{"id":180167,"date":"2022-05-21T11:18:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T15:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/?p=180167"},"modified":"2022-05-21T11:19:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T15:19:02","slug":"video-games-numb-guilt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armchairarcade.com\/perspectives\/2022\/05\/21\/video-games-numb-guilt\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Video Games Numb Our Feelings Of Guilt?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The article is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For as long as video games have been around, some groups have felt that they are a danger to society. For example, it has been a long-lasting misconception that violent video games breed violence in real life. But is this really true? Do our actions in games really shape our emotions and actions in real life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way that researchers test this theory is by measuring and analyzing the amount of guilt that gamers experience when playing violent games. Some people may believe that if video games reduce guilt, then this will lead to more acts of hostility and violence and less empathy and compassion. But so far, this is not necessarily the case. Read on to learn about the complex relationship between guilt and video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Why Do We Feel Guilt?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Guilt<\/a> is the emotion that acts as our moral compass. It is a feeling of sadness or remorse that is triggered by conducting actions and behaviors that go against our values. When we experience it, we realize that we have done something wrong or inadvertently harmed others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When utilized healthily, guilt can help us become better people and prevent us from making the same mistakes again. This is why some people feel that video games may be harmful. They believe that if someone doesn’t feel guilty while committing crimes in a video game, they won’t feel guilt in real life either. But this is not necessarily the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The Connection Between Guilt And Video Games<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recently video games have evolved to tell complex narratives and address gray areas of morality. Yes, some games are violent and allow gamers to conduct actions that are illegal or harmful in real life, but not all games are like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, one genre that has exploded in recent decades is decision-based games. The stories of these games revolve around the gamers’ decisions<\/a>, with the plot changing slightly depending on the gamer’s choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These decisions usually revolve around some moral dilemma and therefore don’t always have clear-cut choices that are right or wrong. The consequences of these decisions are also not clear, so a choice that may seem positive may end up with a negative result. These games are designed to make gamers think deeply about their values and choose appropriately. In theory, a choice that leads to a negative result is supposed to make the gamer feel guilty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding how developers create games to both present fantasies and create moral dilemmas, researchers set out to see if gamers truly felt more or less guilt than people who don’t play video games. Though there is no conclusive evidence just yet, so far, studies<\/a> suggest that gamers lose their sense of guilt the more they play video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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