Tweet
The Pyschology of Killing
A quick intro to the pyschology of Killing:
http://web.qx.net/warcat/MilSF/Killing.htm
A lengthier resource:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...109850-8512663
Not all computer games encourage violence. But some do.
The problem isn't that video games mimic reality too much, but that modern warfare mimics video games too much. You aren't killing people, you are pressing a button to send a missile or shell to blow up a blip on your screen. War is dehumanizing by nature. Playing video games helps soldiers treat war like a game, and they will "play" that game as they have been trained by habit to. They will not stop to consider the ramifications of pressing that button or pulling that trigger. That is the "problem".
Of course, some people don't see that as a problem. The military certainly does not.
I would doubt Civ does the same as FPS's on a personal level, but it would not surprise me if grognards and hardcore civ strat players (including Civ, MOO, Starcraft, AoK, etc...) were more supportive of large scale warfare. When news reports come about distant conflicts, we don't see the actual personal devastation - just that target X was destroyed, target Y captured, Army group A has taken City B, Army C has been destroyed by missile attacks, etc... very much like a wargame.
With a FPS, real blood becomes video game pixels. War, it's just a game. With a strat game, real blood isn't even acknowledged or modeled.
I'll keep my opinion on 9/11, afghanistan, and the current mid-east crisis out of it, but it would be interesting to see how a person's opinion of how the US and Israel should act - compares to that person's experience in Civ style games and their play-style. Are Civ 3 megalomaniacs really avid supporters of real-life US or Israeli retaliation? Are Civ 3 peaceniks truly balanced in their opined solutions? Are Civ 3 warmongers more likely to support NATO, large militaries, intervention? Are Civ 3 builders more likely to support real-life education and health care concerns, willing to sacrifice their military? Who really knows?
Most studies deal with FPS's, not wargames.
The connection is hard to prove, but I can see it being there.
A quick intro to the pyschology of Killing:
http://web.qx.net/warcat/MilSF/Killing.htm
A lengthier resource:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...109850-8512663
Not all computer games encourage violence. But some do.
The problem isn't that video games mimic reality too much, but that modern warfare mimics video games too much. You aren't killing people, you are pressing a button to send a missile or shell to blow up a blip on your screen. War is dehumanizing by nature. Playing video games helps soldiers treat war like a game, and they will "play" that game as they have been trained by habit to. They will not stop to consider the ramifications of pressing that button or pulling that trigger. That is the "problem".
Of course, some people don't see that as a problem. The military certainly does not.
I would doubt Civ does the same as FPS's on a personal level, but it would not surprise me if grognards and hardcore civ strat players (including Civ, MOO, Starcraft, AoK, etc...) were more supportive of large scale warfare. When news reports come about distant conflicts, we don't see the actual personal devastation - just that target X was destroyed, target Y captured, Army group A has taken City B, Army C has been destroyed by missile attacks, etc... very much like a wargame.
With a FPS, real blood becomes video game pixels. War, it's just a game. With a strat game, real blood isn't even acknowledged or modeled.
I'll keep my opinion on 9/11, afghanistan, and the current mid-east crisis out of it, but it would be interesting to see how a person's opinion of how the US and Israel should act - compares to that person's experience in Civ style games and their play-style. Are Civ 3 megalomaniacs really avid supporters of real-life US or Israeli retaliation? Are Civ 3 peaceniks truly balanced in their opined solutions? Are Civ 3 warmongers more likely to support NATO, large militaries, intervention? Are Civ 3 builders more likely to support real-life education and health care concerns, willing to sacrifice their military? Who really knows?
Most studies deal with FPS's, not wargames.
The connection is hard to prove, but I can see it being there.
@jimmytrick...
Comment