DayZ as an experiment in human interactions in a survival environment.

[masterdebator 0]

Hey,

-Long message poorly edited and full of spelling and grammar mistakes, btw and pretty boring so read on at your own volition.

Btw this is a log not a chair, I hope to form this thread into a chair over time but right now its a log I am calling a chair so its crude is what i am saying.......

Been reading the forums a long time, finally registered so I could pose some thoughts I was having on DayZ as a gaming experiment. I have heard rocket talk about this on several occasions and have always been more interested in the human interactions +/- side of the experiment then the zombies themselves.

I decided to make this tread to muse about various aspects of in game interactions and how they can, do and don't relate to real world scientific experiments in human interaction. Its not a thread meant to have anything to do with how "fun" or "unfun" the game is, but more to do with the social experiment side of peoples interactions in a survival type environment, and what would and would not and could in game mechanics affect they way people interact with each other base in part on real world data.

Of course saying that, these things will probably be of large importance to how people interact and should be stated and added to and edited as necessary

-Things that affect player interactions In game

1) Inner Humanity - IE the things that make us distinctly human

Thought, long term planing, self aware, subconscious, feelings, likes and dislikes and everything in-between.

2) Others Humanity - IE other peoples Humanity. See above list and that these are generally not known to the other person until a bond is established over time.

3) Environment - The world around you and how it affects you.

4) Death and injury - You know the bad stuff most people avoid.

- Scientific experiments and observations about human interactions

Stanford prison experiment

Prisons

Military experiments and training

School systems

tribal villages

Stranded/Shipwrecked people throughout history

blind peoples interactions with others (lack of discernible facial expressions on others makes intentions hard to gauge using subconscious feelings about others.

-Game Mechanics affects on interactions

For all intensive purpose think of this as your "perspective" Life and games have rules. In life we all know the basics of pain hunger sleep food wealth and power among other things loss and gain. Games have their own "perspectives" losing a finger in a game is fundamentally different from losing one in real life.

SO! you read all that and and I hope have a general Idea of what I am trying to discuss. I am trying to draw lines between DayZ as a persistent survival game and real world interactions. And how if one wanted to one could use game mechanics to influence how people interact in the game to be brought in line with how people interact in the real world.

Really each sub topic of this topic could fill a book and I think that's sort of the point. Making a game that models player interactions that accurately reflects the real world is a subject of interest to me.

A small note - I am not saying Day Z is THAT GAME! can be or should be. I am simple posing the question of if we wanted it to be, how would we do it? What game mechanics could be added or removed. What could be tweaked or changed?

With that in mind I hope you can stay on topic. this is not a thread to talk about feelings about the game or stuff that makes you angry or sad. This is a board for thinking analytically about gameplay and social experiments.

Think "Philosophers cafe"

Also at some point I may move this discussion to steam or Skype based on feedback and how people socially interact on the board.

I will get started on the first topic shortly.

Thanks for reading! Your attention span is impressive!

[Lukio (DayZ) 24]

One thing I'm kind of missing in your list is how applicable these situations/behaviours are to player interaction in a video game. Currently a player life is worth nothing as he can respawn immediately, its only about the threat he poses and if he has interesting gear you want.

I'd assume the decision to hurting or killing someone in the real world is much more difficult and traumatizing, so all those theories somehow get washed down for video games, where its just some pixels you shoot at.

[DemonGroover 8836]

My thoughts on the matter are that the Social Experiment of Day Z is flawed through no fault of its own. It is a game and there are no consequences for any actions.

Hypothetically in a real life Day Z scenario there would not be as many bandits. Survivors would be drawn together through fear and then the need for human contact. Humans are social animals and to suggest rampant killing would be occuring is just a fantasy from the FPS boys.

[masterdebator 0]

One thing I'm kind of missing in your list is how applicable these situations/behaviours are to player interaction in a video game. Currently a player life is worth nothing as he can respawn immediately' date=' its only about the threat he poses and if he has interesting gear you want.

I'd assume the decision to hurting or killing someone in the real world is much more difficult and traumatizing, so all those theories somehow get washed down for video games, where its just some pixels you shoot at.

[/quote']

Yes Life and Death is going to be my first topic of discussion. I'm just figuring out how to word the question for the right line of thought.

[[email protected] 3]

Shooting someone at random is completely something a human would normally not do, even in a survival environment.

Don't believe me, go buy a gun, go hunting, shoot the first hunter you see. I garentee you well no do it. Why, because you morally feel it is wrong, that you should not take another person's life. Don't say it would be different, if you are human, by the terms of the word human, then you well never be like "Hey guys look at this one out there -bang- lol! Bleed out Fag"

Some of the best trained people still pause that pulling the trigger the first time, even when their lives are on the line, when you know 100% this guy is trying to kill you.

Though over time you can lose that sense of the value of another's life or pass off taking it as nothing as you adept your morals to fit the job that must be done.

"What do you feel when you shoot a terrorist?"

"Recoil"

[masterdebator 0]

Shooting someone at random is completely something a human would normally not do' date=' even in a survival environment.

Don't believe me, go buy a gun, go hunting, shoot the first hunter you see. I garentee you well no do it. Why, because you morally feel it is wrong, that you should not take another person's life. Don't say it would be different, if you are human, by the terms of the word human, then you well never be like "Hey guys look at this one out there -bang- lol! Bleed out Fag"

Some of the best trained people still pause that pulling the trigger the first time, even when their lives are on the line, when you know 100% this guy is trying to kill you.

Though over time you can lose that sense of the value of another's life or pass off taking it as nothing as you adept your morals to fit the job that must be done.

"What do you feel when you shoot a terrorist?"

"Recoil"

[/quote']

Yes but If one looks to prison and wars more in the line of survival situation long term and temporary goals and emotions are quickly traded in. Such things are culturally related. One has to look to cultures or human experiences that are more in line with a survival situation. In a McDonalds no one is really considered a threat to your well being, if you were in Afghanistan or in the path of Genghis khan or where in Genghis khans horde your perspective "may" be much different on murder and its gains and consequences. learning to love murder may be a long term defense mechanism or a changing of cultural attitudes. We would need to gather study's and historical data that support or deny that theory. I think it might be a little bit of both. sometimes people work together, sometimes they bash each others brains in. sometimes a little of both.