Do you imagine, the people you're killing are humans?

[legacy-andreaskem]

In my school bus, a boy asked another boy how he could play games like UT or Counterstrike (because of the killing) He answered that you would only have to imagine, the people you're killing are your biggest foes.

I found this rather strange, because I don't imagine the people I kill everyday would be humans. I think such an attitude is quite dangerous and such opinions are causing things like the massacre in Columbine High School.

Do you imagine the enemys are your real foes?

Sorry for the bad grammar and spelling, I'm German.

[legacy-Blind_Gambit]

No. To me the whole game is about shooting polygons. I think your probly right when you say that its dangerous to think of the things your shooting up are real people.

[Wormbo]

Erm, they are just moving targets and some of them might also look like humans in UT(2kx) or CS or Quake or whatever, but that's not the reason for shooting them.

[legacy-DrThodt]

I imagine baby children.

[legacy-Overzero]

You're not watching people dying. You're simply watching pixels on a computer's monitor change colour because of a user's input.

[Mr. Brownstone]

Video-games do not “cause” incidents like Columbine, although it is fair to say that those with disturbed minds will be inclined to play violent video-games. The paranoid media will then try and draw a connection, creating a sensational scapegoat rather than exploring the root of the problem.

To me, UT is a glossed-up virtual paint-ball game.

[legacy-Shuri]

For me it's just target shooting.

[legacy-moppel]

I imagine cute little kitten.

[legacy-TheGreatFoo]

Gaming is about the gameplay itself, not the subject matter.

Not always, at least.

Games like Deus Ex, Half Life, and so on, work so well because of the human empathy issues going on.

It's like.. the reason why a lot of films are good isn't because the bad guys are humans, and are DYING.. that's not the enjoyment factor. The interest comes from the interactions, emotions in play, scenario, and general observations of the human condition.

THis applies equally to video games. The only difference being you dont play a passive role.

[legacy-MagicalMonkey]

Originally posted by Blind_Gambit
No. To me the whole game is about shooting polygons. I think your probly right when you say that its dangerous to think of the things your shooting up are real people.

That's not dangerous unless it's combined with "ooh, this is fuuun!"

[legacy-andreaskem]

Originally posted by Mr. Brownstone
Video-games do not “cause” incidents like Columbine, although it is fair to say that those with disturbed minds will be inclined to play violent video-games. The paranoid media will then try and draw a connection, creating a sensational scapegoat rather than exploring the root of the problem.

To me, UT is a glossed-up virtual paint-ball game.

I didn't really claim that video-games would cause such incidents. I said such oppinions would cause it. You could also kick a ball and imagine it would be the head of your foe. It isn't really limited to video-games.

A normal, psychic strong person won't kill another person because he played video-games.

[legacy-Eeep]

nah I dont really view it as killing people... its more, like a sport you know, competition, its all about trying to outsmart and outmaneuver the other players and fragging them faster then they can frag you....

[legacy-|IB|Chrome]

the problem has been created, at least here in america, by a society that needs both mother and father to work leaving no one to raise the children. Schools are not allowed to discipline the kids so at an early age which is the most critical time these kids do not learn that there is a morally right and wrong...and they can not associate consequences with their action. THIS is where the problem begins...at home. I played video games all my life since i was a child but grew up in a home with discipline and I never felt inclined to kill anyone. Its funny this generation with all their ideas about how to bring up kids the best are actually raising a breed of monsters....I think we are quite literally 1 generation away from a complete moral breakdown of homocidal maniacs.

[legacy-Vonmaxl]

As was said above, violent shooters dont create maniacs who go around killing people, its just that those people have a tendancy to play these types of games because to them it is somewhat like real killing.

As for me, I play types of games because they are fun, and are variation of paintball/laser tag. Now that I think about it, even if I tried imagining that I'm killing real people, it would change anything because lets face it, they are pixels on a computer screen...

[legacy-Senger]

Originally posted by TheGreatFoo
It's like.. the reason why a lot of films are good isn't because the bad guys are humans, and are DYING.. that's not the enjoyment factor. The interest comes from the interactions, emotions in play, scenario, and general observations of the human condition.

THis applies equally to video games. The only difference being you dont play a passive role.

Well said.

Furthermore, it is probably the other way round. People playing videogames don't imagine shooting real people, but the kids in the highschool shootings probably imagined they were playing a videogame or acting in a violent movie.