The Blog
Hero or Villain?
When we play video games, we are automatically transported into a world that stretches beyond the line of current reality. Within this world, you are granted complete freedom while omitting consequences. Many people play games because it’s a channel through which we can live out the impossible. While there are many other reasons, I question whether our attention spans are the only things being is injected into the games we play.
Today, many games offer the ability to play as either a good or evil character. For me, the evil character is usually more appealing. The reason is simply because I know it’s fake. I figure, hey; if you’re going to enter a fictional world, why enter as yourself? Why enter just to follow the laws and moral code of the current realm that you’re trying to escape?
I was curious as to see what the general consensus on the matter was, so I asked around. The answer to the question wasn’t very surprising at all. It seems like the majority of people (at least here at the office) enter gaming worlds as heroes serving the laws of “good” and fighting for justice. Some people claimed to enjoy the feeling of cleaning up the crap in this world while others did it for the honor. Those who chose the villain were those who only cared about an entertaining storyline. I however, have my own theory on the matter.
For many people, playing games does not eliminate the sense of morality and duty to the world’s wellbeing that we’ve been encoded to uphold. We perceive what goes on in games, as we perceive ourselves in those situations. Some of us even go as far as to subconsciously apply methods like Karma to those situations. Our moral codes enter the game along with our attention spans and we block ourselves from completely enjoying the total package.
So, what’s the lesson to be learned? Next time you turn on a video game, escape yourself. Forget the world on your shoulders and do as you see fit. If the color of the houses annoys you, burn down the village. You have ample time to spend as a good person in the real world.
Perfect Example right here —> http://kotaku.com/5815150/saints-row-the-third-revels-in-the-absurd
Comments
It really depends on the game to me. Also the personality of the character goes a long way toward determining my moral outlook for that game. For Red Dead Redemption, I played as a good guy, always trying to live up to what I percieved as John Marsten’s current moral fiber. But as The Player from the Saints Row series I unleash my evil side to run riot Stillwater as my partner in crime Mike Jodon (also of Agora Games) could testify too. When it comes to the rare game where a moral code isn’t implied, I tend toward the good guys, or a seemingly morally ambiguous character. All my first Fable playthroughs were good, while my Elder Scrolls characters tended toward a Robin Hood mentality. In the end I seem to play what I feel is appropriate to that world.
Thanks for the comment. You bring up a point that someone else made about acting as the character would act so basically method acting applied to gaming. You go into the mind of characters and base your actions off what you think the character would do. That also eliminates that moral code issue.