Do Terrorist Attacks Change Your Mind About Playing Certain Games?

[Mully]

Sethos put it better than I did.

I think a few people are misunderstanding the thread. This isn't about a separation of games versus reality, like starting to think about killing because you've done it in a game. This is about drawing parallels to something that could have emotionally impacted you in real life, thus changing how you perceive that event or action. So saying like "Oh it shouldn't" is just weird, why and who dictates what can impact a person emotionally?

With Boston being the most recent, unfortunate example of (likely) terrorism, do these events change the way you play certain video games?

I play a BF2 mod called Project Reality that has an Insurgent faction that uses IEDs to blow up soldiers. Even though in the past, I loved using that kit, I now get sick thinking about how similar the acts I committed in the game countless times is similar to what happened today. I feel guilty and it's going to take a very long time for me to play that and games like it.

 

[Alchemy]

No.

 

[Sethos]

No, not really. There's a few events in my person life that makes my mind race when I see them depicted in games / movies.

So it usually has to be something that effects directly -- Not what happens across the world I see through the news or internet.

 

[paranoidfortean]

I am never playing a game with explosions again.

 

[kazebyaka]

No

 

[SniperHunter]

no...I personally love playing as engineer in Battlefield games, planting landmines and C4 IED's is a lot of fun IMO

 

[keit4]

Games are games.

 

[-COOLIO-]

With Boston being the most recent, unfortunate example of (likely) terrorism, do these events change the way you play certain video games?

I play a BF2 mod called Project Reality that has an Insurgent faction that uses IEDs to blow up soldiers. Even though in the past, I loved using that kit, I now get sick thinking about how similar the acts I committed in the game countless times is similar to what happened today. I feel guilty and it's going to take a very long time for me to play that and games like it for a very long time.

interesting, and i dont blame you, but what about shooting in general?

 

[FStop7]

No, because video games aren't real life.

 

[benny_a]

I can't have been the only one that read this title and thought about the Iraq bombings from today,

 

[Toma]

I am thinking whether someone might consider me a bad person for starting up SpecOps just now after todays incident.

 

[Lord British]

Denki Blocks and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, yeah.

 

[Raptomex]

Nope.

 

[The Faceless Master]

nope.

 

[Black Door]

No, unless this is some Matrix shit and every time I die and respawn in Cawadoody some poor fuck in Afghanistan spontaneously combusts

 

[Hex]

No, nor should it.
Ever.

 

[Mory Dunz]

I mean, in a lot of video games you already commit horrendous acts and crimes. Stuff that makes you cringe when you hear about it actually happening. But it's fun to play.

So no. There's a big distintion.

 

[Jerry Orbach]

If I were to stop playing terrorist in Counter-Strike, the terrorists would win.

 

[2San]

Nope, I can usually separate fiction from reality(rape makes me cringe though).

 

[Gruso]

No more than the "righteous" attacks do.

 

[VariantX]

No, made the distinction a long time ago that games are NOT reality.

 

[Soulflarz]

No, because video games aren't real life.

Thats my view
Because...yeah, they dont make who am i. Im not starting that "correlation to IRL" argument today

 

[ComputerMKII]

When I play video games the people I kill are not real, so no.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

bubble bobble, never again

 

[Sethos]

If I were to stop playing terrorist in Counter-Strike, the terrorists would win.

That post would have been smooth had you said "Stop playing Counter-Terrorist in CS, the terrorists would win".

 

[Always-honest]

Not playing that marathon game anytime soon.

 

[NekoFever]

No.

I wouldn't play a game that simulated a real terrorist attack, but I can separate pretend ones from the real thing.

 

[Mully]

interesting, and i dont blame you, but what about shooting in general?

I don't know. Today definitely shook me more than 9/11, an event that was just twenty miles from my house which killed hundreds of people in my town.

I'm sure shooting will be something I can get back into, but actually pulling a trigger on an IED as dozens of soldiers walk by gives me the shivers.

This is what I'm talking about specifically.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J4ba-xfViI

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

No.

 

[Wiz]

No, because I know how to separate games from real life.

 

[JordanN]

Nope, and even if it did, I'd find no compelling reason to stop playing.

Video game characters don't have emotions (that aren't scripted).

 

[Fari]

Games aren't real, guys.

 

[katkombat]

Games are games.

yeah.

 

[Rebel Leader]

I understand how you feel.

but for games:

(if it's to rude, I'll remove it)

 

[MikeDip]

No, not at all.

 

[Mad_Ban]

No. I can separate both worlds from each other.

 

[pargonta]

Games aren't real, guys.

No, because video games aren't real life.

this has nothing to do with anything

we all know games are fiction.

the answer is yes for me, cultural events do change how i perceive and consume cultural texts, in at least a limited manner.

nothing specific this time, though.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Not at all.

I will continue to watch action films and play action games even though what I saw today was terrible.

I had a close relation die in a car crash, and I still think about her, and miss her every day. However, I still enjoy and play racers like Burnout.

 

[LuchaShaq]

No never.

I have no problem with separating games/movies and reality.

Someone could make a stealth/strategy game where the objective in missions is to kill civilians, and as long as the narrative/gameplay were interesting I would be down.

 

[phierce]

No.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Not a terrorist attack, but one time when I was in high school my friend got the news that his cousin had died in a car crash while we were playing Burnout 3. We stopped playing it for the evening.

Years later, Burnout/other over-the-top racing games are still our favorite genre to play together. We paused out of respect in the moment, but neither of our tastes were affected in the long run.

 

[Flame Lord]

No.

.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

never.

 

[zeitgeist]

Sort of. The whole airport/play as a terrorist thing that Modern Warfare 2 did made me never buy or play another Call of Duty game.

 

[suttonmitchell]

I can see how using a mod like that would make you a bit uneasy. It would never cause me to quit playing a game though.

 

[Star Falcon]

Unless me buying games is funding terrorism, then no.

 

[electro]

Nope, not whatsoever.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Sort of. The whole airport/play as a terrorist thing that Modern Warfare 2 did made me never buy or play another Call of Duty game.

I always thought that part was so damn useless.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Temporarily, but it numbs over after a few days. After Newtown I couldn't play Far Cry 3 for a few days.

 

[plagiarize]

No.

Every single concession a terrorist gets you to make is a victory for the terrorists.