With the PS3 nearly here and promising a much more realistic looking games that the PS2, I wanted to know your views on what happens when games start looking real ?

I am not one of those people that believes that people who play violent games want to go out and kill people, but I am confused over whether killing people that look real in games is a good thing.

At low resolutions the PS3 has the power to produce games that look like movies, so people will look like real people.

How do you feel about this ?

Well first off, I, like you, do not believe any of this rubbish about people going on killing sprees because they played GTA: San Anreas 24/7 and whatnot.
Anyway, in regards to games looking TOO real. I personally welcome it. I can't wait to play my Final Fantasy XIII with graphics that makes the characters look as real as you or me. The way they have managed to blend the CGI movies and the actual gameplay together is amazing. I want to feel apart of a game as brilliant as that is.
OK, maybe Rockstar may have to think twice about giving THAT MUCH detail to their GTA series. But, knowing Rockstar, they won't give a s*** and so they'll make Samuel L J the lead character alongside Bruce Willis in a GTA version of Die Hard with a Vengeance (er it WAS Sam L J in Die Hard 4 wasn't it? ).
Anyway, what I'm getting at is realism in games, as if you're playing and controller a movie, will be brilliant.

Now Virtual Reality is a whole different keddle of fish

yeah I agree that in most games the more real the graphics the better, but I was thinking only about games where you are killing people in a non-fantasy way.

If its marines killing aliens, then fine, but if its your average Joe hacking off someones head with a carving knife at what point does it become the same as a 'video nasty' ?

There is a significant difference between video violence, gaming violence and
real violence in that that most people are aware whether or not they are actually experiencing the violence.

Small children, up to 3-4 years, have no distinction between real and imaginary but as they grow older that ability develops. Young teens usually have a hard time rationalizing after having seen a scary movie or witnessed something in real life that scared them. When it comes to games however, the destinction between real and imaginary is much clearer for some reason. (This is my personal opinion, but I also remember watching an interview with a woman who had published a thesis on the subject).

The ability to understand that it is a game you are interacting with makes the expeience less "harmful". In all it is odd that the only aspect of game influences are so fixed with the violent parts, as if that was the only thing part from real life actions that is featured in a game. As an example, I play alot of football on the PS2 but never once have I gotten into my head that it would be possible for me to do a bicycletas or a Marseille roulette move. Neither have I at any time during a long period of THPS gaming gone out and bought a skate board so that I can grind up and down the local gymnasium. And I didn't walk around clapping my mouth looking for crackers pills and ghosts to eat in my youth.

I don't think that the level of realism has much to do with the whole inspiration thing either. Or, on second thought, a higher level of realism might actually trigger some common sense an render the gamer less entustiastic about slaying or carring out different actions that a normal sence of right and wrong stops you from doing in real life.

I get what you mean now Jim. But look at it this way. How many games are truly just based around going and killing people?
There's Hitman and there was that Manhunt.
Let's take the Hitman series first. These games are done in the way of an actual Hitman. However, they also have a sense of humor to them as well. For example, I haven't played it but, the last Hitman at one point apparently gives you the option of killing someone while wearing a chicken suit. Don't know exactly how that works, but looking at it from a funny point of view it would be hilarious watching it happen because you're wearing a chicken suit. Even if it had the realism of Matt Damon on screen, for example, would it put people off because it was too real? Quite the contrary. Someone like Matt Damon, who is a brilliant actor in my oppinion, but look fantastic as the lead in a realistic Hitman game.

Anyway, next we take Manhunt. Now even I have to say that this game was rediculous. However, it didn't make me want to go and kill people while filming it (or just kill people in general). Now if a game like this was to made realistic, even I'd agree games companies had gone too far. However, the likelihood of something like that being made for the PS3 so it fully utilises the PS3's power, is unlikely to say the least. Even Rockstar would know that that would be going too far. That game was a one off.

I'll quickly mention the GTA series of games as well. Now these games are slated for their violence and whatnot. However, just because you can go and kill every single person you see, doesn't mean you have to. You could just do every linear mission and then never play the game again. What about the Taxi, Ambulance and Fire Engine missions? They don't involve violence. Quite the contrary in fact. Personally I can't wait to play GTA4 on the PS3. Not because I want to see how realistic it looks killing people, ok maybe a little, but just the general quality of the game.

Violence in video games, like in life, is always going to happen. It's not the game that are the problem, but the people who play them. What next? Someone kills someone, blames Buffy the Vampire Slayer stating "well they never went out through the day, they always slept through the day, always worked at night. I thought they were a vampire. I didn't know they worked on constant night shifts. I blame Buffy the Vampire Slayer...". I mean come on people. We'll end up watching reruns and remakes of The Sound Of Music and only play Spongebob games.
I just wish these busy bodies would get a life!

I disagree. The level of realism has nothing to do with the ability to rationalise. You will, provided you have not undergone massive frontal lobe lobotomy, always be able to make a distinction between real and imaginary as long as you are informed. That is why you can get scared but don't start beating up spook-actors in a ghosthouse at an amusement park for example. They are real, and they scare you, but thanks to rational thinking you are able to understand that the situation you are in is not real.

The same applies to videogames. You will be able to distinguish between real and game simply because you are able to think rationally. Rational thinking is also part in making sensible decissions as you are able to figure out what consequences your actions will have.
Come to think of it I once read about a study showing that violent criminals have a less developed frontal lobe (the place in the brain were your rationallity lives, I think). Might be that there is a connection there, ey.
The reason dreams are experienced as real while you are in them but totally ridiculous once you think about them awake is that during sleep those parts of the brain that employs rational thinking are disabled.

I don't know were I'm going with this, but can you see my point?

As the original question was "how do you feel about this" then right and wrong and in the ins and outs of human psychology don't really come into this.

Some people will be excited about the prospect of this level of realism, when it comes to horror, or adult themed games whereas others will be dreading it.

For me, movies are a 'passive' experience, videogames are an 'active' experience. Really good games suck me into the plot, to the point where you are trying to defeat an enemies forces in order to save the day. I quickly forget that its just me against computer AI.

Add online gaming to the mix and it really gets personal. Getting my head blown off 10 times in a row by a cowardly pre-teen sniper in Halo2 stirs up emotions that I never thought possible from a 'stupid' videogame.

I wonder how many young gamers have come off a session of Halo2 after getting seriously owned... and then mocked by other players and have gone downstairs and kicked the s**t out of their little brother to release a bit of tension ?

...or, on a lesser level just started a huge argument with someone else in the house ?

I can't remember when a movie made me anything other than happy, sad or scared.

I played Forza motor sport for months. We had a racing team and I had many scores on the world top100 scoreboards. I can think of over 20 occasions where other online gamers went completely psycho during a game... kids getting screamed at, things being thrown around the room, swearing, death threats, I even heard someone getting hit and screaming, because they walked in front of the TV and a guy lost a race.

All this is happening now on Xbox Live, with the old Xbox... could the fact that games will be even more realistic on PS3 mean that these instances will become more likely to happen ?

What does the high preformance graphics have to do with people being poor losers. I have gotten hit over the head with an atari joystick after having shot my brothers square/cowboy 10 times in a row and while sniggeringly giving him hints like "Try shooting at the direction of my guy next time".

I have also completely lost it when my mother pulled the powercord out when I was on my way to make a new record in Pole Position.

Those games had like 2 pixels per inch and still I got very involved in them and very upset when I lost. I don't think the level of engagement will be effected that much by advanced graphics. While in the game you will be in the game, while outside the game you will be yourself.

If you are a poor loser you will still take your frustration out on someone else whether you lose and get mocked in a totally realistic racing simulation were $1000 is first price or if you loose a game of rock, paper and scissors over the right to call yourself "King of the Kidergarden".

Prehaps better looking games will have a higher chance of mezmarizing gamers at a lower level of general game play. I still state that people are intelligent enough to distinguish between real life and a game.

I truly welcome all the realism technology can provide me. While on the other hand with games becoming more and more realistic I am more concerned about little Johnny playing them. Will Johnny be able to tell that it is just a game, I don't know every kid is different.

I think your wording is a little off there Kenny, excessively violent games should be reserved for those adults who have the mental capacity to distinguish reality from fantasy. No child or adult who does not have the mental capacity to distinguish fantasy from reality shouldn't be playing violent games. But what is the industry to do? Have a mandatory psychiatric evaluation when they want to buy or play a violent game?

When we were in Game yesterday - two kids asked Tiff to buy them GTA. They were only 11-12 so he said no (like the stand up citizen he is lol)
They then went on to ask a woman who bought the game for them.


Im interested to know mel, how you work out which customers that come into the shop are 'mentally stable' ebough for certain games? Those with an 'im with stupid T-shirt need not apply!?

True they did come up to me with cash in hand asking me to buy GTA:SA, they did look OK, clean skater type kids, but the BBFC system is there for a reason and it wasn't worth the hassle so I nicely said no. Then they asked a woman that would look like she would be there "mother" I stood around to see what the out come would be & the sales person asked "This is an 18 game. Is the content OK for your child?" What a F**kin idiot the guy was. He should have said that he couldn't sell the game knowing it would be played by underaged children but you know they don't really care as it's sales figures for them. I gave the guy a long "WTF have you just do