DILEMMA OF 15 YEARS
pablomni
Member Posts: 94
When I played the BGS had about 15 or 16 years old, the way he looked and perceived things were equal or chords to a teenager. Today at age 30, married, separated, with my firstborn among rows and already gained experience in labor, vision and analyzing things changed radically looked like back then. While it would not accept the Machiavellian dictum that "the end justifies the means" make a dent in many walks of life and where there is self-interest above the common good, in that the "rational actor" (game theory) is one that seeks the best and most optimal decision is the decision that's right for me ..... I think that when I sat down to play this wonderful game again, my gamer profile could distance much that elected 15 years ago when I played for the first time. You people in the community are saying about it?
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As for the choices in game, they usually aren't extensive enough that I would have to choose different options nowadays.
When I played the BG series at about 15 or 16 years old, I looked at and perceived things like a teenager. Today at age 30, married, separated, with a firstborn in my ranks and with work experience, the way I analyze things has changed radically since back then. While I would not have accepted the Machiavellian dictum that "the end justifies the means", I believed in self interest above the common good and that being a "rational actor" (game theory) who sought the best and most optimal decision was the best course for me. I think that when I sit down to play this wonderful game again, my gamer profile is much different from 15 years ago when I played for the first time. What do you people in the community say about it?
I, as @Shin, make my decisions in rpgs as if it was the real me in that world. That said, I think that my decisions would be more or less the same I took when I played the game the first times many years ago (for me let's say 10 years, I started with BG2), I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad one
I would still play as Legal Good most of the times, and as intellectual characters like mages
Addressing what the OP asked, I myself already had my basic ethical outlook of lawful good established when I first played BG at age 25 or so.
However, I also had the same lawful good or lawful neutral life philosophy well-established when I was 17 years old and playing D&D for the first time as a senior in high school.
So, I really can't relate to having a "me first" philosophy of life since about age 14. This was the age where I underwent baptism in my childhood church, pleased my beloved grandmother, and genuinely perceived a fundamental change in my nature after the ceremony. I spent the rest of my life after that until even now, having a life outlook of empathy and compassion for others.
You have to combine what I just said with my philosophy of rpg gaming - I see these games as a psychological projection of my true nature into a completely uninhibited game world, where I am very or even absolutely powerful. I play them as an empowered expression of my core psyche. And I choose good over evil, absolutely and always.
I would actually not trust a person in real life if I knew that they enjoyed playing evil in games. I think that who you are in gaming is exactly who you really are. It is your true self, given absolute power. If you play evil in games, I think you should feel guilty.
And I fully realize that many if not most people are going to sharply and vociferously disagree with me on that philosophy of rpg gaming.
Maybe sometimes there's a reason, for example my teen-age brother usually plays evil characters, teenagers are angry with the world -_-'
I tried to say one thing to a pair of ladies: "Thank you for the visit." So, guessing that the word for "visit" was of neuter gender, I said "Danke fuer das Besuch." Turns out that the word is actually masculine in gender, so that the correct expression is "Danke fuer DEN Besuch."
Both ladies laughed long and loudly after I said "Danke fuer das Besuch,", and one of them said, "Danke fuer DEN Besuch!", followed by more laughing. Then, they turned around, and walked off without another word.
I have never forgotten this experience. Some people, of any nationality, are just jerks. A**holes exist in every language and culture, around the world.
And not everyone plays it that way - some people view it as a deep experience with a significant personal involvement, while others view it simply as a distraction to have a laugh with. So it's all about the context.
I have a friend who is about as gentle-natured as you can get in RL, and he always tends to go for the dark side in RPGs - but he's not the kind of player to spend weeks thinking about the morality or behaviour of his character or write up a detailed biography - he just doesn't get involved on that level.
I *do* however agree that if one person finds happiness in doing evil things in a game, then that's a problem. Hell, if I act evil in a game I'll feel guilty and filled with remorse for half a day, if not more. But I do it to see the other perspective. I'm not evil for it, neither I am good - I am a gamer (playing as a female doesn't necessarily make me a girl, does it now? :P )
As for how I played the game 15 years ago. Well... I didn't speak English... and I played the English version. Long story short - I have no idea what I did. I do remember killing most Flaming Fist guards stopping me simply because of "wrong" answers given. So evidently my point of view changed, if only from being completely oblivious to someone that actually *realizes* what he's doing XD
If someone, Italian, misspells a word or use a wrong tense while speaking Italian, I get quite mad
EDIT: I reread your post. It looks like you simply said "I don't understand".
So, upon review, I'm not sure why @Fredjo thought you were making fun of the OP.
But let's not turn this thread upside down, shall we?
My opinion - it is a weak theory of personality, because there are way more than seven human personality types, or ethical philosophies.
The system is oversimplified as a convenience for gaming. There may be the seed of an interesting ethical or personality theory in it, but it should, as a whole, be taken with a grain of salt.
In a nutshell - do you believe in order and discipline? Choose some variation of "lawful". Do you believe in individual expression and personal freedom, especially the kind that makes fun of "stiff, stodgy, overdisciplined, pedantic, cops, enforcers, teachers, judges, rulers, etc., etc.?" Then choose some variation of "chaotic".
Do you have an empathic nature, and care what other people feel? Then choose some variation of "good".
Do you mostly just care about yourself and your own power over your environment and living conditions? Then choose some variation of "neutral".
Do you delight in the suffering of others, especially if they have wronged you or made you feel smaller or weaker? Do you just get a kick out of wielding power over others? Do you love to take revenge on people who have somehow thwarted you? Do you feel intensely passionate hatred and love of destruction? Then choose some variation of "evil".
The alignment system is meant to be only a starting guideline for character development, and never a straightjacket.
And to contribute something to the actual discussion, I believe it's okay to do evil things in a game and to enjoy them, as long as you keep in mind that it's not reality and while your actions in the game bear no actual consequences, reality is quite different in this respect. For example, it's quite okay to play GTA 2 and enjoy the carnage you inflict upon a horde of innocent bystanders, as long as you understand that doing anything similar in real life would be a reprehensible act and would draw irreversible consequences.
And yes, I also used to try to max XP, stats, gold, and loot acquisition in games like Baldur's Gate when I was a kid/teenager. Nowadays that doesn't happen often, as I prefer roleplaying my characters and playing casually over obsessively collecting in-game rewards.
I think I must have succumbed to the human falibility of 'mob mentality'. You didn't make fun of anybody. You simply said that you didn't understand. I didn't, either, until I scrolled down and saw the "translation" that had kindly been provided.
Mea culpa.