Does civilization bring out violent tendencies?

[Nicol.Bolas]

Whenever I pick up a game of civilization, my opinions on worlds situation and events shift radically - I start to think about violent solutions (nukes, land based invasions). Whereas when I am not playing I tend to think of more civil solutions.

I believe this is provoked by the game, similar to how FPS provoke violence and school shootings. Luckily I am not in a position of a dictator, so these imaginations can´t be realized, but if a real dictator played too much civilization, his judgment might be clouded.

How does civilization provoke violent and apocalyptic visions of world? I think we all now... I usually play in the medium-low-medium-high difficulties, and conflict, even lethal conflict seems to be beneficial and often UN-avoidable and always an effective last resort solution, should your other victory conditions fail.
I actually had one game where I wanted a diplomatic win, and I achieved it by mass nuking everyone into obedience (civ4)

To illustrate my point, when I picked up civilization lately, my 1st idea was to make a video of my solution to current crises (caused by peak oil, china and india taking over the world and financial crisis).
well my video will include a scenario with all major china cities and lots of nukes...... there problem with china taking jobs and resources solved lol

 

[brxbrx]

we play games because they allow us to do things we can't do IRL.

we can negotiate and make friends in real life (if you can't. there's the sims!), and we use virtual reality for violence.

And Civ needs to offer more ways to win peacefully.

 

[cavilier210]

If you can't seperate fiction from reality, i think you have bigger issues than whether or not your prone to nuking Poland.

 

[forty2j]

If you can't seperate fiction from reality, i think you have bigger issues than whether or not your prone to nuking Poland.

This, this, 100% this.

I try to have as peaceful a game as possible when I play Civ.

I also try to tailor my game towards the Civ I'm playing.. so if I'm playing, say, France, I need to much sure I lose a bunch of wars.

 

[Maniacal]

If you can't seperate fiction from reality, i think you have bigger issues than whether or not your prone to nuking Poland.

Seconded. I think you may want to seek professional help if this worsens. I have played more and more violent video games over the last 7 years and I am increasingly more pacifist. The "studies" that link video games and violence are poorly done and generally bad studies, and there are a number of studies that show no link at all.

 

[need my speed]

We shouldn't forget that video games allow people to be 'violent' and all that, so that they won't do such things in real life. I never think about violence or something when playing violent games, so it's a stupid point anyway, but if people are inclined to believe these shady studies...

 

[Ataxerxes]

Even if there were a link, the link would be between realistic violence in media/computer games and behavior. The "violence" in Civ is too far removed from anything realistic in our lives to cause any concerns. There was hand-wringing at one time over the violence in Tom and Jerry and Warner Brothers cartoons, which is also far removed from anything realistic.

If this was an issue, I can think of dozens of games where I'd be more concerned. Although I would like to see more peaceful options in the game, but that's because of builder tendencies.

 

[mrdoe]

Watching one virtual infantry unit kill another is not in any way conducive to real world violence. Real world violence requires a lot more malevolent motivation than deleting some pixels, especially when the pixels look like a cartoon.
We all have those moments where we go like "wouldn't it be cool to be Stalin or something" and Civ lets us do that without being a dick to others in the real world.

 

[Nicol.Bolas]

i think everyone here needs to calmly count to 5 and take a deep breath.

and remeber: violence solves only the simplest problems, you need to nuke your way through the though ones.

 

[Reginleif]

Can't violent video games serve as a crutch or relief for emotions, the same way violent pornography does for sadists? Instead of blowing up those American devils in rl, you can create your jihadist civilization and nuke New York or Houstan and release your anti-american anger that way.

Also it should be noted that there is no relationship between violent video games and mass shootings of any sort. The only commonalities between mass shooters were depressed and being all male. Also, in general all societies are becoming less violent as they progress even with the rise of violent video games.

P.S. I should also point out that most violent video games are really bad (GTA IV, Modern Warfare, Fallout).

 

[need my speed]

That's just how companies work these days, crank out another game, and another one, add this and that, make a graphic here nicer, remove this to use in another expansion pack, bam, $70! Oh, don't forget the preorder editon for $120, which comes with a manual!

 

[wilebill]

The Civ series will support whatever approach you bring to it. But the theme is based on the historical development of civilization which as a process has been horribly violent. That being said, Civ is only a game; based on reality but leaving out the really gruesome bits.

Far more of a shock is reading about how we got from the stone age to where we are now. Watch television news, study daily events and current history on the web for even more depression.

IMHO, there are video games out there that could bring out violent tendencies in unbalanced individuals. Civ does not seem to me to be one of them.

Of course, people have gone quite mad playing chess!

 

[Reginleif]

That's just how companies work these days, crank out another game, and another one, add this and that, make a graphic here nicer, remove this to use in another expansion pack, bam, $70! Oh, don't forget the preorder editon for $120, which comes with a manual!

Buy Nintendo games, my personnal God has never let me down.

 

[Bibor]

Reading the civilopedia in CIV5 makes me violent. If that counts. Otherwise no.

 

[Pouakai]

Civilization may well bring out the violent side of me if I keep reading the civ 5 hate in every other topic of this forum

 

[Ivan Groznyi]

Civilization can hardly be said to promote violence, it doesn't reward war any more than peace. I, for one, usually play Civilization pacifistically.

 

[Thormodr]

Does Magic the Gathering bring out violent tendencies Nicol Bolas?

The only thing in Civilization that might possibly bring out violent tendencies is how shockingly bad Civilization 5: Nothing but the Sword is.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

I would say it allows you to think of world events in violent ways, but merely thinking of them that way is fine... As long as the full consequences of those violent policies is considered in real life before you run for office.

 

[El_Machinae]

I know what you mean. What it does is arrange civilizational problems in a way such that 'clever application of violence' is an alternative. So, we often consider letting the tanks roll if we want to change the nature of a specific city or sway the thinking of a specific government.

Part of the problem is defining 'victory'. There's no victory in the real world, there's only stages that either progress or regress. We only have temporary victories. There's no endgame, other than losing what you hold dear.

 

[Bibor]

Part of the problem is defining 'victory'. There's no victory in the real world, there's only stages that either progress or regress. We only have temporary victories. There's no endgame, other than losing what you hold dear.

Humanity as a whole learned that it's better to enslave than to exterminate.

It's usually "the new form of enslavement" that leads to progress, while the "painful death of the old slavery system" leads to regress.

Extermination is still an option (and so is "true victory"), but we seldom use it anymore. Not profitable.