Smoking in games- love it or hate it, not enough or far too much...
- Thread starter BakedAlaskan
- Start date
I was gonna say it is something that I don't notice, but then I thought of Mass Effect 2, Vanquish, and Metal Gear Solid. It was used in cool ways the (the first being a character who retains the pride of human vices, despite the universe having moved on. The latter two being actual gameplay elements).
It's really just like anything people enjoy that is put into games, though. I was actually disappointed with smoking not being everywhere in LA Noire. Phelps doesn't even smoke! Though that game isn't very much like noir in general.
It's really just like anything people enjoy that is put into games, though. I was actually disappointed with smoking not being everywhere in LA Noire. Phelps doesn't even smoke! Though that game isn't very much like noir in general.
I'm indifferent with smoking in games. On the one side, of course its a bad habit, but that doesn't mean it has to be expelled from a certain type of media.
Films have it, books have it, games have it. It's just a social norm. In fact a character having a cigarette can often help characterize the persona the developers want to five him/her.
For example, picture a Mexican man, smoking a cigarette. You are probably picturing the average Joe mexican civilian right?
Now, picture Mexican smoking a cigar. Your view of that Mexican has now completely changed. The cigarette helps stereotype a character accurately and effortlessly.
Films have it, books have it, games have it. It's just a social norm. In fact a character having a cigarette can often help characterize the persona the developers want to five him/her.
For example, picture a Mexican man, smoking a cigarette. You are probably picturing the average Joe mexican civilian right?
Now, picture Mexican smoking a cigar. Your view of that Mexican has now completely changed. The cigarette helps stereotype a character accurately and effortlessly.
Personally I'm all for smoking in games, I've been smoking for 15 years and i'm sick and tired of this whole politically correct crap that's been thrown around about smoking an how those that smoke are being demonised by the general public.
To carry over those kind of views to gaming and it's rating system is just beyond pathetic an down right stupid, I wouldn't be able to grasp the thinking behind giving a game an 18 rating due to characters in the game smoking when games like modern warfare comes out that has you killing people by the hundreds. A games age rating shouldn't be influenced by a character smoking.
To carry over those kind of views to gaming and it's rating system is just beyond pathetic an down right stupid, I wouldn't be able to grasp the thinking behind giving a game an 18 rating due to characters in the game smoking when games like modern warfare comes out that has you killing people by the hundreds. A games age rating shouldn't be influenced by a character smoking.
Combine the facts that smokers are in the minority, smoking is declining, and smoking promotes self harm and poor health.
That's probably why it isn't in games much.
Plus you have to keep in mind that in the US only 8% of college graduates actually smoke, and those are the people who actually make major decisions about big games.
Now if games were being made by highschool dropouts or people who received a GED your chances would go up to 26.2-39.6 percent respectively. Of course even then the whole negative attitude thing would probably make some of those people rethink their plan of adding smoking.
In short- Enjoy vanquish (if that's possible) since you probably won't be getting many other games that waste a button just to let your character smoke.
PS: I got my data from the national health survey.
That's probably why it isn't in games much.
Plus you have to keep in mind that in the US only 8% of college graduates actually smoke, and those are the people who actually make major decisions about big games.
Now if games were being made by highschool dropouts or people who received a GED your chances would go up to 26.2-39.6 percent respectively. Of course even then the whole negative attitude thing would probably make some of those people rethink their plan of adding smoking.
In short- Enjoy vanquish (if that's possible) since you probably won't be getting many other games that waste a button just to let your character smoke.
PS: I got my data from the national health survey.
Never really thought about it to be honest. I suppose I don't really have a problem with it, but I think there are few games where it would actually work. Since a lot of games are firt-person shooters, I can't really imagine a point when the character would actually have a chance to light up. Perhaps in a cutscene.
Really, it makes no difference at all to the actual gameplay. I can't see it being an issue that anyone really cares about to any great extent.
Really, it makes no difference at all to the actual gameplay. I can't see it being an issue that anyone really cares about to any great extent.
After or before a tough mission perhaps even the last mission, certain characters or the entire small team taking out cigars and smoking them wouldn't be entirely illogical to see, though cigars last hours, and so unless we're just standing there waiting for an hour or 5 minutes while they smoke I don't see much reason, of course if the cinematic began while they were smoking already and then left out then sure, but a 5 minute cigar would just make it back into a cigarette.darth.pixie said:
In any case, I think certain cases do exist where they could be added to by the mere addition of cigars (not frequently though, but infrequently) but I have to wonder if other certain things could be added that would also add without subtracting.
I didn't like that Tychus in StarCraft 2 smoked though, he just did it all the time and that wasn't the image of the cigar smoker... even those in the army. As for Raynor... he just did it to be a "bad ass" and it was strange when he suddenly took the cigar... though when the fleet officer did, that was a good scene as it showed how they were going to smoke the cigar and reflect and relax on the work done for an hour or so, of course I don't think it was done the best though.
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As for cigarettes? While I can see some positions or situations where they might add to the atmosphere of the downtrodden the person no one likes or will die soon, or a few other things... I don't see them being used as a "positive hero sense" in any format whatsoever.
In Vanquish the whole smoking thing was literally just added because of the culture of who made the game and really was just stupid and unrealistic in the first place.
It's useful if you want to distract the enemy, as well.hazabaza1 said:
OT: I have nothing against it. The characters are fake so I have no problem with it.
This has got to be the nitpickiest thing I've ever heard about what videogames are missing. Yes, people smoke in real life. Everyone is aware of that. That doesn't necessarily mean people in games should be doing it all the time.
You know what else people do in real life? Blow their nose. Why don't they put that in games? Because it's just as uninteresting as smoking is.
Plus anytime a character in a videogame lights up a cigarette you'd think they just lit a handful of incense for how much smoke comes off those things. It's distracting.
You know what else people do in real life? Blow their nose. Why don't they put that in games? Because it's just as uninteresting as smoking is.
Plus anytime a character in a videogame lights up a cigarette you'd think they just lit a handful of incense for how much smoke comes off those things. It's distracting.
Another important thing to remember is the following:
In games, you can kill people sure but the masses of kills are known as fictitious as the environment it sets you in is fictitious, or the story is obviously not what is really happening. Games use all types of methods to disengage you from believing it is real but to instead immerse you into the story itself, complicated but true.
But smoking... smoking is real, as is drinking and sex... and people can just as easily do those more so than going out and being a supersoldier.
Also, for cigarettes, you're addicted, so if they show one person smoking a cigarette, then they're labeled as a smoker who has done this many times before and is thus not a hero because he has weaknesses that the player can't relate to as properly, such as being addicted and the "slave" of something. Players usually like characters with weaknesses, but only weaknesses that they can overcome or that don't make them negatively think of the character... an addiction generally does not lead to a positive outlook.
In games, you can kill people sure but the masses of kills are known as fictitious as the environment it sets you in is fictitious, or the story is obviously not what is really happening. Games use all types of methods to disengage you from believing it is real but to instead immerse you into the story itself, complicated but true.
But smoking... smoking is real, as is drinking and sex... and people can just as easily do those more so than going out and being a supersoldier.
Also, for cigarettes, you're addicted, so if they show one person smoking a cigarette, then they're labeled as a smoker who has done this many times before and is thus not a hero because he has weaknesses that the player can't relate to as properly, such as being addicted and the "slave" of something. Players usually like characters with weaknesses, but only weaknesses that they can overcome or that don't make them negatively think of the character... an addiction generally does not lead to a positive outlook.
I don't care either way.
But I will say this- I grew up watching people smoke on TV, and surrounded by smokers in real life, and I've never smoked in my life. So, I really can't buy the whole "kids seeing people smoke on TV will lead to them smoking later in life" argument.
But I will say this- I grew up watching people smoke on TV, and surrounded by smokers in real life, and I've never smoked in my life. So, I really can't buy the whole "kids seeing people smoke on TV will lead to them smoking later in life" argument.