When should you feel guilty for killing zombies?

[Behind The Mask]

It's just something I was reading on the internet that reminded me of a conversation we had at school.


"Zombies, along with Nazis and aliens, may be the easiest of all video game entities to slaughter without a second thought. Have you ever played a game in which you felt conflicted about the virtual violence you were inflicting — or do you lay waste to your pixelated enemies without a second thought? Is there anything that makes you hesitate before pulling the virtual trigger?"


Now the conversation we had at school was slightly different. It was about whether or not it's hypocritical to be all anti-gun but play games like call of duty and FPS games and such.


What's everyone's thoughts on that and other virtual weaponry? Morally, speaking mostly. I know it's cool to freakin blast the head off of a mutant beast but still...

 

[Goddess]

Nope no hesitation at all when I am playing either COD or not, if I simple see fit that your life shall end right now or five seconds from now , I will take that action. Their is no hesitation for hesitation leads to opening which leads to your downfall

 

[TheFallOfitAll]

The only time I'd feel sorry, is if the character was a character who had DEPTH. Like, they weren't just some cannon fodder villain.

 

[Behind The Mask]

When playing Dark Alliance (it didn't involve guns but..) I felt bad after killing the character because it then went further into their background and I really felt sorry for them. (Actually that with that game I was more emotional than with any other game...It had so much depth and because it has such a thick plot and takes so long you really get attached to the character and start getting emotional over it. But it was fun)

 

[marmar158]

A video game can be called very successful when they create an emotional connection with their players. Sure, you can count off many games that have awesome graphics, great battle-systems, and incredible re-play values but how many video games have given us truly memorable characters?


Now take a step further and ask yourself how many games have you crying/rejoicing with the protagonists by the end?


Weapons and gaming go hand and hand nowadays and I honestly have no idea what to tell you about the morality of it all, but when a game (or a show for that matter) is able to make someone want to be a better person or even empathize the characters and world they are interacting with you know that you've found yourself a gem.


And all the senseless violence the media subjects us to seems more forgivable.

 

[_PieCake_]

The only time I'd ever feel sorry for shooting a Zed would probably be...


Either


If they were a child that I once knew.


Or a Preacher/Pastor.


Heck, probably like a cancer patient. I'd really hate to shoot their undead corpse.


Or a special kid's corpse..if you think about it, who would stop and wait for them? Not to be blunt.. but honestly, think about it.


"As the auditorium is filling with the undead, you spot Blake, the special kid in your class. He, stuck in his special chair, is squealing in terror. He has no idea what it is, and you feel a drop in your gut as you realize no one is coming for him. The undead are growing closer and closer.."


Would you stop and head for him?


Exactly.

 

[Desu Juice]

A character with depth is always hard to kill, but if it's virtual, it's virtual. It's not real.


Though speaking psychology-wise, video games do cause you to become accustomed to violence.


I remember a few years ago I couldn't stand to even play a simple sniper game. Now, I feel no regret annihilating virtual villains whatsoever.

 

[Hunnyhelp]

If you play games like Assassin's Creed (Good game but they are my example on this post). Leave the people accustomed to killing and subconsciously your brain says to itself "It's so easy killing these people and there is so much people on the planet then it must be ok to kill. I am not saying this from the murder rate going almost the same rate up with the popularity of violent video games...... Again I have not experienced this

 

[Plastic Promise]

The only time I would feel guilty about killing the character is never.If they had a really emotional, touching, back story that has some sort of relation to me, then I'd probably feel a tiny bit of guilt but they're trying to kill me, but they are not real whatsoever so there would be no special connection.So I'm heartless ^-^Just my opinion.

 

[Hunnyhelp]

The question is would you do that in real life?

 

[WolphNight]

Well, it would be depending on who they are. When I play games, I like a good story with emotional characters. If there's a story behind it, I feel guilty. If it's like CoD, then I don't really care.

 

[FungKu]

I think of it this way...


If you don't shoot, you die. So basically, if you don't "defend" yourself you just die from the same person who are about to feel guilty to.

 

[Armageddon]

In video games, I tend to think with a real perspective. So in other words, I would always think about the well-being of the lives of each character in a video game - or at least in the case of zombies and mutated people.


I would never feel bad for killing those types of people. In fact, I probably would feel even more accomplished upon doing so - I've saved another person's life from continuing as a cannabalizing monster, or a pained, wild creature. I'm putting people who were turned and who were changed, who had families and lives and loves, to final death, or to just put them to death, so that they can be with them again.


It sounds a bit deep, but that's how I honestly think in video games such as that.


In games like Modern Warfare and even games like Bioshock Infinite and such, I get the impression that they deserve it. Mostly because killing innocent people for selfish, cruel, or any negative intentions in any case is a no-no, and I can get angry when that happens, and yadayada.


For me, it's a matter of what the character would have done to deserve the killing in a past life. I don't study each character that I shoot intensely, but I sure as hell do take that into account.

 

[Sophie]

I find no hesitation. It's like killing a vegetable. Even less than a vegetable. It has no mind of it's own, no soul. I would only hesitate if I think it's gonna look disgusting all over my screen. Morally I don't think I show any hesitation if the unreal creature is about to kill me so I blast the head off. With Cod, even though the graphics are more realistic and so on, why not think the same with a game as simple as Mario bros. Your squishing mushroom men in a brutal way under your feet. Hesitation=None. I don't see why it should be so different with any other game.


Although, I would understand where your coming from. If it's something such as... A zombie apocalypse and you are a character as an older adult traveling with a child. The child is bitten and turns into a zombie by the end of the game. And throughout all you've been through with eachother the only way to survive is to kill the child who has been taken over by zombie. Game designers... That, is true evil. But I think, if it's something like that. The game designers mean to do that. Make a turning point so unforgivable so it maybe has an impact on yourself.


But personally I don't hesitate. As soon as something turns greenish grey, off goes the head.


ESPECIALLY IF I HADN'T MADE A CHECKPOINT

 

[Mooalally]

I kill zombies with no hesitation. Like Armageddon, I feel as though I'm helping the survivors of a zombie apocalypse by killing zombies. I mean, if I kill all the zombies, there is no more virus to infect people with, right? You're just murdering bad people. Bad people are much easier to kill than good people.


The only guilt I've ever felt in a video game was after killing the first Beauty and the Beast Unit in Metal Gear Solid 4. After I learned of their traumatic pasts, I kind of felt bad for them, and because I killed them. So yeah, only characters with an actual backstory mean anything, things that come in waves and never stop, like zombies and Nazis, don't mean anything at all.


Actually, that reminds me of a quote:


"One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic."





If you think about it, I'm pretty sure all of us know the effects of a cherished family member dying. But think about how over 32 million people died in WWII. Some people didn't even know that. Try to muster up some sadness for them. It's harder.