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[Xplainin]

What I think is ironic is the people who claim to feel empathy for their fellow man will conveniently ignore inhumane treatment/conditions of people in third world countries just so they can buy the latest gadgets. They post nonsense about how bad the system is while perfectly enjoying their safety/comfort from their safespaces. Such hyprocritical stances are the result of a first world problem more than anything deeper.

Their is a reality to this, and that is that you can't take on All the worlds ills, otherwise you wont be able to function.
Right now, somewhere in the world a girl is being brutally raped and murdered. Somewhere children are being molested.
You cant react to everything, so we react to things closer to us.

 

[Bryank75]

I hear it is a sign someone is a sociopath if they value animals over human life.... I'm no expert but my friend is a psychologist, I should ask her.

 

[InterMusketeer]

I don't find it disturbing. I understand why people might feel that way. Most people don't care about killing any of the humanoid enemies in Dark Souls, but many feel something when they see Sif limping after beating him up for a while. Humans can be held accountable for their actions, which is why it feels more justified to respond with violence.

 

[Nerd Strangler]

Dogs lack the required intellect to be culpable for their actions, like children and the mentally disabled. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to understand.

Lets put it this way. Do you often find yourself getting angrier at inanimate objects or other humans? If humans, is that because you care more about inanimate objects than people? Or is it because you, like everyone else on the planet, realizes that being cognizant of one's actions increases culpability for them?

I don't have a problem killing dogs in games, but its perfectly understandable why someone might.

 

[GreyHorace]

These reviewers don't know shit. I've never had the opportunity but I bet you killing an animal in real life would be a hell lot more traumatizing than killing it in a game.

I've literally killed hundreds of animals in games like Assassin's Creed 3, AC4 Black Flag, Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2 and GTA 5. Not once did I shed a tear because I know it's all make believe in a videogame. Getting triggered over an animal's death in a virtual simulation has got to be the most pathetic thing I've heard of.

 

[Mistershine.]

I assume the reviewer didn't laugh at Rusty in Polar, and didn't shoot every dog on sight in The Division?

 

[Clarissa]

I love dogs but I kill everything in video games!

 

[Bryank75]

I love dogs but I kill everything in video games!

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

OP your thoughts are mine exactly.

People saying humans are shits - yes some are. But all children are innocent, it deeply disturbs me that dogs (especially in Western culture, others can treat them like actual animals) seem to provoke higher empathy with dog lovers. It's fucking scary and infuriating.

Humans are highly emotional beings with a capacity for pain and mental suffering much greater than any other animal. At least afford children the same empathy as you do animals.

 

[RPSleon]

Maybe its because the dogs are just dragged in to those situations by the humans and would otherwise not be involved.

 

[Balducci30]

Games look so realistic now that I find killing anything that is not actively a threat to my survival slightly disturbing. But if it’s legit life or death in the game - I will kill them easily because it is only a video game. And I am an animal lover to the extreme.

 

[DogofWar]

Quite frankly I believe it is because we are used to the thought about dogs being our cute pets. Most people have had a pet touch their hearts in one way or another in their life. The thought of being attacked by a rabid dog is a lot more frightening for me than getting attacked by a human. Dogs are supposed to be cute, humans we know can be either.

Like you do not want to friendly humans, even in your video games. I don't want to spoil any particular game but everyone who have played the MGS saga know what I mean if I say that there was this one particular kill that felt A LOT worse than the 100+ soldiers who's throats you slit in the meanwhile.

It's also why wolves tend to be ok enemies but dogs make people more miserable to kill. One of them is a feral animal that, even if they are beautiful, are feral. It's the uncanny valley syndrome maybe. Dogs are supposed to be cute doggos. Not gnarling beasts that you have to kill to survive.

 

[fran.fernandez]

Nope

 

[and 3 others]

I'd step over a dozen wounded dying humans to rescue a dog. I am borderline sociopathic though, so maybe my opinion isn't the best.

 

[rofif]

I was more connected to Trico and the damn BB than most other characters recently... oh wait. I don't care if it's a baby or a dog/cat.
Usually we connect babies and animals with innocence while an adult made choices

 

[shaddam]

I was growing up on postal 2 and played wow for years. I dont care about killing byte people and byte animals

 

[dr guildo]

Yep. Quite disturbing, indeed...

 

[GlockSaint]

Yeah it's very disturbing how the dissonance between killing so many humans being okay and a couple of dogs is where they draw the line. Rationalize this all you want (humans are free, make their own choices, dogs are just trained etc etc) it's still killing some virtual dogs and humans. Why is okay to hunt deer and livestock in games but not kill pets? Seems hypocritical af.

Hey it me animal lover, who also loves to eat meat but that's okay because those animals are food and i love my doggy

 

[Kev Kev]

id save a cute dog before id save you OP

 

[FreedomOfSpeech]

I wish more people would learn to do some computer programming.
Maybe that way they would get to understand a bit about how a computer game is not real life.

From OP post:
As a dog owner, I feel justified in my failure to control my emotions over a videogame.

Might as well say:

As a X, rest assured I am trying to assume the moral high ground.