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Life lessons from Baldur's Gate

TethorilofLathanderTethorilofLathander Member Posts: 427
in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
What life lessons do you think can be learned from the Baldur's Gate games/saga? Not just from the perspective of the CHARNAME and storyline but from some of the other joinable characters.

Obviously not including the Nietzsche quote and jokey ones like "Never trust a butch guy in scary armour and burning eyes".
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Comments

  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    many games have given me life lessons, but I actually don't think Baldur's Gate did so to me. If it could have it was stuff that I had already learned
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    Change Baldur's Gate for Planescape Torment and I can tell you why my nature changed.
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    I feel like baldurs gate influenced my personality a lot more than my worldview. I think irenicus my have brough me a little closer to the sociopath side, but I think the most memorable part of thee game is the influence of the characters distinct personalities. Like the way people act like silly and crazy after watching doctor who(matt smith) or notice things they wouldn't and count random poles after watching monk. Edwin and xan definitely had lasting impacts on my personality, certainly not all positive.
    If you really want I life lesson, that it's probably violence is the answer. Just think of all the random drunks and adventuring parties you murder with absolute no consequence. Like most video games, baldurs gate takes violence quit lightly, even if it is justifiable, given the setting, and CHARNAMES particular heritage.
  • TethorilofLathanderTethorilofLathander Member Posts: 427
    jackjack said:

    "Life is adventure or nothing."
    I actually took this one to heart.

    Is that a quote from the game? :P
  • KolvarKolvar Member Posts: 6
    edited March 2014
    I really like what Cadderly says when you meet him in Candlekeep : http://lparchive.org/Baldurs-Gate/Update 28/6-5.jpg

    It made me very thoughtful (especially the first time).
  • ArchaosArchaos Member Posts: 1,421
    @TethorilofLathander‌

    Reminds me of Coran in my head but I'm not sure.
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    @Archaos‌ @TethorilofLathander‌ it's coran. Gotta love that guy. At the ripe old age of 15, it's assumed that me and my Peers take this to heart, at least for a few years:)
  • DregothofTyrDregothofTyr Member Posts: 229
    edited March 2014
    TethorilofLathander said:

    jackjack said:

    "Life is adventure or nothing."
    I actually took this one to heart.

    Is that a quote from the game? :P
    Yeah it's one of Coran's selection/movement lines.
  • TethorilofLathanderTethorilofLathander Member Posts: 427
    Lemernis said:

    Actually, in all seriousness the mechanics of D&D do mirror crucial skills that we rely upon in real life. In real life we also must learn to identify what our natural strengths are and run with them, developing them (including recognition of limitations and deficits, etc.) through the challenges we face, which is represented by adventuring class and skills. Gaming exercises creative and strengths-based problem-solving skills. In real life it behooves us to identify our personality traits (which in D&D is represented by alignment and abilities) and understand how they work. Through D&D players also get practice at teamwork dynamics, a skillset that is so vital to success in life. Roleplaying gives us (or can give us) a form of practice at imagining what it is like to be someone utterly different than ourselves, which is the basis for real life empathy. And empathy is the cornerstone of healthy relationships. D&D also gives us practice at story-telling; and according to some schools of thought the construction of narratives is what human beings are fundamentally all about.

    One can even appreciate this in a sort of Jungian way, i.e., mostly unconscious processes within human experience get innocently and unconsciously expressed symbolically, here in a mythologically based gaming experience. It even becomes ritualized, lol.

    So not to get too carried away with it (oh well, too late for that), but there are actually some rather healthy, strengths-building things that arguably take place via gaming.

    On a similar note, I just saw an article yesterday in fact where a recent study done at NC State found that gamers are in fact highly sociable types as opposed to the socially inept, loner stereotype. (And maybe the Big Bang Theory is also at work helping change the geek/gamer stereotype!)

    Apologies for the possible buzzkill to the excellent humor for this thread, but it's something that I've noticed for some time and finally got an opportunity to express it!

    I think I've gained my high social skills from Minsc and Radagast from Tolkien. I may have bird doo-doo on me but I'm walking proud with my hamster! :D
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited March 2014
    TethorilofLathander said:

    I think I've gained my high social skills from Minsc and Radagast from Tolkien. I may have bird doo-doo on me but I'm walking proud with my hamster! :D

    LMAO! Nice one. Happy you've found your inner Radagast! Or Radagast/Minsc fusion, as it were.
  • TethorilofLathanderTethorilofLathander Member Posts: 427
    Lemernis said:

    TethorilofLathander said:

    I think I've gained my high social skills from Minsc and Radagast from Tolkien. I may have bird doo-doo on me but I'm walking proud with my hamster! :D

    LMAO! Nice one. Happy you've found your inner Radagast! Or Radagast/Minsc fusion, as it were.
    Oh god, can you imagine! *looks in mirror* HALP! xD
  • davendaven Member Posts: 112
    Adventure or bust!
  • MonoCanallaMonoCanalla Member Posts: 291
    -Everybody has a choice. No matter what your sign is ot other people think, you define your own identity.

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    -Most of the arcane and divine spells can be translated to real life skills or will of power. In a hyperbolic way, spells like Domination, Resist elements, Chaotic Commands, Friends, Summon Familiar, Charm Animal or Person, Strenght of One...there is so many. skills that many people has in certain times and are not normal.
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money only when you have lots of it.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    CrevsDaak said:

    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money only when you have lots of it.
    In Soviet Baldur's, money needs you!
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    jackjack said:

    CrevsDaak said:

    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money only when you have lots of it.
    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money!
    ;) I just made it more accurate :P
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    I don't know whether Baldur's Gate formed my worldviews or merely supports them. What I do know is that I have a big problem with any society that organizes and monitors pretty much every aspect of its members' lives, and that makes people indebt (university, mortgage, new car, etc.) themselves to such an extent that it effectively turns them into slaves that waste most of their lives doing stultifying jobs in order to sustain the parasitic system as well as themselves.
    Luckily, like @jackjack, I took Coran's motto to heart ('Life is adventure or nothing'), so I'm a relatively free man.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    CrevsDaak said:

    jackjack said:

    CrevsDaak said:

    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money only when you have lots of it.
    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money!
    ;) I just made it more accurate :P
    Crevs, how do you edit text? As in use bold letters, coloured letters etc.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    edited March 2014
    deleted
    Post edited by Blackraven on
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited March 2014
    Blackraven said:

    CrevsDaak said:

    jackjack said:

    CrevsDaak said:

    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money only when you have lots of it.
    In Soviet Baldur's, you need money!
    ;) I just made it more accurate :P
    Crevs, how do you edit text? As in use bold letters, coloured letters etc.
    Use HTML code tags. Here's a thread on it:

    http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/161/how-to-format-your-posts/p1

    I consolidated the tags I most commonly use for handy reference here as well.


  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    @Lemernis: thanks!
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited March 2014
    MonoCanalla said:

    -Capitalism wins. The more you adventure out there, the more coins you posses. Also, the game is full of beggars and other people with the same miniature that obviusly aren`t strong enough to get their own coin in the Realms.

    Not disputing this, but conceptually it makes me think of the challenge of the opposing vision of this learning: soloing as a cleric of Ilmater who eschews personal accumulation of wealth. The character wouldn't gather any loot drops, and would use only a wooden staff and mundane sling/bullets. In order to survive such a character would have to rely on spells anyway. Don't mean to go OT so I will start a new thread on it here.
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