How do you feel about killing humans in games?

[DFG]

Does this depend on the game? What the story is telling you? What characters you're killing? What setting is this being occured?

Say you're just going around and killing randoms in GTA for example, is this any different than being forced to kill someone for plot reasons in a different game?

At what point does killing has meaning or no meaning to you?

Why does a narrative such as killing is in almost every game there, yet other topics such as sexual harrasment/rape gets censored or not covered?

How do you as the player feel about killings of humans in video games?

 

[Sinfamy]

I feel bad if they have names.
If they're generic NPC clones I don't.

 

[Aza73l]

They are ( almost always) bad humans... So... I'm ok with that

 

[Sir Guts]

Its a game I dont take it seriously because I shouldn't. Even that famous torture scene in GTAV that made a big fuss was fine with me. No im not sick, but people should start realizing that its a game, you aren't a psychopath nor a killer and I dont have a problem with people who doesnt like killing and seeing blood and gore. But yeah, real world is fucked up so its obvious we'll have to see this in the games.

 

[J-Tier]

Depends on the context. Like you said, if I'm screwing around in GTA, no big deal. If there's some moral context to the activity, I may feel differently.

 

[Ferrio]

Yesterday while playing Farcry 5 I saw two NPCs dancing together all romantic like. I shot one in the head just to see what the other would do. I think that sums it up.

Spoiler

NPC didn't react at all, very disappointing

Only time a game is going to make me feel bad is if it tries to emotionally attach you to that NPC . Stuff like The Boss.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

I'm killing virtual figures, a compilation of bits and bytes. I have no more problem killing someone in, say, GTA than killing a goomba in a Mario game.

 

[Deleted member 8196]

It's a game, i feel nothing honestly, there's a big difference between fictional characters and real humans.

 

[newmoneytrash]

it very much depends on the game

if it's something like wolfenstein where you're just blasting nazis then who gives a shit, but a game like uncharted where you're basically mowing down hundreds of people who just have a job working security at some company it does feel kind of weird

 

[LhommeCornichon]

I have no problems, knowing it's virtual. That said I always feel terrible killing animals and I do hate when a game forces me to (New Tomb Raider, Witcher 3).

 

[DFG]

I'm killing virtual figures, a compilation of bits and bytes. I have no more problem killing someone in, say, GTA than killing a goomba in a Mario game.

Click to shrink...

It's a game, i feel nothing honestly, there's a big difference between fictional characters and real humans.

Click to shrink...

What if it's a character you were invested in, does it not bother you or emote any emotions that you have to kill this person before you progress the game?

 

[Tagyhag]

I don't feel bad because the aftermath never makes them feel human, no one seems to really care if they die or someone else dies.

I remember in the Watch Dogs E3 demo, a couple in an SUV got caught in the middle of the firefight and one of them got accidentally shot and killed. The huband/boyfriend tried to wake them up and was beside himself, crying and telling themselves that this wasn't happening, all of this while Aiden was still in a firefight. It blew my mind as to how big of a difference that made in giving the NPCs life.

Then Watch Dogs came out and along with a bunch of promises, that wasn't there.

 

[Yossarian]

If a game lets me, I'll avoid it. If not, they're shit out of luck.

 

[Sub Boss]

What about Fire Emblem soldiers

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

It's not real, I take no issue with it unless the game conditions me to take issue with it.

 

[Renna Hazel]

Killing random NPCs? I feel absolutely nothing, they're just an obstacle in a video game and it doesn't make a difference if they live or die.

If I'm forced to kill a character that I've grown attached to, I'll be a bit disappointed they wont be around in the game anymore. I hesitated a bit making a certain decision regarding two of my teammates in Mass Effect for example.

 

[DFG]

I don't feel bad because the aftermath never makes them feel human, no one seems to really care if they die or someone else dies.

I remember in the Watch Dogs E3 demo, a couple in an SUV got caught in the middle of the firefight and one of them got accidentally shot and killed. The huband/boyfriend tried to wake them up and was beside himself, crying and telling themselves that this wasn't happening, all of this while Aiden was still in a firefight. It blew my mind as to how big of a difference that made in giving the NPCs life.

Then Watch Dogs came out and along with a bunch of promises, that wasn't there.

Click to shrink...

I'm honestly waiting for a day when this is a thing. Where random NPCs have some "life" in them

 

[lordlad]

i am a sociopath so everything is fair game.

 

[Deleted member 8196]

What if it's a character you were invested in, does it not bother you or emote any emotions that you have to kill this person before you progress the game?

Click to shrink...

I mostly play RPGs and as you might know, by doing some wrong choices or when you have to choose betwen killing one guy or another someone will eventually die, yes, i feel a bit sad in the moment, but in the end i move on.

 

[DFG]

Killing random NPCs? I feel absolutely nothing, they're just an obstacle in a video game and it doesn't make a difference if they live or die.

If I'm forced to kill a character that I've grown attached to, I'll be a bit disappointed they wont be around in the game anymore. I hesitated a bit making a certain decision regarding two of my teammates in Mass Effect for example.

Click to shrink...

Have you played Ninja Gaide 3 vanilla? You know when the soldier begs you to let him go? How did you feel about that?

 

[Azajabar]

I love killing and causing mayhem in games, I am glad The Purge is not real because I am not sure what I would have done

 

[Amiibola]

Reaction to the Far Cry 5 thread?

 

[Kaim Argonar]

It's virtual. The most gruesome, inmoral way of killing both innocent and guilty people the game offers me, the better.

 

[Max Payne]

I love killing random NPCs in GTAV, and if there was an rape button, I'd be using it right now.

On the other hand, I found that torture scene quite unpleasant, probably because that character had some context, and it was morally wrong.

 

[Nights]

It makes me feel genuinely uneasy when it's characters with no ill will. Like if I even wanted to play GTA I wouldn't go off and shoot randos hanging around minding their own business.

To me that just feels extremely wrong. It has to be someone who is clearly a bad person.

It's kind of why

Spoiler

Tales of Phantasia's

ending stings (in a good way). Basically the boss you've been told is evil and is threatening the world was actually a hero (or supposed to be) for his world of Dherris Kharlan (might have butchered that spelling, it's been a while). It's a little foggy since it's been a while since I've played, but yeah, I saved MY world in the end, but only by killing someone who was trying to save theirs, as extreme as they were in doing so.

 

[Sturm]

I'm killing virtual figures, a compilation of bits and bytes. I have no more problem killing someone in, say, GTA than killing a goomba in a Mario game.

Click to shrink...

Me too.

 

[Xenosaga]

Killing anything outside of narrative doesn't matter to me. I don't mind killing innocent civilians or animals just for heck of it.

If it's a character that I am emotionally attached to in the story, I would feel sad while killing him/her. Like, if I really like an antagonist and gets emotionally attached to that antagonist, I will feel sad when I kill him/her.

 

[DFG]

Reaction to the Far Cry 5 thread?

Click to shrink...

Yes and no. I was going to post it in the previous site but didn't until i saw those comments and wanted to know how people feel. It's different to the Far Cry thread though

 

[Renna Hazel]

Have you played Ninja Gaide 3 vanilla? You know when the soldier begs you to let him go? How did you feel about that?

Click to shrink...

Unfortunately, yes I've played that. I don't feel anything there, I've no attachment to random NPCs, especially the ones trying to kill me.

 

[Dr. Caroll]

The worst design mistake Deus Ex: Human Revolution made was forcing you to kill bosses. The final boss of HR lays there motionless and you are instructed to kill her. There's no alternative. This is an abomination of game design that flies in the face of everything Deus Ex stood for. I'm a big fan of Perfect Dark, it goes without saying, and one the most important things that game did was humanise enemies and also design its combat in a way that mindless killing wasn't your only option. Enemies had all sorts of memorable things to say, and would sometimes surrender of their own volition. You could also disarm enemies. The thing about killing enemies is that it's to be expected when there are enemies trying to stop you completing your objective. Killing for the sake of killing, though? Where the game is so mechanically shallow you have no option but to kill and kill and kill? That's not really my cup of tea.

I particularly detest games like Skyrim and The Last of Us which can't be assed to implement properly working surrendering mechanics and instead feature enemies who try to kill you 100% of the time as soon as they've recovered. Lazy game design in the most literal sense, and it feels tied up in games as a power fantasy where the player is never given cause to reflect on their actions.

Too many games use weapons as your primary or even sole interaction with the game world instead of a tool you can use, among other tools, to accomplish tasks.

 

[newmoneytrash]

a big thing i like about yakuza is their commitment to you not actually killing people so that the deaths that actually do happen are important. like it's very easy to look at most heat moves and think yeah that boy is dead, but narratively they aren't. you still get that conflict without just wasting these people's lives

it's a very small difference but it means more to me than just shooting *thousands* of people with the justification just being well they're bad

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

I don't care because it's a game

I'm not too into the torture stuff in some games though like in gta5, feels excessive

 

[Amiibola]

Yes and no. I was going to post it in the previous site but didn't until i saw those comments and wanted to know how people feel. It's different to the Far Cry thread though

Click to shrink...

Nice

Now replying to the thread, i don't kill what doesn't attack me, unless i'm in a bad mood and i just want to release some steam. Usually i behave even in GTA games.

 

[Chromanin]

For me? I don't care. It's just a game.

For my children? Not as long as they're not old enough. Children still need to learn right vs wrong. And videosgame tend to obfuscate that from time to time.

Practically speaking, ratchet and clank proper context and soft kills, no problem. Gta mowing down random bystander no fucking way.

 

[Zatoichi]

Absolutely fine, since it's fiction and not real.


No problems.

 

[John Bender]

Depends on what kind of game it is. RPG? If the story around the character is good, yes. Random people? Don't care. I know it's just a game. Has nothing to do with real life.

 

[zsynqx]

If they are set up as the "bad guys," I rarely feel any guilt. It might cause some tonal problems if it clashes with the story and characters, but beyond that I won't take issue.

To go off on a bit of a tangent though, I'm interested in games that try and tackle the issue of guilt when it comes to violent combat. Spec Ops and The Last of Us leaned into this a bit, but I'd be interested in a game taking it even further.

 

[alexbull_uk]

I love killing random NPCs in GTAV, and if there was an rape button, I'd be using it right now.

On the other hand, I found that torture scene quite unpleasant, probably because that character had some context, and it was morally wrong.

Click to shrink...

Uh... wtf?

 

[Alx]

I don't like killing random people in open worlds. If it's part of the game objective, then sure (of course it helps when they're "bad guys"), but killing "because I can" ? Nah.

 

[Darkwing-Buck]

a big thing i like about yakuza is their commitment to you not actually killing people so that the deaths that actually do happen are important. like it's very easy to look at most heat moves and think yeah that boy is dead, but narratively they aren't. you still get that conflict without just wasting these people's lives

it's a very small difference but it means more to me than just shooting *thousands* of people with the justification just being well they're bad

Click to shrink...

Yeah I do love how the stakes of murder are very serious in the series, that said..

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

Never had a problem because I know it's not real.

 

[DFG]

The worst design mistake Deus Ex: Human Revolution made was forcing you to kill bosses. The final boss of HR lays there motionless and you are instructed to kill her. There's no alternative. This is an abomination of game design that flies in the face of everything Deus Ex stood for. I'm a big fan of Perfect Dark, it goes without saying, and one the most important things that game did was humanise enemies and also design its combat in a way that mindless killing wasn't your only option. Enemies had all sorts of memorable things to say, and would sometimes surrender of their own volition. You could also disarm enemies. The thing about killing enemies is that it's to be expected when there are enemies trying to stop you completing your objective. Killing for the sake of killing, though? Where the game is so mechanically shallow you have no option but to kill and kill and kill? That's not really my cup of tea.

I particularly detest games like Skyrim and The Last of Us which can't be assed to implement properly working surrendering mechanics and instead feature enemies who try to kill you 100% of the time as soon as they've recovered. Lazy game design in the most literal sense, and it feels tied up in games as a power fantasy where the player is never given cause to reflect on their actions.

Too many games use weapons as your primary or even sole interaction with the game world instead of a tool you can use, among other tools, to accomplish tasks.

Click to shrink...

Without spoiling anything for you i want to say i love the original Nier for the reason og covering killings. It remains among my favorite story telling. Really sad about the new Dues Ex

 

[Judau]

If they die, they die. But really, I can't think of too many games where the humans aren't trying to kill you (or would try to kill you, if it's a stealth game), plus it's not real, so I don't really think anything of it.

 

[Trickster]

Depends on the game. I generally prefer being the good guy in rpgs or games with player choices.

However in games like GTA where there's just random people everywhere and no real consequences for killing people or running them over? Lol who cares

 

[Nintendo]

I feel absolutely nothing. Though I do enjoy creative ways to kill people in video games.

I hope RDR2 and TLOU2 take video game violence to the next level.

 

[Stilton Disco]

I generally prefer not killing anyone if I can help it.

Give me an option to talk my way out of a fight and I'll take it, and I'll avoid killing random NPC's in GTA and the like wherever possible.

 

[SugarNoodles]

Context is everything. Self defense is a good starting point as far as feeling okay about killing.

Another factor is whether the enemies are humanized in any way. If we saw storm troopers talking about their families and kids it would affect the tone of the violence in Star Wars.

 

[artemis]

It makes me happy.

 

[DFG]

Yeah I do love how the stakes of murder are very serious in the series, that said..

Click to shrink...

Holy crap. Which Yakuza?

 

[DFG]

First double post of the site lol