Finding the right balance between "killing" and "slaughtering" is not easy.
It's more accurate to say it's extremely difficult.
The pure violence and aesthetics of films like " Hotline Miami " can really cause big problems if the boundaries aren't properly managed.
Especially considering Gamenova's current influence in the industry.
It goes without saying that the ESRB should explicitly state an R17+ age limit; this is something that must be clearly stated before the product is even listed.
Lin Lixin had actually cleverly concealed many of the preventative measures behind the game.
gamenova, in the guest room.
Today, the development department welcomed a rather interesting person... or rather, a scholar.
He is not a business tycoon, nor is he a big shot in the video game or other entertainment fields.
But what he had in his head had very important theoretical value for video games.
This knowledge is invaluable experience that cannot be acquired simply through stacking attribute skills. "Mr. Bandura, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"I wouldn't dare. I never imagined I'd one day be able to come to the legendary headquarters of Gamenova and witness the birth of a miracle."
Albert Bandura waved his hand, flattered, glancing around the room and lingering for a long time at the posters and merchandise of video games.
Albert Bandura, a renowned United States psychologist, has received numerous awards, each of which is highly prestigious.
[ California Psychology Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award], [President of the United States Psychological Association ], [Chair of the Department of Psychology at Stanford University ], [Father of Cognitive Theory], [Fellow of the United States Academy of Arts and Sciences ]...
This is a highly respected figure in the field of psychology, and like Skinner, he is one of the leading representatives of the neobehaviorist school.
However, unlike Skinner's research on addiction, Bandura's research direction was quite different.
"I wonder if Mr. Bandura has played our new game, Hotline Miami?"
"That's natural; it overlaps a lot with my research area."
Albert Bandura nodded.
When he received Lin Lixin's invitation, he already had a general idea of what they would be discussing at the meeting.
And in fact, this statement is not just polite talk. " Hotline Miami " does indeed have considerable educational value.
"I've always been very interested in the application of behavioral psychology in video games. In fact, I should have invited you, and Mr. Skinner, to discuss this matter much sooner."
"It's clear... Mr. Lin's thinking has many similarities with Skinner's."
Bandura nodded knowingly.
Although he was a Hertzsprung, he had many ideological contradictions and conflicts with Skinner.
However, since they both belong to the neobehavioral school, he wouldn't necessarily have any grudge against them.
Lin Lixin chuckled, adopting a humble and receptive demeanor, and began to speak:
So, what do you think of our performance this time?
"To be honest... I can't give a definitive answer, because it's truly a masterpiece of violent aesthetics."
Bandura did not answer directly; he earnestly recalled the details of " Hotline Miami ".
This is indeed a very bloody and violent R-rated work, and this fact cannot be denied or reversed no matter what.
"But... if we look at it purely from the perspective of moral evasion theory... it's done perfectly." Bandura knew perfectly well why Mr. Lin Lixin had brought up video games with him.
Because both social cognitive theory and the moral evasion mechanism were created and proposed by him.
If you're looking for a psychological theory applicable to video games, he's definitely one of the best choices in the industry.
"I noticed that when you designed '50 Blessings,' you deliberately depicted their style as cold-blooded and violent, and made their so-called 'salvation' purpose somewhat ambiguous."
He made a quotation mark gesture with his hand, as if mocking the main theme of salvation.
Although the game's plot is so easily skipped by players who get hooked that they might finish the game without ever knowing what happened.
But for the sake of research, Bandura still played the entire match seriously.
Although 50 Blessings is nominally a savior organization, in essence, it is more like a radical group, and intuitively, it doesn't inspire any reassuring sense of "justice."
Logically speaking, an organization should be a place where people feel a sense of identity and belonging, and it should be a name that makes people feel at ease as soon as it appears.
But in this game, it's not like that at all.
The organization might even send assassins to kill the protagonist just because he rescued and took in a poor girl!
"Yes, because I saw Mr. Bandura say that players shouldn't be given room for moral justification." If the act of violence itself is cloaked in a veneer of justice, then the player will subconsciously change their view of the whole thing, and may even actively defend and excuse their own violence.
"Hmm... you didn't use any euphemisms either, you simply and directly wrote about the killing in the text."
Bandura continued.
This is also part of the moral evasion mechanism he proposed.
The so-called euphemism is a seemingly harmless but extremely dangerous tactic that often appears in video games.
In other words, it uses neutral expressions to veneer violent acts.
Instead of saying "kill the enemy" or "wipe out the enemy," they say "eliminate the objective" or "clear the area"...
This is a very typical self-deception strategy.
"Compared to titles like Wolfenstein 3D and Quake, it's much milder."
At this point, Bandura couldn't help but laugh.
Although Gamenova has always touted itself as a wholesome and refreshing brand, if you really take a look back, they've actually come up with quite a few outrageous things.
"It has a different focus; it has its own narrative core, and it's not just pure killing. I originally considered applying the experience from the 'Quake' era, but then I realized it didn't seem very applicable because..." "Because the enemies are people, not monsters or aliens."
Bandura took the initiative to speak,
"That's good. Dehumanization is a kind of moral detachment mechanism. The corpses have details of death and are not refreshed over time; these are all deliberately designed to avoid triggering moral detachment."
According to Bandura's own theory, the mechanism of moral deviance consists of eight parts.
Moral justification can lead players to actively defend their violence with higher moral motives;
Euphemisms are used to downplay the nature of violence;
A favorable comparison is to make the protagonist appear more docile than the enemy, thereby avoiding confronting their own actions.
Shifting responsibility involves deflecting blame onto the superior who issued the order.
Delegation of responsibility is the act of shifting blame onto teammates who are acting together.
Distorted consequences, dehumanization, blame-attribution...
When a game deliberately implements all of this, players will not only not feel uncomfortable with the violence, but will also get used to it.
But Hotline Miami... it does exactly the opposite, with almost every line operating in the opposite direction. Its underlying design philosophy is completely different from Doom.
It actively forces players to confront moral pressure, becoming the last shackle before violence is promoted.
As for whether it's actually useful...
Frankly speaking, Lin Lixin really couldn't guarantee it.
Human nature is the most difficult thing to manipulate, and using these dogmatic methodologies is, in a sense, a form of excuse.
Violence and the aesthetics of violence are two different things.
When violence itself provides only pleasure without any aesthetic experience, it is a failed work.
To put it bluntly, it might even be an antisocial work.
That would truly be an alkyl octanitrogen.
If he still wants to wait until the future to release sequels to Mortal Kombat and Doom, then he must take this development seriously.
In the original timeline, it was Mortal Kombat and Doom, the two pioneers of violent aesthetics, that gave rise to the ESRB rating association.
Lin Lixin's prescient creation of ESRB, ironically, somewhat forced progress and disrupted the process of learning about the aesthetics of violence. Now, with the production of " Hotline Miami," he's made up for all the lessons he missed.
In an era where game genres are still somewhat limited, perhaps due to the underdeveloped graphics technology, few people truly explore violence in interactive electronic entertainment.
But it's something we can't avoid.
Even if they manage to avoid it this time, they will still encounter the same problem next time.
Only by truly solving this problem can Gamenova create games that truly offer depth and substance.
Whether it's preventing a potential " Columbine Incident " in the future or ensuring that their own game doesn't become a scapegoat, this is absolutely necessary.
When the perpetrator of the Columbine School Shooting was found to have played Doom and created Doom mods, he was almost immediately sent to idSoftware.
Until the early 2000s, the public still regarded Doom as some kind of so-called "killer training simulator".
The gun culture hidden behind this shield has been selectively ignored.
"Okay, anyway, thank you so much for coming."
"Yes, that's me. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything! I've always been interested in interactive entertainment." "I will, of course."
Lin Lixin took the initiative to shake hands with Bandura.
So... Gamenova really needs a professional psychologist, even if it's just as an unofficial consultant, that would be ideal.
"However, to be honest... there's another matter I wanted to discuss with you today."
Lin Lixin scratched his head.
"We... to be precise, a subsidiary studio under Gamenova, are currently planning a new product."
Noticing the confusion on Bandura's face, Lin Lixin continued to explain:
"Oh, this time it's not a violence-related issue, but it is indeed a behavioral psychology issue."
Lin Lixin thought for a moment and took out a blank proposal with only a single line of title.
There was a strange word written on it.
"Dia... blo, is that... Spain? A demon?"
"Yes, in fact, I originally planned to meet with Mr. Skinner, but as you know, the old man is quite old now and it's really not convenient for him to move around." The importance of this work is beyond doubt.
Without it, there would be no flourishing of diverse casual games, nor would there be that Legend that has dominated the gaming industry of this mysterious Eastern nation to this day...
Yes, it's the literal meaning of " Legend ".
Diablo, also known as The Diablo.