The Innocent Bystander: Why We Love to Terrorize Them

The innocent bystander has become a mainstay of today’s video games. These innocent characters have become an added dimension to games, allowing players to interact with these bystanders. The real enjoyment of this added element for some reason comes not from protecting or helping these bystanders, but instead from eliciting as much pain and damage as possible on these poor innocent characters. What drives gamers to unleash such fury on computer-generated characters that mean no harm and would be perfectly content to wander about enjoying their pointless little lives?

These innocent bystanders can be found in most RPGs and other free-roaming quest or mission based games, such as the Grand Theft Auto franchise and Assassin’s Creed. These people add a level of detail to games, populating cities and villages, providing gamers a more realistic and interactive landscape, in which to move their character around the screen, completing various missions and quests. They mean no harm as they move about their day; running errands and doing God knows what else.

These innocent bystanders provide more than just aesthetics to a game, as these random people populating the screen can provide their own enjoyment, it’s just a matter of how the player decides to interact with these characters. Unfortunately, for the innocent bystanders, gamers have taken it upon themselves to harass and violently abuse these people.

These Guys are Just Asking for a Well-Placed Grenade

Even worse for these characters, when other bystanders engage another character in fisticuffs or attempts to pry a purse away from a little old grandmother, players will often stand idly by watching the incident unfold. If that wasn’t enough, gamers often guide their hero to help the assaulter, instead of protecting that little old lady who’s just trying to buy some milk. What drives people to do this (myself included)? Why is it so much fun to light a businessperson on fire, watching with glee as he runs around engulfed in flames until he finally perishes?

The answer to this question lies in the idea that video games provide people with an escape from reality. Now I’m not saying video game players have an inner desire to gun down innocent bystanders, but rather these games provide people with a world where they can behave in a manner that is not socially acceptable.

Isn’t the reason video games are so successful and enjoyable is because they provide a world where anything is possible, whether you’re flying through the air or gunning down the mailman? Isn’t the enjoyment of these games the idea that for a few hours you’re escaping the stress and worries of everyday life? And let’s face it, if you’re looking to escape everyday life, you’re not going to find enjoyment in protecting these bystanders, but rather by throwing grenades at them and watching as they flee in terror.

Look At The Potential

If I wanted to walk around and ignore innocent bystanders then I’d go for a walk outside. It’s something I experience the majority of my day, actually the majority of my life. What would be the point of playing a game in which I acted as I do every day?

Lastly, as wrong as this may sound, who hasn’t meet some asshole on the street and for a fleeting second had unthinkable images flash through their mind? It’s human nature, and these games can provide safe means to let loose the frustration felt from having to interact with so many idiots on a daily basis. What better way to release some frustration or to enact on those thoughts you had earlier? And please don’t give me the flawed argument that violent games lead to violent behavior; sane people do not carry release their anger by lighting others on fire, hence the outlet video games can provide.

So go ahead, load that digital shotgun and stroll down that digital street, and take aim at as many digital people as you can, it’s enjoyable and a great way to relieve stress from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Like that innocent bystander who just cut you off on the commute home…