As a fan of fighting games and someone who has been described as "overly competitive," I would like to see someone’s take on the idea that allowing people to essentially fight out their problems virtually is as rewarding as any physical confrontation. I have friends within the FGC (fighting game community) who work out all their aggression for the people they hate by playing them at a round of Street Fighter or going a set in Marvel Vs. Capcom. While they never throw a punch, they claim to feel all the satisfaction and their opponent all the humility as their chosen character beats the other. I have felt this feeling before, but I would like to challenge someone to put it better in words, or at the very least comment on this phenomenon.
I believe this was discussed in part in the book hasn't theft childhood. The authors were studying 8-14 year olds though and the effects of violence on their minds. – fchery9 years ago
I guarantee that any game with truly competitive combat can act as a genuine stress relief mechanism. That is a two way street, however. While it can and does alleviate some tension, it can also (especially in the case of MUDs, which are something of a specialty for me) make it far worse due to the emotional investment one tends to (almost subconsciously) throw into games of this nature. I've seen in my 8 years playing Avalon for instance, a LOT of rage - and I'm talking the shouting screaming "I'm going to kill your mother" type fury. An interesting phenomenon for sure. – Elsalvador9 years ago