Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

[Spawndemon]

In an opinion piece posted over on Gamasutra, writer Benj Edwards asks if advances in video game technology toward photorealistic gaming experiences can lead to "virtual murder." Here's an excerpt from his article:

You know, I used to laugh at the term "murder simulator" when it was bandied about by knee-jerk opponents of video game violence some years ago. Preposterous, I said: video games are video games -- easily distinguishable from reality, and reasonable people know the difference between fantasy and reality. That was in the Mortal Kombat and Doom era, where the violence seemed cartoonish. And I love those games.

Then I played BioShock. For the first time, hell started to freeze over, and I found myself beginning to understand the critics' point of view. As real-time computer graphics inch ever closer to absolute photorealism (which some industry professionals believe to be no more than 10-15 years away), violent video game critics' arguments are slowly beginning to look more sane. And yes, you're reading this from a life-long video game fan who staunchly opposes institutional artistic censorship.

But censorship is peanuts compared to the conundrums we'll be facing in the future with our favorite hobby. Once our computer simulations of the real world (still called, somewhat quaintly, "video games") begin to effectively duplicate reality, the issue of video game violence won't be a matter of artistic merit or censorship anymore. It will quickly become a matter of morality, ethics, and law.

The coming storm is inevitable: turn one way, and you'll see ever-more realistic portrayals of graphic, gratuitous human violence in games like BioShock, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Fallout 3. Then turn the other and observe the exponential explosion of computing power and graphics rendering potential driven my Moore's law. Put two and two together, and you've got quite a mess brewing.

You can read the rest of this article here. Do you think games will eventually become so realistic that they could possible turn into virtual murder? It's certainly a scary thought to think that a game could ever get to the point where it truly feels like you're killing a real person.

[JoMaMaz]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

I believe it's possible, however, I guess it will still come down to the same thing that occurs right now and in the past. Is the person playing the video game sane or insane? THEN, the effect of the video game will be played out based upon that individual person's ability to know real and virtual, and right and wrong. Even today though, people playing online get mad at someone and get enthralled by the fact they got vengeance on their foe. Obviously, not described that way by them.

[Obsidian Spire]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

I think this writer has missed a key fact: people already do believe in "justified" torture, namely Hell. Yes, Hell is the prison for heinous, nefarious beings, but you can't deny that people are willing to accept damnation/punishment; in fact, some pray for divine judgement to punish the evildoers of the world. So long as they aren't the ones being punished, people are inclined to believe in righteous retribution. All videogames do is put the slightest hint of this power into the hands of an individual who can do what they want with it in a virtual setting.

As Jomamaz said, the individual is responsible for how they utilize and view a videogame. However, I think the writer has a point; game developers design situations to provoke thought and action, which is frightening in a way. Designers want me to kill these enemies, they want me to struggle morally with the decisions I have to make in game, they want the experience to immerse itself in reality, even if the player wants nothing to do with this sort of thing in real life. That scares me, that I still want to play these games terrifies me, but I'd rather experience something provocative than a bland, pointless game.

Each major entertainment industry has gone through ethical debates, now is just the beginning for gaming. And I think it would be interesting if everyone was capable of gazing into a mirror to analyze themselves, but most of us don't want to face our true selves.

/gaming is seriously serious, seriously scary business that will mess with your head and cause you to eat babies when perfectly normal food is readily available

[YewNork]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

my hodgepodge of random thoughts


total bs. the ENTIRE argument is based on assumptions or other "facts" with no legitimate data. In most cases when we play games we aren't trying to 'kill' the other people, we are simply trying to DEFEAT THEM. With most games the only way to defeat them is to kill them but like any scenario that we join... we immediately want to know, how do i win? and then whats the best way of doing that.


would anyone feel remorse for blowing up a giant spaceship holding thousands of crew members? yes, most would. but not if it were a video game.

until a game can be realistic enough where you cannot tell the difference between in game and out, our brains will always know "what is pretend and what is not"
you would need the following to achieve that:
-full 3d glasses to give visual immersion in the enviornment
-weather effects on the body to feel the heat,cold, wind etc of the fake world
-you would need to be able to FEEL yourself holding objects, feel the weight of your body, feel the gun, fill the whiplash it gives from firing it.
-the object you are killing must react to your movements and you must be able to feel it moving,feel it struggle, and feel it touch you back.

i personally think even with these features listed above that any mentally stable person would know that they are in the real world. Unless its as realistic and ingrained in our bodies such as "The Matrix", people will always be able to pretend and know its fake

As Jomamaz said, the individual is responsible for how they utilize and view a videogame. However, I think the writer has a point; game developers design situations to provoke thought and action, which is frightening in a way. Designers want me to kill these enemies, they want me to struggle morally with the decisions I have to make in game, they want the experience to immerse itself in reality, even if the player wants nothing to do with this sort of thing in real life. That scares me, that I still want to play these games terrifies me, but I'd rather experience something provocative than a bland, pointless game.

yes i agree, they want to make it believable as possible with the tough decisions. They want to get into peoples heads so they can have an EXPERIENCE, just not play the game. They want you scared, they want you happy, they want you you sad. and thats ALL GREAT! because we know that it is just a virtual world, where certain rules apply and some dont. just like our own real one. But it's when you are crazy that you cannot tell the difference. And that is dangerous, however most people arent crazy so why worry?

[Chaoticrambo]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

would you rather have someone kill someone in a super realistic video game to ease their frustrations, or go out and kill the person in real life?

I actually think this would be hugely beneficial if you could lode up character models of the people you honestly hate and have your way with killing them - hell, who hasn't at least one time in their life imagined some way of killing someone.

Honestly, I think what will cross the line would not be killing, but what will the porn industry do with this, I would be more worried if someone could load up someone they know and have their way with them, especially underage kids.

[YewNork]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

would you rather have someone kill someone in a super realistic video game to ease their frustrations, or go out and kill the person in real life?

I actually think this would be hugely beneficial if you could lode up character models of the people you honestly hate and have your way with killing them - hell, who hasn't at least one time in their life imagined some way of killing someone.

Honestly, I think what will cross the line would not be killing, but what will the porn industry do with this, I would be more worried if someone could load up someone they know and have their way with them, especially underage kids.

still better than ACTUALLY raping underage kids though isnt it?
its not to say that they WOULD HAVE done if the virtual technology didn't exist but i wonder if it would defer anyone.
It's like fantasizing something, it is in your own head, in your own rules and you can do ANYTHING that you want... if you can do that why is there such debate about virtual things?

[Chaoticrambo]

Re: Can Games Become 'Virtual Murder?'

true, but I think when you are talking that realistic, if lets say you could take a picture of someone, scan it into your computer, and then with some advanced software it could emulate that person in any type of clothing or anything.

In your imagination, it stays there, but if you could do this it would be like making a movie for yourself to watch, and I think that would be really bad in the case of underage girls.

But you are right, it would be better than someone actually going out and doing that to someone.

I am sure in our generation we are going to be faced with this issue, what is right and what is not right in the virtual world in terms of murder and such.

My thing is as long as it does not hurt the person, it would be fine.

I mean, look at how the Japanese have gotten around the child porn thing, Hentai from what I have read is filled with girls that look underage.

Its going to be an interesting debate when it comes to a head, and I am sure we will see plenty of people trying to limit what you can do.