--- On Mon, 28/2/11, Andrew Greene <blaze_at_speakeasy.net> wrote:
> Well, look at your typical role playing game. You wander into >people’s homes, take their stuff, and kill them, generally due to some >bizarre concept of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. “Oh, we must go kill those Orcs, >because they’ve broken into our homes and taken our stuff, and killed some >of us” “Why did they attack us?” “because we have stuff they want.” >“Why are we attacking them?” “Because they have stuff we want!”
>
Sadly, that does indeed pretty much sum-up quite a lot of 'role play' or 'first person shooter' style games. "We're in the right because... ah... because we are!!!"
> As for what Molly gets out of having her character tortured and maimed, > well, why not ask her?
>
Not being an in-depth follower of the forums, I presume Molly is someone's avatar, as opposed to a random character Jim has dreamed up if illustration purposes? Any chance of a link for those of us not sure what we should be typing into our search functions to find a probable result?
> Sometimes a character is evil, and there’s some vicarious thrill in
> seeing them suffer and die.
>
It is possibly to do with the feeling of power over something. This character has 'qualities' in your mind, that earns it credibility or respect (believability), which strikes a chord with those who interact with it. The ability to affect this character, for what ever reason appeals, gives a sense of power or pleasure according to the assertion of your own values. Using an extrapolation, for example:
Hurt and pain are bad.
Molesting (hurting) kiddies is bad.
People who molest kiddies must be bad.
People who are bad should be punished.
I punish the bad people, that is stop 'badness', therefore I must be good!
Good is pleasurable - and feel happy about it...
O_o That just sounds so weird when I reread it - hope you get what people get what I mean...
Scrapper, Black Dragon, learning that emotions are strange things, that change according to your values that you then apply to a given situation.
Received on Sun Feb 27 2011 - 16:31:35 CST