Do Video Games Ever Make People Want to Be Their Character?

I do like games myself, though I tend to stick to older ones because I have older game systems (and I'm kind of old.) I like to play the Diablo series, Half-Life, World of Warcraft, Age of Empires, the Thief series, Tomb Raider, Silent Hill, Resident Evil and even some text-based MUD's. I've played games for a long time, and there are times that I get so involved that it probably is unhealthy and there are other times that I personally think they help me work out some repressed irritation or anger and do me some real good. Sometimes when I've had a terrible day, there is nothing like a nice killing spree in a virtual world.

While some of my favorite games are kind of virtual worlds, particularly World of Warcraft and the MUD games, I haven't personally been as involved in the Sims games or online virtual worlds like Second Life. I do sometimes feel quite inspired by the characters in my games. Some days I would truly love to be Lara Croft. On the other hand, though I liked playing Hitman 1 and 2, I can honestly say that I've never wished to be in that world for real. I'd be absolutely terrified to be in those situations and I truly don't want to do those things in real life. I'm not terribly squeamish either, but I don't fancy seeing blood splatter on a daily basis. As to the Sims-type games and virtual worlds, when I have played them I tend to create characters that I kind of want to be. I like to create characters with a look that I find attractive. I enjoy making my characters healthy and a little buffed out. I like them to be sort of spiritual looking in the games where that's workable. I like that kind of "hippie-yogi-monk" facial expression. Even so, if I could really trade my own life for those lives, would I do it? I think I'd like the option to have some of those traits so easily. I don't much think I want to live in those worlds, though.

My curiosity is, then, do those who really get into games end up wanting to really be those characters? I think it's an entirely different issue and psychology when talking about the slasher games, so while I'd be interested to know what some folks would say about that it isn't the main thing I wonder. It's the games like Second Life and Sims and the social part of World of Warcraft and similar games that most interest me. Do other people create their characters to be like they already are? Or, like me, do they kind of create the type of characters that they might wish to look like and be like in certain ways. Then again, perhaps many people do create the Hyde to their Jekyll and go all out with an opposite. Maybe they get sick of being a Pollyanna at work, so they create an evil witch to be in the game. Or, maybe they are kind of witchy in real life so they create a sweet or spiritual character.

I find it interested as well that the internet has given us such an alternate world in so many ways. You don't have to play games to participate. You can re-create yourself in chat rooms, sites just like the one that you are reading this article on, blogs, bulletin boards and so on. Do you really know who someone is because you see their website, read their blog, or email back and forth with them? If you play an online game with someone for a long time (which is quite possible,) even years - what can you truly learn about who they really are even from their gaming actions? I don't have the answers to these questions though from my own participations I have some guesses. I think that there is no real answer. i think that many people enjoy some bits and pieces of all of the above. They 'play' multiple roles in their online lives. Some of those roles are quite realistic. I think some people blog or write about their real experiences. I do this myself a great deal and it helps me learn about myself. But, those same people probably also play games with characters that are nothing like themselves and perhaps nothing like they would even want to be. So, for whatever it is worth perhaps these is something to think about as you go about your own virtual lives.