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I've just counted up all the games I currently own, plus all the ones I've owned in the past, and I've come up with a simple statistic:
74 out of the 91 games involve killing.
Now is this fact disturbing, or is all video game violence just harmless fun.
"HARMLESS FUN" I here you yell, and I agree: gaming violence does not make you more violent in real life (unless of course you are 'already' slightly deranged). This has been discussed a million times before and there's no need to venture down that road again.
So the question I want to ask is this: WHY DO WE SEEMINGLY ENJOY VIDEO GAME VIOLENCE SO MUCH?
I don't think I'm alone in saying that I am disappointed when the violence/killing in a game is executed in a weak manner. The more graphic, realistic, gratuitous and stylish the modus operandi of the killing is, the better.
Some will answer the above question by stating: "I enjoy killing in games because I like to do things in video games that I can't do in real life".
But when you think about it, is this response not just a little bit strange.
I mean, as a male I cannot give birth to a baby in real life, but neither do I want to give birth to a baby in a video game. Some things that I cannot do in real life, I certainly do not want to do in a video game.
But when it comes to killing, all I can say is "bring it on" - preferably with bells on.
Look at your game collection: how many of them have killing as an integral part of the gameplay? I suspect (like me) over 75% of them, unless of course all the games you own are Racers. Even cutesy platformers involve killing in some form or other.
So why are we so fixated with violence, killing and generally wasting the bad guys with big guns? From The Bible to the latest action-packed blockbuster to the most wanted video game, violence plays a starring role; it has an undeniable charisma.
We are (and should be) appalled by real life violence, but in video games/films etc, we are intrigued and entertained by it. Can I smell hypocrisy here? Or am I just probing too deeply into an irrelevant contradiction?
74 out of the 91 games involve killing.
Now is this fact disturbing, or is all video game violence just harmless fun.
"HARMLESS FUN" I here you yell, and I agree: gaming violence does not make you more violent in real life (unless of course you are 'already' slightly deranged). This has been discussed a million times before and there's no need to venture down that road again.
So the question I want to ask is this: WHY DO WE SEEMINGLY ENJOY VIDEO GAME VIOLENCE SO MUCH?
I don't think I'm alone in saying that I am disappointed when the violence/killing in a game is executed in a weak manner. The more graphic, realistic, gratuitous and stylish the modus operandi of the killing is, the better.
Some will answer the above question by stating: "I enjoy killing in games because I like to do things in video games that I can't do in real life".
But when you think about it, is this response not just a little bit strange.
I mean, as a male I cannot give birth to a baby in real life, but neither do I want to give birth to a baby in a video game. Some things that I cannot do in real life, I certainly do not want to do in a video game.
But when it comes to killing, all I can say is "bring it on" - preferably with bells on.
Look at your game collection: how many of them have killing as an integral part of the gameplay? I suspect (like me) over 75% of them, unless of course all the games you own are Racers. Even cutesy platformers involve killing in some form or other.
So why are we so fixated with violence, killing and generally wasting the bad guys with big guns? From The Bible to the latest action-packed blockbuster to the most wanted video game, violence plays a starring role; it has an undeniable charisma.
We are (and should be) appalled by real life violence, but in video games/films etc, we are intrigued and entertained by it. Can I smell hypocrisy here? Or am I just probing too deeply into an irrelevant contradiction?
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im really after an arcade michine of galaxians that was a class game, but i have to go down to hayling island to play it!!.
I've been killing things my whole life. It started off with those pesky aliens, they'd just be there, in front of me, moving slowly from side to side. It was me or them, I swear! I just had to shoot them all!
Things got worse as I got older. A game called Repton encouraged me to drop rocks on monsters heads. Since playing this I have often dreamed of really being able to drop real boulders on real monsters, but alas, my dream has yet to come true.
Times changed, games moved on, and I again found myself in a kill or be killed situation. Yes, mushrooms were walking towards me, one touch, and I would fly up in the air, then disappear from view, only to reappear back at the start later. So I jumped on their damned heads. Every last one of them. I can't walk through a supermarket without jumping on the mushrooms. Many a time I've been kicked out of Tesco's for it, they just don't understand that they're out to get me!
Luckily I have now played Banjo Tooie, so I keep a bird with me at all times, and use it to fire eggs at should I get attacked by strange littel green monster things.
What's really strange about my murderous ways, is that I've never yet had to clear up a body. They just seem to disappear.
Things got worse as I got older. A game called Repton encouraged me to drop rocks on monsters heads. Since playing this I have often dreamed of really being able to drop real boulders on real monsters, but alas, my dream has yet to come true.
Times changed, games moved on, and I again found myself in a kill or be killed situation. Yes, mushrooms were walking towards me, one touch, and I would fly up in the air, then disappear from view, only to reappear back at the start later. So I jumped on their damned heads. Every last one of them. I can't walk through a supermarket without jumping on the mushrooms. Many a time I've been kicked out of Tesco's for it, they just don't understand that they're out to get me!
Luckily I have now played Banjo Tooie, so I keep a bird with me at all times, and use it to fire eggs at should I get attacked by strange littel green monster things.
What's really strange about my murderous ways, is that I've never yet had to clear up a body. They just seem to disappear.
Tasting the rainbow again. I'll see you in court matey.
mmmmm.... Very Interesting N_S, you should be a lawyer, I don't know why, but someting in that post just made me think LAWYER! Don't mind me, it must be the pills kicking in.
with big guns!!!!!! ala the rail gun from quake 3
I think even the games that you think don't have any killing, have killing, many games try to hide it, but deep down want lots of blood to fill their game, hmmm.
Black & White (killing involved)
Cossacks (hah European WARs)
Sims (you CAN kill them)
Driver 2 (You can't run over the stupi pedestrains who made the flippin game anyway?)
ARGGH toooooEarly brain deactivated!!
Cossacks (hah European WARs)
Sims (you CAN kill them)
Driver 2 (You can't run over the stupi pedestrains who made the flippin game anyway?)
ARGGH toooooEarly brain deactivated!!
bald head slick wrote:
>Also does anyone remember syphon filter on psx where you had to kill unarmed scientist, and when
> youd have them cornered the would curl up and start crying "please dont kill me" but you had to do it to complete the level, that was pretty desturbing.
It would have been refreshing if the player could have had pity on this scientist. There could have been an option to not kill him, but claim to your in-game superiors that you had. I suspect though that even if this option was available, most would still just blow him away.
>Also does anyone remember syphon filter on psx where you had to kill unarmed scientist, and when
> youd have them cornered the would curl up and start crying "please dont kill me" but you had to do it to complete the level, that was pretty desturbing.
It would have been refreshing if the player could have had pity on this scientist. There could have been an option to not kill him, but claim to your in-game superiors that you had. I suspect though that even if this option was available, most would still just blow him away.
N64 -
-CBFD (lots)
-Zelda:MM (lots)
-Zelda:OoT (lots)
-Banjo-Tooie (quite a lot)
-Banjo-Kazooie (quite a lot)
Umm..can't remember many more...
-Episode 1 Pod Racer (none)
-Goldeneye (lots)
-Perfect Dark (lots)
Really..getting stuck for games I own..
- Pokemon Stadium (main part of game)
-Umm...ARRGGHHH well thats off the top of my head!! :-D
-CBFD (lots)
-Zelda:MM (lots)
-Zelda:OoT (lots)
-Banjo-Tooie (quite a lot)
-Banjo-Kazooie (quite a lot)
Umm..can't remember many more...
-Episode 1 Pod Racer (none)
-Goldeneye (lots)
-Perfect Dark (lots)
Really..getting stuck for games I own..
- Pokemon Stadium (main part of game)
-Umm...ARRGGHHH well thats off the top of my head!! :-D
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