Sociopath Dovahkiin

[NormannTheDoorman]

I can't help but notice that in almost every free-roam game players tend to turn into sociopaths (ASPD, whatever the DSM name is).

You are told not to steal from the students at the College of Winterhold. You still do with no feelings of remorse. Because you need those soul gems.

Sacrifice a follower to Boethiah. You don't care about the follower on a personal level but care about loosing a useful follower.

This is more of a conversation starter than anything else. Curious as to whether or not you noticed something similar.

 

[Cognisant]

NPCs in Skyrim give a very poor impression of being people, they're a part of the scenery like animatronic puppets around a theme park ride, you're engagement with them is minimal, one dimensional and usually very linear so it's not surprising that we subconsciously see through the illusion and lose our sense of empathy.

That and wiping out entire camps of bandits tends to put the value of human life in a certain perspective, specifically how many empty black soul gems you have on hand.

Fable did a better job of it (though not by much) and I remember being really upset when the little sister was being attacked in Bioshock, although after the first one died I was more upset by the obstruction to my progress than anything else. I suppose if you want the player to treat NPCs like people then you're got to give them time to get attached, in Halo 3 rescuing Cortana from the Gravemind was special because she had been the the strategic voice in my ear for the two previous games and I wanted that back.

In "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines" the chick you find in the hospital is pretty much the only true friend you have, whereas everyone else wants something from you she just wants you, and maybe you treat her well or maybe you don't but in any case...

Spoiler

When later in the game she's killed in front of you by your enemies it's a shocking moment because you were so sure she would be safe, she was your secret, the smile you came home to, in the bleak dark depressing world of vampires she was your last ray of sunshine and losing her completes your metamorphoses into a monster, there's no home for you now, just the ecstasy of blood.

 

[SpaceYeti]

In Skyrim, you can steal from people by placing a basket over their head and then grabbing their stuff while they can't see you because they don't remove the basket... but only if you're sneaking!

In Skyrim, when you just shot a dude in the head with an arrow and he didn't die, but you sneak off far enough that they don't find you when they search, after about twenty seconds they say "I must be hearing things." even though the arrow is still lodged in their skull.

In Skyrim, you can make a potion that heals your physical health AND poisons you, and because you're so good at it shopkeepers are willing to pay more money than they have or can ever have without you giving it to them (by buying stuff from them) for it.

In stock, that merchant has a healing potion without the poison which, after counting the damage from your poison-potion, heals more than your potion, and they're only charging a few hundred for it instead of a few thousand.

In Skyrim, you can get a follower that does anything and everything you tell them to... and when you marry someone, they decide that the fate of the world, or at least whatever they were doing before they got married, isn't really that important, they'll just hang out at home and cook for you and give you money.

Skyrim does not provide realistic NPCs for you to empathize with.

Frankly, I consider the silly crap you can do to be half of the charm.

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

Frankly, I consider the silly crap you can do to be half of the charm.

I will agree that they are pretty stale. Get an Essential NPC mod and cast frenzy into a crowd. Hilarity ensues.

 

[ActiveMind]

Definitely don't like the lack of locational damage. You ever take a bolt or arrow to the head, you're done. Hate that NPCs actually seem less interactive and less realistic as newer games come out.

I actually don't steal stuff if it says steal in red, unless it's one of those Jazzbay grapes. Damn things are near impossible to find!!!!

I also played and finished Vampire: The Masquerade multiple times. A truly underrated game which had it all, humor, horror, werewovles, twins, and best of all, great character development, even with the limitations the game had. As for the girl you find in the hospital...
[spoil]You can actually send her away before they end up killing her. Either choice sucked, but at least you get the satisfaction of knowing you saved the life of someone you actually grew to care about.[/spoil]

 

[Jennywocky]

In SWTOR, I always send my companions in to take aggro. They typically tank better than me, and if they die, combat doesn't end (whereas if I die, it does); I suppose I'd be more fair about it if they could keep fighting after I died. I don't know many times Kira or Jaesa gets taken down about a second before I finish off the boss; I feel marginal guilt, but it doesn't affect them in any enduring way (aside from the digital trauma of dying endlessly in pointless battles). I do keep their gear high -- but only that they live long enough to keep me alive.

Gameplay slows down tremendously, though, when you direct your companion to leap into battle and they turn and look at you and say, "Yeah, what have you been smoking?" and demand a pay raise right there in the field.

I also slaughter sprites just for standing around with their treasure.

 

[Fukyo]

Look up online disinhibition effect.

Depersonalization, lack of accountability (due to lack of serious repercussion (social and otherwise) online does that.

 

[Cognisant]

Gameplay slows down tremendously, though, when you direct your companion to leap into battle and they turn and look at you and say, "Yeah, what have you been smoking?" and demand a pay raise right there in the field.

Lol what realistic AI.

I was having a chat about something like this recently, doing world building for a story and we came upon the idea of bodyguards being replaced by robots because they went on strike for better conditions & pay, sure enough as the robots get smarter there comes a point where tactical acumen equates to self interest and they go on strike too, which just goes to show there's nothing new under the sun, also that there's a good reason why guards are reliably unintelligent.