#9
- Thread starter Mark J Kline
- Start date
I play evil characters in P&P rpgs all the time. Evil Moon Elf druids in 3rd ed that kidnap/buy children and re-educate them into the worship of Malar. Or playing a killer mercenary monk of Shar (yeah, I used to play Forgotten realms campaign settings alot).
I'd like to think I'm a nice person though ;.; Not that I do anything openly chartitable for no reason ...
I'm nice to animals ^_^ But most people are too so that doesn't count :-/
I'd like to think I'm a nice person though ;.; Not that I do anything openly chartitable for no reason ...
I'm nice to animals ^_^ But most people are too so that doesn't count :-/
Huh, I'm not even like that. I just chose the good actions wihtout thinking about it, and I feel bad when I chose the evil actions. I'm a freaking Paragon of VIRTUE in Fallout 3, Fable, Bioshock, inFamous, and I'll reload saves in Valkyria Chronicals and Fire Emblem games if I lose one unit, even if I was a move away from victory. I just cannot be mean. i haven't even seen these games evil endings just because I can't bring myself to do it.Rack said:
And yet, for Mass Effect 2, I wound up being rather Renigade. I didn't see it as evil, I saw it as practical and to the point. A lot of the Paragon choices didn't strike me as 'good' or 'ideal', they struck me as stupid.
What does all this say about sombody like me?
There should be a game called extreme republican where you have to be ev... oh wait, it's called overlord 
This is an interesting point that I've thought about a lot, though I think from probably a slightly different perspective. Yes, people in power or sociopaths have dehumanized their victims as history has shown, but the rest of us in our retaliatory human nature have turned about and de-humanized them because of their crimes. Pre-empting Godwin's law here, it could be argued that many Nazis were just following orders or didn't comprehend the ramifications of their actions, yet the entire group is demonized along with the leaders. I don't want to go on much with this example because the morality behind "support the war", "support the troops but not the war (they're just following orders)", and "don't support the troops (they should know better than to carry out corrupt orders)" is grade-A flame bait on an internet forum.
The example that bears out more for me is the Columbine shooting because it was literally close to home when I was in high school. The killers were bullied and generally poorly treated by a small segment of their peers and generally ignored by the rest. That can give a strong impression that everyone is against you. They felt de-humanized and acted out against that violently and catastrophically. In their own rampage their victims were in turn de-humanized, but the saddest part of the story (for me) is how they were treated in the wake of the shootings. Media outlets who interviewed students and parents almost universally called them "monsters" and I heard the words "how could anyone do something like this?" over and over, as though we had to separate our species from whatever they were. It was like everyone said "WE would never do that (OK that's probably true that most wouldn't shoot people at random in a high school, but I personally believe the seeds of such actions exist in everyone, whether they take root or not) and we don't understand the psychology of someone so depraved and MONSTROUS, they're just so different that we don't feel any need to try and understand it, so we just label it "senseless killing" and move on. Trying to understand would be sympathizing with the madness of killers." The regrettable truth is that people treating other people as inferior, inhuman, and expendable is so common, yet I don't think we understand WHY it happens. Kids being bullied in high school is "just part of growing up" and kids shooting other kids without remorse is "inconceivable and inhuman" according to our culture and society, but I would pose that both leaves are growing on the same tree so to speak.
EDIT: On a separate but related note, I advocate using games as an outlet for these tendencies. I usually play the bad guy on the first run through. I find the villains are interesting characters. I commented on the "why are gamers jerks" article that, while I wouldn't want to see the Joker win, I have an innate curiosity to see what scheme he cooks up.
It doesn't help the side of good when the NPCs are really annoying and don't know to shut the fuck up when the 6ft tall man in power armor wielding a sniper rifle has the sights aimed directly inbetween their eyes...
OT: The temptation of being "evil" in a game is simply that: temptation. In the game there are no lasting consequences for being evil. The player is allowed to express certain, inlaid fantasies without the possible reprocussions of the law. There is also the use of morality in the technical, gaming sense in its self. More often than not, the evil actions will make the game easier or produce a more interesting outcome. For example, in Mass Effect 2, there is an "evil" (Renegade) action that allows the player to kill an enemy mechanic, and thus, weaken the gunship he was working on. This persists throughout this game, and others, in which the evil player will have a simpler time playing the game. Being "good" typically entails certain actions that will hinder the player for the sake of morality.
OT: The temptation of being "evil" in a game is simply that: temptation. In the game there are no lasting consequences for being evil. The player is allowed to express certain, inlaid fantasies without the possible reprocussions of the law. There is also the use of morality in the technical, gaming sense in its self. More often than not, the evil actions will make the game easier or produce a more interesting outcome. For example, in Mass Effect 2, there is an "evil" (Renegade) action that allows the player to kill an enemy mechanic, and thus, weaken the gunship he was working on. This persists throughout this game, and others, in which the evil player will have a simpler time playing the game. Being "good" typically entails certain actions that will hinder the player for the sake of morality.