Morailty in gaming poll

[tenshu 43]

I wondered how people usually play games (not just DayZ) when facing moral choices.

 

I realise people will often play 'good' then look at other play styles afterwards, but I'm interested in what you would choose initially.

 

 

EDIT (with comparison of results)

 

Ok guys, this thread is dying, so I thought I would update it with the results from a study on moral gaming choices. ( Dayz Community.  Results from other study [OS] ). Note that percentages have been rounded.

 

When playing a game with moral choices, I most often tend to:

1. Play good ( 45% Dayz;  59% OS)
2. Play Evil ( 8% DayZ; 5% OS)
3. Play with no particular intention (47% Dayz; 39% OS)

Do you feel that you try to do in the game what you would do in reality?

1. Always ( 10% DayZ; 10% OS)
2. Usually ( 42% DayZ; 55% OS)
3. Sometimes ( 26% DayZ; 23% OS)
4. Rarely ( 16% DayZ; 9% OS)
5. Never ( 5% DayZ; 3% OS)

Conclusion:

It's hard to draw any real conclusions, as the study and this poll has flaws, both with the questions, method and sample sizes. However, it's fun to draw some quick comparisons. 

 

When people are making moral choices, the DayZ community seems to play with no particular intention far more than playing good when compared to the study group, there is also an increase in people who 'play evil'.

The DayZ community is less likely to match moral choices in real life with choices they make in game, with 16% saying 'rarely' compared to 9% in the other study. This suggests players in the DayZ community are less likely to be moral in games compared to their everyday lives. 

 

I think this shows that the DayZ community is actually more ethically healthy and has more scope for moral imagination than the general gaming community. Acting evil in game is in no way an indication of how people act in real life and the DayZ community seems to be more accepting of this fact, saying that, the average DayZ player you will encounter is more likely to do 'bad things' in a game than your average Joe.

Thanks everyone for taking part in the poll, and the study I got the comparison results from is here:
http://gamescriticism.org/articles/lange-1-1

And another interesting article about ethics in gaming:

http://www.projecthorseshoe.com/ph09/ph09r3.htm

Edited May 2, 2014 by tenshu

[enforcer1975 1111]

I try to stay neutral ( as a survivor should be )...why? Because people "playing" hero end up having the same playstyle of the "bandits"...they KoS just the same and you never know if a player is bandit or not just by the clothes or his playstyle...maybe the bandit the hero shot is another just another hero player who was seen killing another player because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit...endless circle of destruction.

[tenshu 43]

I try to stay neutral ( as a survivor should be )...why? Because people "playing" hero end up having the same playstyle of the "bandits"...they KoS just the same and you never know if a player is bandit or not just by the clothes or his playstyle...maybe the bandit the hero shot is another just another hero player who was seen killing another player because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit...endless circle of destruction.

Morality is difficult in a zombie apocalypse hey!

[Pazzmon 64]

I do try and play good, I've had the opportunity a couple of times, but I've only shot someone once when being shot at first. I've helped or tried to help anyone I have come across. I've done this on any game I have played on, be it being a hero on Fable etc...

[Knock (DayZ) 111]

It depends on the game really. When I played Skyrim, I acted as a power hungry bastard. I went after all the daedric artifacts (even the one that required cannibalism). At first I was just getting all the shouts, but I didn't really stop there.

 

In DayZ I see myself as neutral. I normally don't go around killing fresh spawns or anything. In fact, I Was trying to give away all of my gear today but I was instead gunned down by some other guy (It was my fault for letting my guard down in the first place).

[enforcer1975 1111]

Morality is difficult in a zombie apocalypse hey!

 

Not really...expect almost everyone to be a power hungry munchkin looking for the biggest gun available...that's how most players act all the time in every game. You don't have to go out of your way to hurt someone only because it's an apocalypse, i bet you'd have as much trouble to even bother wanting to imprison someone only to torture them or run from firefight to firefight out of boredom as you can see on youtube because you wouldn't have spare time if you were in such a situation: it would be sleep, loot ( look for food, water and clothing ), sleep, loot, sleep, loot...or sleep, farm, sleep, farm...

[thelonewarrior 886]

I try to stay neutral ( as a survivor should be )...why? Because people "playing" hero end up having the same playstyle of the "bandits"...they KoS just the same and you never know if a player is bandit or not just by the clothes or his playstyle...maybe the bandit the hero shot is another just another hero player who was seen killing another player because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit because the hero thought the other hero was a bandit...endless circle of destruction.

I have to disagree with that

I play hero and don't KOS, I've never killed on sight, I only kill on threat

When we kill people we only fire if fired upon, if they are clearly ignoring us and surrounding us after multiple warnings or if we see them murder someone in cold blood

I only kill if it's justified, if they are hunting and chasing down a newspawn or obviously stalked and killed someone

I observe and weigh up the evidence, I don't just rush in and lay down the law about whom is a survivor and who is a bandit

Please do not say heroes KOS because if they do then they are bandits and not heroes, heroes do not kill on sight otherwise we wouldn't be heroes

Edited April 29, 2014 by Regulator Lone Warrior

[tinroofer 23]

I try to stay pretty neutral and friendly most of the time.

 

Though I'll admit, sometimes I'll just go ted bundy style if the mood strikes :P

[gemellus 77]

I'll be nice one moment, handing out food cans and warnings to trouble up again, and setting lure traps to shoot hungry players the next. With DayZ, I'm more here for fun than RPing.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Tibialis

[Bororm 1156]

I play however I want at the time, it's just a game.  If I feel like being a dick in game, I'll be a dick.  If I feel like being nice I'll be nice.

I've felt bad about some things before, but it doesn't last long because it's just a video game and if people are going to get upset over it, that's on them not me.

 

I play games to have fun for myself and my friends first.  You're responsible for your own fun.

 

 

This is not my attitude in real life.

[tenshu 43]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm going to post the comparison to the general gaming community soon 

[tenshu 43]

I play however I want at the time, it's just a game.  If I feel like being a dick in game, I'll be a dick.  If I feel like being nice I'll be nice.

I've felt bad about some things before, but it doesn't last long because it's just a video game and if people are going to get upset over it, that's on them not me.

 

I play games to have fun for myself and my friends first.  You're responsible for your own fun.

 

 

This is not my attitude in real life.

These are my thoughts as well, I feel that having a moral imagination has no reflection on how a person behaves in their day to day life. It's fun being bad in a game because you know there's no actual repercussions. 

Edited April 30, 2014 by tenshu

[pilgrim* 3514]

This is a Game, right - it's not the same as life

If you go see a movie or a play, it's a movie, it's fiction - it's not the same as life

 

That's what these things are FOR, dude

People have been writing theories about this stuff for 2000 years.. BIG books and debates and psychology

Why do people play? Why is a play called a "play"? What do you get out of it?

What's the difference between "play" and "real life" ?

 

Hmm.. I thought everyone knew this stuff?

 

No insult intended, friend. Keep researching.

 

(so the answer to your poll is YES to all eight options)

 

xx

Edited April 30, 2014 by pilgrim

[tenshu 43]

This is a Game, right - it's not the same as life

If you go see a movie or a play, it's a movie, it's fiction - it's not the same as life

 

That's what these things are FOR, dude

People have been writing theories about this stuff for 2000 years.. BIG books and debates and psychology

Why do people play? Why is a play called a "play"? What do you get out of it?

What's the difference between "play" and "real life" ?

 

Hmm.. I thought everyone knew this stuff?

 

No insult intended, friend. Keep researching.

 

(so the answer to your poll is YES to all eight options)

 

xx

I'm just asking how people play their games, I never said people should play a certain way, I'm not sure where you have got this from

As for the poll, answering yes to every answer would make no sense, do you understand English? 

[thelonewarrior 886]

But the point is it does reflect how a lot of these people are in real life

Hackers are usually younger (but not always) kids that cheat to win and are also usually the kind who would play pay to win games

I've no doubt these people would do the same in real life, cheat and get any advantage they like in any way, legal or not

One good example is players that go after new spawns, torture them and tell them how much they suck while pretending to rape them

And then run away the moment someone with a gun shoots at them

I've no doubt these people are bullies in real life who get off only going after weaker players they know won't put up a fight

Edited April 30, 2014 by Regulator Lone Warrior

[pilgrim* 3514]

I'm just asking how people play their games, I never said people should play a certain way, I'm not sure where you have got this from

As for the poll, answering yes to every answer would make no sense, do you understand English? 

 

I think you missed my point

No prob, go lightly bro

[tenshu 43]

But the point is it does reflect how a lot of these people are in real life

Hackers are usually younger (but not always) kids that cheat to win and are also usually the kind who would play pay to win games

I've no doubt these people would do the same in real life, cheat and get any advantage they like in any way, legal or not

One good example is players that go after new spawns, torture them and tell them how much they suck while pretending to rape them

And then run away the moment someone with a gun shoots at them

I've no doubt these people are bullies in real life who get off only going after weaker players they know won't put up a fight

I think you make a lot of assumptions here, I'm not sure of any statistics that point to hackers being younger than the general gaming population.

Then assuming that people who act badly in game, do the same in real life, and again assuming peoples actions are reflected in game also.

There's no actual proof for any of these assumptions, it's just an opinion. What if bullies in game are the bullied in real life and just acting out their frustrations? 

I play a paragon of virtue sometimes, and I'm an asshole in real life so go figure :)

 

I think you missed my point

No prob, go lightly bro

I honestly did miss it.

[xalienax 621]

I enjoy playing "evil" when given the chance. I think maily its from the fact that almost every AAA title trys to cast you as some gritty doo gooder out to save the world or something- same with the generic action movie hero.

 

i just get a trip out of doing the opposite of the norm. self advancement at others expense, greed, hoarding, power tripping, etc. its different from what every rehashed plot line tries to feed me xD this applies to games in general not just dayZ.

 

I always prefer playing the of-for "bad guy" faction in any game that gives me a chance. rather thats axis forces in WW2 games, eastern block in Arma II, or terroris factions in more modern shooters.

[tenshu 43]

I enjoy playing "evil" when given the chance. I think maily its from the fact that almost every AAA title trys to cast you as some gritty doo gooder out to save the world or something- same with the generic action movie hero.

 

i just get a trip out of doing the opposite of the norm. self advancement at others expense, greed, hoarding, power tripping, etc. its different from what every rehashed plot line tries to feed me xD this applies to games in general not just dayZ.

 

I always prefer playing the of-for "bad guy" faction in any game that gives me a chance. rather thats axis forces in WW2 games, eastern block in Arma II, or terroris factions in more modern shooters.

 

And does having this moral imagination make you like Hitler in real life? :)

[xalienax 621]

And does having this moral imagination make you like Hitler in real life? :)

not hardly. I'd just rather be the guy burning the world then trying to save it in a video game. its more fun for me, and thats what matters in a game that i purchased for enjoyment.

[pilgrim* 3514]

<< I think you missed my point>>

I honestly did miss it.

 

Sorry, I dont mean to mess up your poll. I'ts just that you're talking about "morality" in a role-playing conflict game

(a conflict game is were the rules say you can attack other players, like ice-hockey)

If I asked "do you play 'good' or 'evil'"  when you play chess, that would be difficult to understand.

And Anthonly Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter - and does it VERY well. But in real life he likes gardening and he has a family and a quiet life.

 

So if you want to know 'why' people do what they do in games, you've got a lot of research ahead of you, its been a big question for a long time, and already you have to understand what a game is. e.g.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game

No one has come up with a good answer to that at the moment, in my opinion. It's like -everyone knows, but no one can explain what they do.

 

So you can ask people what they do in THIS game, but you can't ask what they do in "games".

And the word "morality" is from the real world, so the only way someone can be "not moral" in a game is by cheating at the game.

And, finally,  people will tell you they do one thing or do another, but in fact that is a 'role' they chose (for any kind of reason or by chance) in this role-playing game, and they will change it or not stick to it, or forget about it, all the time.. maybe without even noticing..

So yes - I do speak English - and yes I do D0 all those things <Maybe Sometimes Always Never>.. thats exactly what I do when I go into a game like this. I go into "Maybe Sometimes Always Never" and I do that, that's my game.The only question is "do you play these kinds of game or not?" And maybe there are some parts of my real life in this game, I dunno - ask Anthony Hopkins if he eats meat.

 

OK sorry for that.. Your questions are perfectly good. Beanz and I'll fill in your questions logically now. (grin)

 

xx

Edited April 30, 2014 by pilgrim

[thelonewarrior 886]

I think you make a lot of assumptions here, I'm not sure of any statistics that point to hackers being younger than the general gaming population

What I meant was:

In the 2 years I've played the mod and then standalone I've met about 3 hackers that sounded over 20

And about 100 screaming 12 year old kids with riding around in a tank that wasn't avaliable or appear in my group and gun us all down while we fill them with bullets

So of those that spoke, less than if say 5% were older than 16

[StopChewingMyLegDude 3]

While things happening in games are usually really not a big deal, I still bring my moral code of conduct even to virtual world. This is the kind of thing that I just can not disable, so I always try to act accordingly to what I consider is right. I don't do things that I consider bad simply because this causes aversion in me and I don't see any kind of fun in that. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of fps shooters, but I play not to just shoot people but rather to compete with them. I enjoy an equal competition where me and my opponents do our best do defeat each other and achieve our goal, similar to any kind of sport. In games like dayz, however, I see no point in shooting some guy who's just minding his own business without intentions of harming others.

 

I find it fascinating how some say they like doing atrocities in games, but consider themselves good in real world. If you find this kind of things appealing, perhaps the only thing that stops you from embodying this in the real world are the consequences that you'll have to face. This is what I like the most in dayz: people making moral decisions in a world of no consequences

[Lady Kyrah 1110]

Dare i ask what is "good" and what is "evil" ? Last time i checked there aren't really clear boundaries and it's more of subjective thing.

[enforcer1975 1111]

With 30 "heroes" so far, 7 "bad boys" and 31 "neutrals" the proportion concerning complaints about KoS and a lot of videos of it on youtube don't fit...

 

Dare i ask what is "good" and what is "evil" ? Last time i checked there aren't really clear boundaries and it's more of subjective thing.

 

Yes you are right...if you took peace and prosperity as global standard anyone trying to disturb this would be considered "evil" but let's say you are part of that faction trying to overthrow the peace then your cause is just and "good" in your eyes just like martyrs thinking they are doing the right thing. It's really just depending on your point of view. Comments that "people do this in an apocalypse" are rather disturbing imo because i don't think the people saying that would really do that, i'd rather say they would shit their pants.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Enforcer