Playing Hitman 2 for xbox...feel like a new Jersey sniper

[Lice]

I was arrested for jumping on a turtle on a staircase.

I just wanted my 100 extra lives!

[Badger]

Just be careful crossing the street in a frog-suit.

[Ryu]

Well I'll address the actual response since the others are simply sarcastic and aren't really a part of the conversation.

I'm definititly not saying that playing games means you have some innate "urge" to do such things in real life. That would be foolish. I'm only saying that for some entertainment, the motivations on why they really are "fun" is questionable. Video games are not as much a concern to me as is some form of film, etc. (mainly films that create villianous actions as funny, cool, etc.)

Why you're entertained by something, psychologically, is just as important as what you're entertained by.

It basically comes down to this. Some people put more anthropormorphic feeling towards those venues than do others. So for me, taking out civilians and law enforcement officers in a realistic setting (not one of obvious comedy, satire, etc.) has more of a tendency to remind me of the actual crimes that happen when people do just that. Therefore I cannot enjoy it in the game.
Some people will not make that connection. That doesn't make them evil, and 'want to do it." But it does leave the question if either of the two feelings do anything to the person in the long run. That answer hasn't been answered as of yet. But it's being researched.

To the extreme, though, the "it's just entertainment" has too much of a potential to get out of hand. Though of course you can say that about a lot of things, even my view on the subject too.

I do believe, though, that a large percentage of the time, people's "entertainment" can reflect a lot about their personal beliefs, etc. That's not always the case, but it definitily can be.

Anyway, agreeing to disagree is okay with me too.


For the others just poking fun......... go read a book.

Ryu

[Badger]

You cut me deep, man. I can't read.

[Ryu]

Oops, sorry Badger. Carry on then, I suppose....

Ryu

[Chang Style Novice]

Absalom! Absalom! was just too hard. Now I'm reading The Bear, which is still tough, but I can finish it, I'm sure.

I don't think villainy in videogames or movies (or books) affects villainy in real life very much, except for the weakest and most suceptible of minds. So Stacey should probably stay away from Sniper and GTO.

[Ryu]

I just want to make a point just so there's no misunderstanding.

The brunt of my argument wasn't in that "movie villiany effects real life villiany." To be perfectly frank, I agree with CSN. I DON'T think it effects real crime that much......

However I do think it does affect apathy/empathy in some ways. For example, if there is a movie which is of the "anti- hero." genre, and in it they kidnap someone, tie them up, rape them, etc. and create a black humor aspect around the whole thing ..... that to me is so incredibly disgusting, and I cannot phathom how someone can enjoy seeing such a thing, or thinking it's funny, and not thinking that what they are being entertained by is cruel in the reality of things even though on the screen it is all fake.

I'm not talking about psycho movies, where the killer gets it in the end, (you root for the good guys to catch him, etc.) I'm talking about when you are supposed to root for the villian for doing cruel things to innocent people. That to me, is disgusting. It's not a matter of seperating reality from fantasy..... it's knowing that being entertained by certain "concepts" can be ethically objectionable.
That's all.
And obviously that's a very extreme example.......

The reason I'm getting into film work a bit now is because of that actually..... I'd like to do something about it rather then just sit and complain.

Ryu

[dwid]

Quote:

"You can learn a lot about someone's values and mindset by the kind of things that entertains them. That's just simple facts proven over and over again by psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists.

I'm simply saying that if someone gets entertained by "hurting innocent people" and performing "criminal acts" in a video game, or watching them on TV .......... well the reason they don't "do it in real life" is possibly because they know they'd pay for it. Give them the opportunity to do such things without any repraccussions and some of these people would surprise you."

Actually, I'd be curious to see your sources on this. Well it does make some intuitive sense, it has not been borne out in any rigorous scientific study. Psychologists are still on the fence as to whether video game and other media violence is more of a venting mechanism or whether it has any correlation with a person's propensity for the real thing. I might add that it is just as likely (and possibly more so) that martial arts training makes people more likely to behave violently, simply because violence becomes a more salient response option in the brain when it is trained/reinforced as a response option in stressful situations.

Just 2 cents from a social scientist.

[Ryu]

I actually agree for the most part. My sources are in various medical and psychological journals, etc. I can post them if you'd like. But you're absolutely correct in that the "verdict is still out" so to speak. A lot of studies have shown opposite results.

Read my last post above. It gets into more of what I'm upset about.... though it's more personal. I'm not trying to harp on "violent media creates violent society." There are studies that seem to point to this, but I am quite aware of the studies that point in the opposite direction too.

Okay, that should be it for me on this thread. (I feel very strongly about some of this, and don't want to risk getting angry for no reason..... Kind of a personal thing.)

Ryu

[dwid]

I think we're on the same page. Your last comment didn't come up until after I had posted.

[Badger]

What are some of the names of the movies are you referring to. Just curious.

Alot of people liked Pulp Fiction. I hated it.
They were all bad guys...no one to root for,ya know.

I don't go see many regular movies anymore.
Mostly because when I go I have my 4 year old son with me. Movies like Monsters Inc. & Spiderman are much better anyway.



Badger

[Lice]

Originally posted by Ryu
Video games are not as much a concern to me as is some form of film, etc. (mainly films that create villianous actions as funny, cool, etc.)

Well, allow me to play devil's advocate to myself for a moment. Wouldn't you suppose that a game where you(the player) actually commands your on-screen persona(the character) to perform these immoral acts (killing innocents and cops, carjacking, sniping, etc) would actually have more effect on you than just watching a movie character perform the same acts?


Now, personally.. what I find entertaining and my real life ethics and morals are two very separate things. I like gangster movies and Tarantino-type movies and games like Hitman and GTA, and I do have a very dark sense of humor. I'll say some of the most offensive things known to man. I'd be willing to bet that I even cracked a tasteless joke on 9/11 at some point.

It doesn't mean I lack morals. I won't say those things around people who I feel don't understand my black humor, as my intent is not to offend (more of a running commentary on the state of political correctness). I feel genuine sympathy for those that have been hurt in any tragedy and I have no empathy for those that cause harm on to others.

Now... my point (FINALLY, I know): If someone were to make a judgement of my character by the things that entertained me, they would be so far off the mark it wouldn't even be on the same map. And I'm not the exception to the rule.

(edit: Oh well, while I was writing this you mentioned no more replies.)

[BeiTangLang]

Originally posted by Badger
What are some of the names of the movies are you referring to. Just curious.

Badger

One off-hand, that I absolutely enjoyed, was Natural born Killers.

It makes you think about alot of things.

P.S.
I have to agree with Lice on his last post.

[Chang Style Novice]

The only thing NBK ever made me think was "Wow, Oliver Stone can't direct a movie for sh!t."

yours truly,
Chang Style Film Snob.

[Badger]

Didn't see that one. Can't stand Woody Harrelson.