Confessions of a Killer

So, I was playing Sims, and well, I wanted a ghost, I mean, who doesnt, right? So, I lure one of my characters into a swimming pool, and I take out the ladder, so she cant get out of the pool. Well, it took about 4 "Sims" days for her to die, the whole time, I had to listen to her crying, and yelling, waving her hands for help. I felt horrible, I almost gave in and put the ladder back up, but, no, I really wanted to see a ghost. Ok, my question is, physiologically, should we feel bad for these characters, I mean they arent real. Or do I have a sick, serial killer mentality? Have you ever done anything mean to a virtual person? Did you feel bad? Oh, I wont lose sleep over it, it was just something I was wondering, my wandering mind.

When I played years ago I had problem with a Sim character who wouldn't move or eat, she end up dying....
I had no clue why she wouldn't move,etc.
I have tried similar thing out curiosity but I just couldn't kill the Sim character.
The reason why I quit playing the Sims is truthfully what I wanted to do is create, I found myself being in build mode and truthfully I had very little interest in actually dealing with the annoying Sim's avatars and game play.
I also found the ghost and avatar interactions with ghost annoying too.
First few times were interesting though but it got old very fast.

Oh you are eeeeevil! That's the longest, most meanest way to torture a sim! Evil!
Now when I want to see a ghost in my Sims game, I trap them in the middle of four stoves and have a sim with no cooking skills cook til he/she sets the stove ablaze.
Voila. Less torture...and you can kill multi sims at once this way.

You know that the way a sim dies depicts the color and the attitude of the ghost as well right?

Ah yes, I had this too.
I didn't really feel anything for them.

They get themselves stuck, so it's their problem at the end of the day.

This sounds pretty sick, but I find it funny: You can sell their tombstone/memorial things for quite a bit O.o

There's a Manga series in Japan that looks at that psychology up front called "Angelic Layer" and is roughly followed up by my personal favorite "Chobits". In both stories questions are asked about what to think about soulless creations of technology.

In my mind, and depending on the person, our avatars do carry a small part of our soul. No amount of fantasy or RP can break the connection you have with your virtual self. Even in the anonymity of SL the "who" of who you are still comes out.

I'm only half joking when I say that my avatar is the other me that's more "me" than me. To watch her "die", especially painfully through noises and animations would be seriously troubling to me... I'm getting chills just thinking of it. (>_<

I found myself very attached to my characters and quite miserable when they died personally thats why I found myself not wanting to play with them.
I hate watching grown adult avatars jealous of their kids if their spouse paid too much attention to them or peeing on floor.
Worse is a lonely avatar who just can't make money for nice things, food or friends.
They eventually can die, but its slow torture....can last a long, long time.
I related too much with those types and it was way too painful to watch.

OMG, well I never knew that..hmm maybe I'll try the stove trick..rofl..the screaming would be bad, but at least I wouldnt have to hear them cry for days.

If you have a sick serial killer mentality then I definitely do...i don't even feel bad. Did you know (i think this is right) that how your sim dies changes the colour of their ghost? So I lock them in a room and starve them, burn them, drown them.... i even have found a cheat where I can make them 'die by flies' or get a satellite dropped on them...
And I don't sit there watching them....I speed it up to super fast.

Yes...I'm sick...

I used to throw people across the land in Black and White too. i thought it was funny when the little angel and devil popped up and had an argument about it.

But strangely, I hate it when my avvie gets killed. I don't abuse her like I do my sims or whatever....wierd isn't it.

That's sort of my question, SHOULD we feel bad for these "soulless creations" as you put it. I suppose it's different in SL, Yummy really does feel like "me".

Locking them in a room, I've done that, but then they pee all over the place! lol..

The problem with the Sims is that there isn't the level of creativity you get in SL. There are WAY more ways to kill an avatar - just dream something up and you can make it happen. Drowning, burning, hanging, knife throwing accident, poison apple, blimp catastrophe, botulism, sawmill tragedy, incendiary watermelon, weed whacker, killer bees, run over by a glacier, falling piano, raped by an angry elephant, stabbed, speared, gored, punctured, crammed into the dryer and spun to death, dessication, peeling, giant potato masher, the list goes on and on.

Yeah here the worse happen is you die you end up at home.
It not like the Sims or other games where you literally lose everything with the avatar including the account and inventory.

Whoops - and the anwer that I would give you, is of course you shouldn't feel bad, but I entirely understand why you would. It's like our avatars can take on a life of their own. I'd feel a little bad if something happened to Trout. He and I have had a lot of good times together, even though he isn't real. I've killed him a handful of times. Well, dozens if you count the skydiving accidents (thanks for the parachute again, Lindal! You've convinced me to NEVER skydive in RL. There's about a 50% failure rate in skydiving!) I usually don't feel too bad, because I find pretty funny ways to kill him, and he never actually dies, but I know how you feel.

I tend to think of my physical RL body as an avatar, in the sense of the meaning "the physical manifestation of a higher being". In Hinduism, avatars refer to the incarnations of the Gods/Godesses. So, yes, I agree that all of our avatars carry our soul, even the pixel ones.

I'd probably not be able to kill like that in SIMs, but I have to say, I don't play SIMs, because I found all the little creatures so frickin' demanding!

I'm sorry- I have never played Sims- so I have no frame of reference. It is not like SL with real people behind the avis? You are playing with the machine itself? If that is the case, I can't see why the death of a simulated character would matter. I would be concerned though about what would make me want to continue killing the things- since it is a pointless exercise. What amusement can be derived from the killing? Trying to understand - not judging - I would proly try it once especially if there was this "ghost" thing like an Easter egg or something.

Oh the many many ways i created ghosts in the sims. I used to throw partys, and make cages, lure everyone in with a stripper, and remove the doors. After that I'd usually set off firecrackers untill everyone was a pile of ashes. The good thing was that they were all clapping and amused at the same time. Sure the lady next to me is screaming on fire, But hey Look Fireworks!

LOL!! Yummy.. when i played, i had a mech house in CC..things started getting boring there and i wanted a cool yard.. what better to decorate with than tombstones?? So.. i built a pool and would have parties..pool parties * evil laugh* ppl would come over, green up all the way, hop in the pool and then i would pull all the ladders out...the last one alive won simoleons..and i got a ton of tombstones! It was awesome... but the scarey thing was the people that LOVED dying and came to every pool party i had...not for the money..but just to die. * shrugs* Fire is a cool way to go to... i once killed a bunch of people during a glitch.. i was able to cook at a total strangers house and had NO cooking skills... when i realised i could also build there, i took the doors away and we all fried... it made for an interesting day...oh, and a VERY angry owner...lol

Hmm- see I differ with you there Trout - Amaranthim is as much me as it can get short of physical presence. I have never willfully done anything to endanger myself in the game though I realize that it is only simulated danger.

I have alts I have tried to be someone else - like a different personality or something- but it is always me. Other than the name, then I never end up using the alt because it feels dishonest - yeah, I am disturbed I guess.

Wow, now this forum has devolved to General Discussion of other virtual worlds. Makes the forum cop in me want to come out of hibernation, but I will leave him at the bottom of the pool.

ROFL! God, Sims are tards.

I tried playing the sims, but I hated having to keep them fed, send them to work, or school etc

bad enough having to take care of RL self, let alone babysit a bunch of pixels hehe

I say kill them all!!!

I spend my time in the Sims 2 building up households until one of the sims manages to piss me off, then I go on a killing spree until no witnesses are left alive. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

I had a friend who got his Sim avie a Justin Timberlake skin and he put him in a room and took the door out and let him starve. We laughed. A normal "person" I would have probably thought that was cruel, but it WAS Justin Timberlake.

That makes it alright, doesn't it?

Just imagine the horrors if we were required to feed our avatars food, use the restroom,etc....

I can't do it! I've tried to be mean to avitars in the Sims and I feel guilty! I shouldn't, but I can't help it. My heart goes out to them as they're burning up and running around. It's not so much that I hate to see it, but the fact that I CAUSED IT!

When my SL avi went to Carnival of Doom and ate food that made her puke, I laughed at first...but when she kept doing it, I REALLY felt bad! Then when she died, I felt genuine sorrow for what I had done! I am very close to my avitar. I wouldn't kill someone else's either.