! What should we do?

[metadigital]

...

psychiatry purging of complexes: the process of bringing to the surface repressed emotions, complexes, and feelings in an effort to identify and relieve them, or the result of this process

...

If I played myself on the KOTOR scale I would come out around 75%.  :D

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I agree with the purging of vestigal or embrionic contra-indicated urges.

...

If I played myself I would be a shining avatar with Light Side Mastery ... as far as you know ...

[Bytor]

Mater Skywalker, there are too many of them!  What should we do?

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Snaps on the trusty glow stick.... looks a bit evil

[mrchallenge]

You sure have no guilt about double posting

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Actually, I only posted once, I think the mods created a second topic for general. This topic was meant for the spoiler forum

[mrchallenge]

Yes, of course. I would think most people would to some degree. Except the odd hormone fueled teen that is. Puberty leads to the dark side, making them bitter and distrustful of the world.

 

"Curse you god, for making me this way!" and so on.

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That's an interesting take. Perhaps the younger players tend to prefer darkside cause they think it's 'cool", while the more mature gamers prefer LS. I don't know. It's not that I can't distinguish the game from real life, it's just that I find playing DS less enjoyable. I find little satisfaction in my character threatening someone for credits and lying and killling innocents etc...

[Darth Sirius]

call me crazy, but I can  never bring myself to play KOTOR or KOTOR II as a darksider, my conscience keeps on getting in the way.

 

I know it's just a game and being a Sith lord is cool and alll, but I just hate being mean to people you know?

 

Anybody else have this problem?

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In a word.....No.

 

I in fact have to force myself to play the fairy LS once in a while, simply to get a different take on the game.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

That's an interesting take. Perhaps the younger players tend to prefer darkside cause they think it's 'cool", while the more mature gamers prefer LS. I don't know. It's not that I can't distinguish the game from real life, it's just that I find  playing DS less enjoyable. I find little satisfaction in my character threatening someone for credits and lying and killling innocents etc...

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Another reason too. The younger you are the less power you have and the more you feel controlled by others. Being a "kid" is pretty much all about being forced to do stuff you really dont want to do most of the time. And while the Dark Side represents evil, it also represents rebelion. The code of the Sith is all about freedom, in fact it's more about freedom than Evil.

[metadigital]

I don't play DS much, but mainly because it's just not interesting. There are no ethical dilemmas when you don't care about anything except number one. It's just:

can I kill it?

can it kill me?

can I >mate< with it?

 

Especially in the KotOR games, they are the epitamy of brute thuggish DS, no subtlety, no carefully crafted manipulations to bring some complex plan to fruition, just kicking dogs and children. Meh.

[wannabealoser125]

You really shouldnt worry about violence in video games causing people to go insane and kill. Just take a look at the streets, people are like that already without any assistance from a game. It worrys me because the teenage generation right now was already screwed up by the time they were 7 that what they may pickup in a video game is nothing... game violence should be the least of your worries.

 

Imagine the chaos that there children will bring. (In this I do include myself since I am part of the generation)

 

I dont know if its like this in all of the US, but it is here....

[LadyDisdain]

I find it can help clarify why bad is bad and explain goodness without all the (normally present) religious baggage associated with such ethical discourse.

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I couldn't agree more. Religion will muddy the waters in almost any discussion about ethics. At this point, any Lutheranisms are cultural rather than religious for me.

 

I suppose if it were possible to go more the master-manipulator Sith route, I'd do it, but somehow, persuading people to jump to their deaths, or threatening them for credits just doesn't thrill.

 

Until it's possible to roleplay a more subtle version of a Kreia type, I'll stick with the blue shininess.

[metadigital]

I find it can help clarify why bad is bad and explain goodness without all the (normally present) religious baggage associated with such ethical discourse.

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I couldn't agree more. Religion will muddy the waters in almost any discussion about ethics. At this point, any Lutheranisms are cultural rather than religious for me.

 

I suppose if it were possible to go more the master-manipulator Sith route, I'd do it, but somehow, persuading people to jump to their deaths, or threatening them for credits just doesn't thrill.

 

Until it's possible to roleplay a more subtle version of a Kreia type, I'll stick with the blue shininess.

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