Why do we enjoy violence?

[EternalLight]

Have you ever played the game God Hand? It's a kind of fighting game on PlayStation 2 in which you beat the living daylights out of people. It's fun, so I was wondering what it is that causes human beings to enjoy violence. I have no desire to harm any living being outside of video games, and even in video games I've never felt comfortable harming wildlife that doesn't disturb me, but it's still fun to feel so powerful and repeatedly bash things. There was also a kaiju game called Rampage that was pretty popular when I was young, and in that game you play a giant beast that destroys entire cities. That's pretty morbid, but it was enjoyable all the same. So many great games center around harm and destruction.

I also remember as a teen, there was a controversy in the media about the effects of violent video games on children's minds. Everything can influence us, often in ways we can't describe, but personally I played a few violent video games growing up and I never wanted to harm anyone. A couple of games were a bit disturbing to me, like the first-person shooter game Soldier of Fortune, as in that game you can dismember people and blow their intestines out. Manhunt was a game I intentionally never tried. With those kinds of games, I think it's not so much about the violence but about imitating suffering. If I recall correctly, in Soldier of Fortune sometimes enemies even cower and beg for their lives. That's just shocking to me, but it didn't seem to be that way for others while I was growing up. I'm not sure why.

What do you think causes human beings to enjoy simulating violence?

 

[Namelesa]

For me I can enjoy violent video games (Hotline Miami, Katana Zero) as to give myself a sense of power and sadistic joy without the serve repercussions for my actions such as getting into trouble or feeling guilt for what I have done. In games I can often choose whether I want to feel remorse for my actions or not. For example for my first playthrough of Undertale I felt really guilty when accidentally killing a monster but when I did my genocide playthrough I didn't care about the pain I was inflicting on everyone and enjoyed it (except Papyrus cus he is pure innocence.)

Personally I think violent video games and other media have given me more violent fantasias and while I have somewhat thought about doing them, I never did cus I knew I would get into trouble and I often feel intense guilt and self-hatred when I do something wrong so I know in the end I wouldn't want to cause violence on others. I think for most people violent media will make them desensitized to it but won't increase any want for them to inflict violence on others, maybe even decrease it as with violent video games you can your frustrations onto a fictional being without much consequences. People may like watching violent media as well cus it can give a curious fascinating feeling to them.

 

[Hollowman]

Because deep down we're just sick selfish animals.

 

[Shadows From Hell]

I used to play GTA all the time, and I would go into the parking garage on the 3rd or 4th floor, and shoot down onto the street killing innocent people and the police.

But I know I can't do that in real life. I have no intention of hurting other people.

 

[Hvergelmir]

Dealing with and identifying threats is simply very important.

If someone else is dealing with a potential threat, we want to observe - see what he does right and what he does wrong, and learn from it.
If we get the chance to test the waters, without endangering ourselves too much, that's also attractive. (Like acting like a public enemy, in GTA.)

I don't want to kill anyone, but if I have to, I want to be really good at it.
I don't want to cross a minefield, but if I have to, I want to have seen the attempts of others.

I think that's the main psychological/evolutionary drive. Of course that can branch of into a multitude of disorders and what not, but I think a fundamental interest in violence is natural and justified.

 

[Pluto]

 

[parasite_eve]

Maybe not only violence but enjoying horror for me I imagine is also partly about being able to externalize and focus my terror on something outside me I can control my engagement with

 

[Odwin]

Because It's so much fun, Jan.

 

[CogitoMori]

Because we're primates. We're always gonna have a little monkey in our brain, and sometimes it's for the greater good.

 

[yowai]

Because it releases adrenaline and gives us a rush, normal life is usually boring so it's fun to imagine being in intense situations without actually getting hurt. Before video games there was watching violent sports, gladiator fights etc lol

 

[EternalLight]

For me I can enjoy violent video games (Hotline Miami, Katana Zero) as to give myself a sense of power and sadistic joy without the serve repercussions for my actions such as getting into trouble or feeling guilt for what I have done.

I've played a little of Hotline Miami years ago but I haven't played the other. In HM from what I recall, you're mostly fragging gang members and other such reprehensibles, and they show no signs of suffering, so maybe that also makes the violence less impactful.

for my first playthrough of Undertale I felt really guilty when accidentally killing a monster but when I did my genocide playthrough I didn't care about the pain I was inflicting on everyone and enjoyed it (except Papyrus cus he is pure innocence.)

Don't know the game, but I get what you're saying. For me, it varies. For example, if computer characters express any kind of imitation of sentience, things like fear, sorrow, or even pain beyond grunts and moaning, it feels more uncomfortable to be violent toward them. I'd say the same also applies if I've come to know and sympathize with a character, like hearing a little of their history or thoughts. Also, if a game clearly presents me with a moral choice, I've almost always chosen what I believe to be moral regardless of how many times I've played it. Although, for more light-hearted games like those of the GTA series, where computer characters are generally flat and lack any hint of sentience, it didn't bother me so much to gun down crowds of pedestrians, but that wasn't the most enjoyable thing for me.

Personally I think violent video games and other media have given me more violent fantasias and while I have somewhat thought about doing them, I never did cus I knew I would get into trouble

If you could carry out any of these fantasies without legal, physical, or social repercussions, would you? You also talked about guilt, so I wonder whether the potential for consequence or guilt is more significant to you when it comes to not carrying out these actions.

I used to play GTA all the time, and I would go into the parking garage on the 3rd or 4th floor, and shoot down onto the street killing innocent people and the police.

I think everyone who has played a GTA game has done such things at some point. There's something thrilling about taking the role of one man against the world, knowing that you'll eventually be taken down but seeing how long you can last anyway.

If someone else is dealing with a potential threat, we want to observe - see what he does right and what he does wrong, and learn from it.
If we get the chance to test the waters, without endangering ourselves too much, that's also attractive. (Like acting like a public enemy, in GTA.)

That's a great point; the simulation to our minds can serve as a part of preparation, even if it may not be so realistic. Unfortunately my childhood video game playing didn't impart any particularly useful life skills, at least none that I can think of, but it got me through a lot.

Maybe not only violence but enjoying horror for me I imagine is also partly about being able to externalize and focus my terror on something outside me I can control my engagement with

I find horror games to be a different kind of beast, particularly psychological horror. The violence in them is often a secondary thing with the focus being more on cultivating a feeling of dread within the player. I greatly enjoyed the first two Silent Hill games in my youth, and I think my experience wasn't unlike your own. My life was a nightmare, but walking around Silent Hill felt less horrible. It induced fear within me, but there I could figure out puzzles and beat enemies. I felt in control.