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"Mental Illness and gaming"

Having suffered from a mental illness myself, Ive been thinking what would happen when computer graphics get so real, people cant differentiate between games and reality. When I was ill, i couldnt watch TV because I thought people were talking directly at me, but imagine if you were in reality and you think youre in a computer game? I think the film lawnmower Man challenged this, but cant remember most of the film as I havnt watched it for ages. Anyway my point is, is having photo-realistic graphics a bad thing?

It certainly would take scariness to a whole new level, but isn't that what the games are meant to be about anyway. I wouldn't p***y out when playing it, I'd just soil my self and blame it on the choco man.

imagine playing silent hill and thinking it was reality? now that would be well bad

Im Sure that in the near future Graphics will almost feel like reality...
Must say though that i have never been so caught up in a game that makes me do rather silly things but then again i have never had a mental illness !
So who knows what will happen when Virtual reality turns into reality !

Only trouble then is you might come across some bast who's going by Gauntlet rules and shoots your food :-D

Alfonse wrote:
> I realised I was addicted to Streets of Rage when I got hit by a
> car and started eating chicken to heal myself =(

LOL
that works better if you go by Tekken 3 force mode rules, you get a nice booming "CHICKENNNNN" voiceover :D

My cat got into the pounce position when a bird came on the tv.

She was mentally ill.

I can't help but let World of Warcraft spring to mind is this topic.

I think I'm more influenced by TV, I often find myself having JD moments (Scrubs)... :-|

People will probably be influenced by a gaming experience (as realism increases), for the most part in a positive way. Doubtless there'll be some who'll lose the plot, so to speak, and commit an outrage saying "evil games made me do it", but what can you do. La-la land is only a distorted dream away.
You could say that the popularity of games featuring shooting, killing, blowing stuff up and mindless slaughter is already a sign of some kind of derangement. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that human nature IS deranged, just look at all the woe in its wake.

There you go, I started off sensible and ended in a mire of nihilistic pessimism.

I realised I was addicted to Streets of Rage when I got hit by a car and started eating chicken to heal myself =(