Quote:
tesco samoa said:
WHat i do not like is players who forget what is the game and what is not. That to me is rather strange and a little disturbing.
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Tesco,
Tell me what the litmus test is for determining what portion of a player's in-game behavior is his/her game personna and which part is their true character shining through? If a player is so driven to win that they'd screw over an ally to achieve that, then how can another player know they're just "playing the game" and that they wouldn't behave the same way in real life? The motivation for backstabbing an ally is a desire to win. I've yet to see a single statement saying that the backstab was done to remain "in character". If a player has such a strong desire to win that they'd betray an ally in a game, then why wouldn't they do the same thing in the real world? Does the desire to win end when the game ends? It's tough for me to believe it does, and it wouldn't seem very logical either. In the game a player has little to gain, whereas in the real world there are all sorts of tangible benefits to be derived from screwing over an ally. Promotions, prestige, money, power, sex, etc. On the one hand we have plenty of motivations for backstabbing, while in the other we have the simple desire of winning a game. Yet I should apparently believe that the in-game behavior is
all just role playing and that in reality the player's personality bears no resemblance to what I'm seeing. I think that defies human nature and it absolutely defies my experiences. Now, please don't forget that I'm talking strictly about regular SEIV games, not games specifically billed as role-playing. In a role-playing game I expect a player to be in character. Treachery and backstabbing included.
You find it "strange and a little disturbing" that some players don't separate everything that takes place in the game from the real world. In contrast, I find it curious that some players see everything that takes place in the game as merely game behavior. Does nothing of our true personalities, experiences, preferences, etc., show through in our game play? If the answer is "yes, they do", then as I said said in my opening sentence, please tell me what the definitive test is for determining which behavior is "just the game" so I can separate it from the player's real personality showing through.