Video games need bad guys - for several reasons

Beasts have not been totally in since our villain World Cup. Joker, Venom, Cruella and Co. take over the cinema and also in video games like Far Cry, the antagonists are often more complex than the main character.

• What motivates us in video games?
• the role of bad guys
• my enemy's enemy
• why we don't always need bad guys

Why do the opponents play such a big role? Couldn't we get along without them? In short: do we actually need bad guys? And if so, why?

What motivates us in video games?

The question of what motivates us in video games is similar to why we play video games at all. In many cases, the rather simple answer will be: Because we enjoy. Of course, everyone has to find out what fun means, but video games cover a wide range.

For many, the action -causing factor is the action in one game, others enjoy the use of creativity to solve problems. Many a*r likes to complete tasks and become more stronger or put a hook behind each icon.

All of this works over one of two and in many cases both components: challenge and history. Our brain likes solvable tasks, even if they are a little trickier. Especially if we are constantly getting better and don't feel overwhelmed. This challenge usually offers the gameplay.

The story is on the other side. With their interactivity, video games are very suitable for being drawn into a story or a world. After all, we are not only mere spectators, but act ourselves, make big battles and sometimes even decide how the story develops.

the role of bad guys

Villars or villains have always been available in stories. Already in the Greek tragedy there was the role of the antagonist tennis that acted as an opponent in the main character. The task of antagonists is to thwart the protagonists' intentions to act. Of course there are a wide variety of forms and types of bad guys, but the role as an opponent is common to them.

Exactly this role usually also occupies bad guys in video games. This makes them ideal as a motivation for us in front of the screen. Regardless of whether we are particularly interested in the story or gameplay, we usually come up with Oberfieslings.

Jonas Herrmann

__@jopartaix

Jonas is neither physically nor in terms of temperament as a villain. However, if he still becomes one, technical devices are certainly to blame, which for unknown reasons refuse to fulfill the purpose for which they were invented.

On the one hand, defeating the evil force behind the events in most stories can be the big goal of a game. So we follow the story because we want to win our character and see the final boss. It is not for nothing that the last battle in video games is often the final boss fight against that main fiesling.

At the same time, in the best case, this last boss fight is also the highlight of our playful experience. Here our skills are ultimately put to the test, we have to use the learned gameplay to defeat a particularly strong opponent. So if we play the main challenge, we find them in the form of the villains.

In two ways, opponents are almost perfect in two ways to act as motivation in video games. In addition, they also fulfill a third function.

my enemy's enemy

They also help to strengthen the bond between us and our character. How strong the personality our protagonist is pronounced varies from game to game. Sometimes we play complex characters, sometimes we can create our warriors ourselves and start with a blank leaf.

Either way, we are usually tied to our main character. We don't always identify with him right from the start. A strong villain can help here by welding us together. It is not only well known in the video game area that common enemies or opponents are well suited in order to build a connection, but also play a role in fan groups in football - you only have to ask Bayern outside of Munich.

If we have to watch a fislling to others at the beginning of a game, it is easier for us to sit on the side of those who want to take revenge for it. It is not uncommon for us to start fighting the upper boss early on, just to be beaten in a crushing. We share this defeat with our character, just like you wish the day when we try again and do it better.

More about bad guys in video games:

The psychology of evil: what fascinates us about bad guys * Village World Cup: The group phase is running, right! *

why we don't always need bad guys

Sports and racing games, pure multiplayer games and titles like Journey have always been proving that games can be fun without bad guys. The motivation is mostly created in these games about other aspects, but a form of opponent is usually also found here. This can be other teams, players or ourselves.

Even if you fulfill important functions, we do not necessarily need clear villains. However, if you look at the representatives of our tournament survey standing for election, it is striking how many different, but still absolutely memorable characters have already hatched into the role of the villain and how many unique stories we were able to experience.

Even if we may not necessarily need them from a theoretical perspective and we can enjoy many games without them, each and each of us have at least one culprit in his head who would not want to do without a price.