No, robbing people in Skyrim doesn't make me a rich person irl either

In almost every psychological study I have read, playing ("just") a violent video game resulted, on average, in a more violent, aggressive attitude in real life. All the gamers who, for whatever emotional and personal reason, claim that that isn't true are simply ignoring experiments and data.

(Note that causality is not established -- e.g. do violent video games actually make people violent, or do they only offer an avenue of violent expression for already violent people, which expression remains [at least temporarily] heightened after playing? Moreover, it remains to be seen whether a cathartic effect exists. Also, there is no value judgment in this correlation -- it is the assumption that violence is not good that puts a negative spin on the issue.)

Also, brain scans show that observing someone perform an action triggers the same areas of the brain to fire as if the observer had performed that action, and is believed to be important in learning. Whether this is pertinent to film and video games I haven't read about.

As far as being a bad person because of doing something in a virtual world that would be bad in real life (let's restrict our definition of "bad" to the player's definition) -- an interesting question. On the one hand, I remember the first time I played GTA 3 I thought it was awesome that I could kill anyone and steal any car -- but later came to the feeling that I didn't like being a bad guy. I felt that somehow it was wrong of me to do bad things, whether in life or in my mind to non-living artificially intelligent electro-visual constructs of code.

On the other hand, I can't believe that it is necessarily wrong for an author to create a bad character in detail, and many of you on the forums play TES the way an author plays with characters. I myself like to think of my character's story in a detached way sometimes. (Usually, though, it's my eyes I'm seeing through into the TES world.)

Those were my long, though truncated thoughts. Short answer: It is an important question, because the answer is not universally and thoroughly no, but the answer is also obviously not always yes.

Exactly. It just like in real life. If you close your eyes while you stab your family to death you can't be blamed.

Kids don't turn rotten just from playing Skyrim. Give a little credit to our public schools.

You're wrong as you yourself indicate. There's no evidence that playing violent games RESULTS IN A MORE violent or aggressive attitude in real life. There's no evidence that these games change anything about one's attitude. Studies don't show that people who start to play these games become more violent or aggressive than they were before. Even long-term studies don't show anything of the sort. In fact, all evidence indicates that playing games is perfectly safe.

And for what it is worth, I dislike playing bad guys even more than you. I've never played GTA or similar games because I find the premise repulsive. I don't play bad guys in games either because I don't enjoy it. That said, I wouldn't think less of someone that did enjoy that.

You may have issues separating RL from video games if your RL morals apply so strongly in video games that you cannot go against them.


I guess you're capable of murdering people and killing animals IRL, too, eh?

By chance do you think listening to Heavy Metal makes you a Satanist?

Nope, not at all. Most studies has already proven that gaming doesn't affect your aggresion or morale at all. Yet, many think so and that's pretty sad... Bb, going to kill some people irl, because that's what we evil people do after a gaming session.

This. Holy crap people with those views annoy the [censored] outta me.

Had you asked me before Skyrim was released you would've gotten a resounding no. After some time roleplaying as my evil Elven mage though....well I've grown large pointy ears, have gained the ability to cast magic spells, and have an uncontrollable urge to kill. So, yes.

No. Not on any level, or way, shape or form. Don't concern yourself with such a question. Play the game and have fun.

OP, I think for most people of a certain minimal level of "mental heath" no it wouldn't necessarily mean you're a bad person.


Good to hear. But how are you doing on the necromancy and vampirism?

One could ask themselves in your entire history of playing games.
How many digital things you have murdered.
I have played I do not know how many games.
Not sure how many random killing sprees I have been on in TES or GTA.
Maybe in the tens of thousands of video game people dead.
Several of them just because.

You misunderstand "resulted in." The studies I have read about showed that a group of people who played a more violent video game were more likely to respond more aggressively to a subsequent situation presented to them, than members of a group who had played a less violent video game (like tetris). This was the result, of, presumably, playing the more violent video game, because that was the only (apparent) difference in the two groups. Causality is not the same as correlation, but that doesn't mean correlation doesn't have meaning.

So, yes, there is evidence that playing a violent video game results in a more aggressive attitude in real life. Many gamers tell me studies show no connection or correlation or anything, but that is not what I have read in actual studies. I don't know where they're getting their information.

The guards didn't agree.

You're right. It's not like I use to burglarize homes and [censored] girls at night.
Oh wait...

No, you apparently don't understand what "resulted in" means, because it means there's a causal connection, which you yourself indicate that you can't say that.

Mind linking to that study? Because all the studies I've read show no connection.

If role-playing a murderer or thief makes you a bad person in real life, then there are thousands of actors and actresses in Hollywood that should probably be locked up, eh?

Of course not.

The only people that really get affected by the blood and the violence are the people that can't distinguish fantasy from reality. I played games like Duke Nukem and Doom when I was 6-10 years old and I daresay it has actually had a positive outcome on my life, contrary to the people that say that I become a lot more aggressive in real life. I wont deny that I'm a pretty aggressive and hot-headed person in real life, there's no point in hiding that, video games allow a place where I can vent frustration on VIRTUAL people instead of actual people. Also, I can role-play a person in a game, I can give them a completely different mindset to me and I have no fear of acting out what they would do. Would my character cut somebodies arm off or mutilate them. Probably. Would I ever attempt to do the same (unless there were very unusual circumstances)? Nope.

Most if not all people playing video games should be able to differentiate between the fantasy and reality and if their in-game habits (bad ones, at any rate) are rubbing off on them, they should stop playing. A bit off topic I know but I feel it will also respond to quite a few posts that will show up on the forums.

Can you post a link to that study?

Better this than someone really messed up, getting killing orders from nintendogs

What do you mean how am I doing?
You mean like what do I do?

I let my vampirism advance to stage two to four in the wilderness.
I go out of my way to avoid fire. Also I travel at night unless I absolutely have to travel in the day.
I sneak in town at night to feed, if I have to I will use calm invisibility and muffle to hide or escape.
I use my vampire servant or vision when the situation warrants it.
I have the perks in conjuration on the necromancy side, I use heavy armor in the wilds, I wear clothes in cities.
I also am building a collection of alchemy items that are from living things and I am collecting skulls and dragon ones and so on to set up a necromancy house after hopefully the exploding item bug is fixed.

IT'S JUST A GAME!!!!

I have no problem going around taking anything and everything, killing anything and everything for no reason at all. Why? Because it's not real, it's just a game.

Studies are biased and the facts are not facts at all. Especially physiological and psychological ones. Too much is subjective with those two fields.

If you can't bring yourself to do something in a video game just because you wouldn't do it in real life, then that does nothing but tell me that you take video games way too seriously. Something that is wrong, psychologically, in it's own right.


It's like atheists vs followers of faith. I once heard a religion man say that atheists must not have a moral compass or that it must be messed up. Despite all that was said, nobody thought of one simple truth.

An atheists doesn't have to be guided by a rule book to know the difference between right and wrong. So who really is the one with the broken or missing moral compass?

Studyies about Video-games are almost always negative....thanks to them and some media here on my country my mom hates video-games

I play violent video games and I do not approach situations aggressively, that is just something people are trying to use as a crutch.
Oh the video games make me hurt people.
Uh huh.