Game in the Brain

The Pacifism: Cannot Harm innocents Disadvantage is common through out all cultures. Innocents and Humanity is diffused by the lense of culture and moral perspective. A person, may love his child, his people and neighbors, but so easily see foreigners and those who are different as inhuman.

In the many times I’ve tried to work with those with contrary views, there is always those who seek to paint the opposition as inhuman. Regular people, capable of doing the very same good things become convinced that those different to them are not human and threatening them and their way of life.

When we see savagery in the news: witch doctors killing children, hate crimes, and religious intolerance you see the dehumanization of the victim into the targets envisioned threat. Children become Witches, a convenient scape goat for hardships and trouble. This act doesn’t mean the people who condone their authorities in practice this violence are inhuman in their compassion, it just that they were lead to believe the other side is not human.

I usually apply Pacifism: cannot harm innocents to most NPCs. NPCs who don’t have any such remorse for taking a life are psychopaths and my recent studies and readings continue to affirm this. That is why so many gamers like dehumanizing the evil in their games. I don’t like that, it paints such a simple picture in the fantasy that leads me to deduce they may want things to be that simple. That they find it acceptable to dehumanize people who offend them and not attempt to understand their perspective.

RPGs have become a way for me to learn more about the perspective in others. I may be a kill joy making sure others use it for such, but I don’t mind a sparse gaming table.