Too Real?

[wat7443]

Was playing Elephant, when i heard a gunshot, a scream, then the usual "civilian killed" pop up on my screen, and it made me feel like ♥♥♥♥ in a sort of way, now this got me to thinking,
is the game really too realistic? Why do we feel the need to put such grisly themes and topics in out media? If entertainment was made to escape reality (because reality is horrifying), then why do we feel the need to portray real things in our media? Please share your thoughts below.

[Zaeld]

maybe it's just me, but I don't portray video game characters as real life human beings that i get bothered by this stuff, so i just play the game like it's any other game. It could also just be that I've put 750+ hours into this game, and many other dark games in the past, that I've seen enough in these kind of games that it doesn't bother me, but again, for the most part, It's just a game to me. I think stuff like this feels more real in movies than it does in video games because at least in movies they have real humans acting, where's in video games, it's just NPCs, so I don't find it the same.

[Major Fret]

I disagree. There is absolutely a time for escapism, but media can be so much more than that. It can give you new perspectives and insights into the world around you.

I appreciate RoN's attempts to portray darker issues, even if at times it is incredibly hamfisted. So many of these tactical games just devolve into circle jerk sessions to military autists about killing tangos and Delta Team 6 kit. RoN and it's predecessor SWAT 4 explore the realities of dealing with violence and having to intervene during the worst day of someone's life.

How many people called the Uvalde cops cowards? RoN is the closest we have to putting the average person under anything close to that situation (granted it was done better in Early Access but VOID seemingly hates capitalizing on their good ideas). I would still stand by calling those officers cowards, but RoN gives the player at least some appreciation of the pressure one might go through when dealing with an active killer and how mistakes can be made during those situations.

I'd also argue the active shooter level was really poorly done. What made it so compelling in Early Access is you only had one or two gunmen but they could wreak havoc. No matter what you did, it was never possible to avoid casualties without at least a bit of luck. Now we have four suspects armed with military grade weapons taking a 1-2 minute smoko to be fair to the SWAT team, a bomb threat that makes the level drag, and this stupid ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ S rank requirement because people in early access got their feelings hurt that the game didn't coddle them and tell them they're a heckin' cool pro gamer.

[Selena Ulvehyl]

Every person has their own preferred escape from reality. Some want their media to not contain any form of violence at all. There is such a vast library of games available to choose from.

I don't really care about what's happening in a map. I appreciate the variety of circumstance, but every suspect and civilian I encounter in the game is just an NPC, and I treat them all according to my own goals and my RoE directives.

[Fuzzleberry]

If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen because these devs are cooking. As much as I would love a cartoony version with magic and silly weapons, it wouldn't be the same game. The realism/dark tone is a strength of this game and swat 4, you're going in to messed up situations and dealing with messed up people and the game at no point hides this and warn you beforehand.

Yeah the game would be good with a lighter tone but the feeling of needing to stop this, of bringing in evil people, of saving lives would be lessened or lost as would the sense of achievement at the end. No you don't need realism for those things but for a game like this, it helps.

So if this game is getting to you, take a break or just stop playing all together because games are meant to be fun and if this one's becoming negative for you, Maybe go play something else? No game is made for everyone after all.

[Jonboy]

Simple. Then don't play it.

[AlanDawn]

Originally posted by Major Fret:

I disagree. There is absolutely a time for escapism, but media can be so much more than that. It can give you new perspectives and insights into the world around you.

I appreciate RoN's attempts to portray darker issues, even if at times it is incredibly hamfisted. So many of these tactical games just devolve into circle jerk sessions to military autists about killing tangos and Delta Team 6 kit. RoN and it's predecessor SWAT 4 explore the realities of dealing with violence and having to intervene during the worst day of someone's life.

How many people called the Uvalde cops cowards? RoN is the closest we have to putting the average person under anything close to that situation (granted it was done better in Early Access but VOID seemingly hates capitalizing on their good ideas). I would still stand by calling those officers cowards, but RoN gives the player at least some appreciation of the pressure one might go through when dealing with an active killer and how mistakes can be made during those situations.

I'd also argue the active shooter level was really poorly done. What made it so compelling in Early Access is you only had one or two gunmen but they could wreak havoc. No matter what you did, it was never possible to avoid casualties without at least a bit of luck. Now we have four suspects armed with military grade weapons taking a 1-2 minute smoko to be fair to the SWAT team, a bomb threat that makes the level drag, and this stupid ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ S rank requirement because people in early access got their feelings hurt that the game didn't coddle them and tell them they're a heckin' cool pro gamer.

The Uvalde cops ARE cowards, and they should never be allowed to forget how they arrested parents for trying to save their children, while they refused to either advance on the active shooter or attempt to rescue injured children. They stood by and allowed the shooter free reign to murder 21 people and injure 17 more. In the end they didn't even stop him, the US Border Patrol breached the classroom and took him down.

One officer ordered a young preteen girl to shout out to the officers for help. She did, and the officers did not help her. The shooter heard her calling for help, and killed her.

Pedro Arredondo, the incident commander who completely abandoned active shooter protocols, and his buddy Adrian Gonzales, and the rest of them are lucky the parents of the children they let die have allowed them to continue to walk the earth safely.

[FMJ]

If you don't like it, that's perfectly fine. Stop playing the game. Why do you feel the need to impose your emotions on the rest of us?

[UnobtainableAF]

no you want real emmersive play and stalk your prey play hitmanvr this is a swat sim but nowhere as emmersive as hitmanvr that game is twisted lol

[Badstormer]

Respectfully, OP, the game makes no effort to hide the disturbing content in it on the store page, and the content itself - the realistic portrayal of what you sometimes get the pleasure of experiencing in a SWAT team - is practically a selling point. There aren't many people here who are going to agree that it's 'too realistic' since it's what they signed up to see. The store page also advises people specifically to not purchase the game if they take any issue with this.

The idea that RoN is too disturbing would be more agreeable if the game attempted to hide what it contained when you purchase it, but it doesn't.

[StrangeAK47]

NO.

[LXT]

In the end, the fact it's just a video game is undeniable.

The "grisly themes and topics in out media" is the core of this game. That's what players get hooked into this game. That's what makes it stand out.

If you feel very bad about yourself not being able to save civilians, that means you're a human being. I also go through the same process, even if the game isn't realistic or portray any real life incidents.

People have their own standards of escaping reality.

Leaves me wondering, this game is known to portray "realism" content, but you still bought this game to escape your "reality" Why? Did you at least try looking at some clips of this game?

[wat7443]

Originally posted by LXT:

In the end, the fact it's just a video game is undeniable.

The "grisly themes and topics in out media" is the core of this game. That's what players get hooked into this game. That's what makes it stand out.

If you feel very bad about yourself not being able to save civilians, that means you're a human being. I also go through the same process, even if the game isn't realistic or portray any real life incidents.

People have their own standards of escaping reality.

Leaves me wondering, this game is known to portray "realism" content, but you still bought this game to escape your "reality" Why? Did you at least try looking at some clips of this game?

I knew what i was getting myself into when i bought this game, don't mistake that, it was just a question i had.

[DuckieMcduck]

Considering Valley of the Dolls has a literal mass grave in the basement with dead, melted children inside oil drums, I think Elephant is pretty tame.

Like others said, I believe it was toned down a lot. I believe the original concept was with kids; either a middle school or a high school, now it's a college with adults.

[Javelea]

"Given the graphic nature of the game and the gritty realism it portrays, the game is for mature audiences. We will also strongly recommend that people who have experienced personal traumatic events from criminal violence, hostage situations or terrorism refrain from playing. At its core, the game honors the work of dedicated law enforcement officers across the world and in no way intends on glorifying cowardly criminal acts."

[Abacus]

You're saying that at Elephant? lol

It was pretty disturbing from earlier then that, to the point when It clicked what was occurring. I was at the house with that underground tunnel looking into it.

My stomach legit started turning, never had such a physical reaction like that.

This is actually a horror game. Hell, the police office reminds me of RE. The cold ambiance as you prepare to fight literal monsters.