4 ms·

There's a million fun things to do in GTA without hurting anyone, to be fair.

nkozyra 9y ago
Absolutely, I just don't think it's sincere to present it as though GTA itself doesn't offer a ton of context to push oneself in this direction. The premise pivots on the notion that we're doing these things of our own volition.
- Retra 9y ago
  It is our own volition to care about finishing the game, and also to not care about inflicting imaginary suffering on imaginary ragdolls.
  - pasquinelli 9y ago
    if you're there to play the game then you're there to let it manipulate you, so you made your choice before you started playing.
    - True-Saber 9y ago
      People make these things called mods/cheats, which allow you to manipulate the game. I don't want to play through Ravenholm again, so I use the command to go to my preferred level.
- KGIII 9y ago
  Isn't the whole premise that one is, in fact, a car thief? I submit that the presumption of superior morality is cast aside by the very title.
  - nkozyra 9y ago
    Exactly. These are the types of clues that direct or influence behavior within. It's why I wouldn't attempt to glean any psychological info from decisions made by participants.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      It does make me wonder about Fallout 2, where you could have varied levels of morality in the game and play would adjust accordingly. By the way, it was the greatest computer RPG ever made - at least until that point. I know, that's just my opinion but I have conviction. Err... I'd stop gaming after Fallout Tactics, but that's a topic for another day.
      - nkozyra 9y ago
        It's an interesting side topic - there have been a lot of games that try to allow you to succeed as moral or immoral characters. But that's more sandboxed than GTA, which assigns repercussions for bad behavior in a way that models reality. The consequence is lighter, of course, and GTA "lives" more independent and ephemeral. What makes games like GTA interesting to researchers is the open, unstructured analog to our world. If the game lacked the strong user direction and context it could be useful in that regard.

Absolutely, I just don't think it's sincere to present it as though GTA itself doesn't offer a ton of context to push oneself in this direction. The premise pivots on the notion that we're doing these things of our own volition.

Retra 9y ago
It is our own volition to care about finishing the game, and also to not care about inflicting imaginary suffering on imaginary ragdolls.
- pasquinelli 9y ago
  if you're there to play the game then you're there to let it manipulate you, so you made your choice before you started playing.
  - True-Saber 9y ago
    People make these things called mods/cheats, which allow you to manipulate the game. I don't want to play through Ravenholm again, so I use the command to go to my preferred level.
KGIII 9y ago
Isn't the whole premise that one is, in fact, a car thief? I submit that the presumption of superior morality is cast aside by the very title.
- nkozyra 9y ago
  Exactly. These are the types of clues that direct or influence behavior within. It's why I wouldn't attempt to glean any psychological info from decisions made by participants.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    It does make me wonder about Fallout 2, where you could have varied levels of morality in the game and play would adjust accordingly. By the way, it was the greatest computer RPG ever made - at least until that point. I know, that's just my opinion but I have conviction. Err... I'd stop gaming after Fallout Tactics, but that's a topic for another day.
    - nkozyra 9y ago
      It's an interesting side topic - there have been a lot of games that try to allow you to succeed as moral or immoral characters. But that's more sandboxed than GTA, which assigns repercussions for bad behavior in a way that models reality. The consequence is lighter, of course, and GTA "lives" more independent and ephemeral. What makes games like GTA interesting to researchers is the open, unstructured analog to our world. If the game lacked the strong user direction and context it could be useful in that regard.