Is it OK to Torture an NPC

[The Hammer]

Is It Ok to Torment Non-Player Characters in Video Games?

Is it ok that we should sometimes torture NPCs in video games? Does it show is a mirror of our morality?

Are we but NPCs to the Gods above? Being used as pawns and playthings?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

A reflection of morality?
They're fake 1s amd 0s of digital information. Abuse, torture and kill to your heart's content.

 

[JustGeorge]

I 'unno. Back when I was a WoWer, I used to hit on one of the NPCs endlessly(he always rejected my advances). I don't see why not.

 

[VoidCat]

I 'unno. Back when I was a WoWer, I used to hit on one of the NPCs endlessly(he always rejected my advances). I don't see why not.

Aw pity he rejected your advances lol.

 

[JustGeorge]

Aw pity he rejected your advances lol.

I thought so, too... never got a response out of him.

 

[Stevicus]

Is It Ok to Torment Non-Player Characters in Video Games?

Is it ok that we should sometimes torture NPCs in video games? Does it show is a mirror of our morality?

Are we but NPCs to the Gods above? Being used as pawns and playthings?

I'm not sure. It seems that it would be roughly equivalent to cartoon violence, where "death" is never permanent and the character's "suffering" is seen as relatively brief and transitory.

Start a new game, and the same character who suffered in the last game is brand new, completely oblivious to what happened in the last game.

I guess one could ask the same question regarding games we get tired of, abandon, or delete from our computer.

 

[The Hammer]

A reflection of morality?
They're fake 1s amd 0s of digital information. Abuse, torture and kill to your heart's content.

What about AGI? Is that nothing but ones and zeroes?

Now it's speculative morality as they don't actually exist.

 

[The Hammer]

I'm not sure. It seems that it would be roughly equivalent to cartoon violence, where "death" is never permanent and the character's "suffering" is seen as relatively brief and transitory.

I don't see death as permanent, I believe in reincarnation. So isn't all our suffering transitory and brief?

 

[The Hammer]

I guess one could ask the same question regarding games we get tired of, abandon, or delete from our computer.

I think Wreck It Ralph took on this theme.

 

[Stevicus]

What about GAI? Is that nothing but ones and zeroes?

I had never heard of "GAI," so I did a search and found that GAI is a Chinese rapper: GAI (musician) - Wikipedia

I know nothing about Chinese rap music, but I'm assuming that he's not ones and zeroes.

 

[Stevicus]

I don't see death as permanent, I believe in reincarnation. So isn't all our suffering transitory and brief?

Not as transitory as Wile E. Coyote. He can fall from a thousand-foot cliff and then come back and be good as new 30 seconds later (and still be the same individual, same lifeform, same memories, etc.).

 

[Stevicus]

I think Wreck It Ralph took on this theme.

Haven't heard of that one.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

What about GAI? Is that nothing but ones and zeroes?

I don't know what Gai is. I assume something with artificial intelligence, but google shows some singer.

 

[The Hammer]

I had never heard of "GAI," so I did a search and found that GAI is a Chinese rapper: GAI (musician) - Wikipedia

I know nothing about Chinese rap music, but I'm assuming that he's not ones and zeroes.

I meant AGI, I am dyslexic apparently.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Not as transitory as Wile E. Coyote. He can fall from a thousand-foot cliff and then come back and be good as new 30 seconds later (and still be the same individual, same lifeform, same memories, etc.).

Or Family Guy. Brain has died many times, including two or three times in the same episode.

 

[The Hammer]

I don't know what Gai is. I assume something with artificial intelligence, but google shows some singer.

I fixed it. I don't type too good apparently lol. AGI

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I meant AGI, I am dyslexic apparently.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence

If we take a game like Fable, you can massacre town after town with no consequences or no bearing on morality.
But when it comes when it comes to systems that learn and have implications beyond a video game world it gets a bit more tricky. Like one research project that was ended early because humans taught the machine many of our worst aspects.

 

[Stevicus]

I meant AGI, I am dyslexic apparently.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence

By coincidence, I was just reading this other article about AI earlier today: AI Is No Match for the Quirks of Human Intelligence | The MIT Press Reader

 

[SomeRandom]

Or Family Guy. Brain has died many times, including two or three times in the same episode.

I’m suddenly reminded of the long running South Park joke
“Omg, they killed Kenny!! You ********!”

 

[Quagmire]

Since there's no actual pain involved, I don't see it as causing any harm.

On the other hand anyone who would want to might want to look at that and ask themselves what it says about them.