New gamer stereotype: the Diplomat?

Of course, the accepted stereotype of gamers is that they are socially isolated basement dwellers. Well, either that or violent school shooter types that train on video games. But I feel like modern games are actually training people to be the opposite of both of those. Games like Mass Effect, The Walking Dead, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution (the dialog "boss battles" specifically) encourage diplomacy, and solving problems by listening and talking.

In my case, I feel like this leads me to a "Sheperd mentality," if you will. The idea that I can solve everyone's problems if I talk to them right. Sometimes this works; I talked someone out of fighting once and felt pretty good about it. Sometimes, I'm just sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.

Do you try to be the diplomat in social situations? If so, do you feel like video games affected this at all?

Nah, I just interrupt people and kick them out of windows.

Actually, I've always felt like a reasonable type of person when it comes to my interactions with others. Even before I played games like Mass Effect and usually played games where aggression, violence, and morally reprehensible actions were always the only options (like those Grand Theft Auto games) I still was very reasonable with others outside of my gaming habits.

I definitely appreciated video games more when dialogue trees with consequences to the game's plot and character development became a bigger phenomenon, however!

I habe always wants wanted to make an rpg that, instead of using magic and swards you use words and debate.

I actually really hate it in RPGs when the game is based around telling whoever you're talking to whatever it is they want to hear. Worse, when that's how you get the best rewards, or more story content. F that. I watch my roommate playing Dragon Age and their character holding completely contradictory views depending on who they're speaking to; that's not role playing, that's role playing a sociopath.

I appreciated in Alpha Protocol that making characters hate you also results in rewards and additional story swerves.

hahaha. Oh thank you for that.

@brodehouse: I don't think the word sociopath means what you think it means. If anything, he's role playing the opposite of a sociopath.

Taking things you think you learned from a video game into real life is almost always a bad idea. It's like the people who are good at Call of Duty thinking they're expert snipers with a real weapon.

Is that a stereotype, or a stereotype you wish would take off? As there's little negative spin to this stereotype, I doubt it will take off.

I still like those games, but yeah, it's really starting to bug me. Don't block content, just let the relationships evolve differently based on how you interact with someone. If I think someone is a total dick I should be able to let them know I think they're a total dick without being punished for it. Interestingly enough, trying to think of games that do it closer to right, Binary Domain comes to mind.

It doesn't do it especially well or deeply, but there's times you're rolling with 2 squad mates that will have opposite reactions to a prompt. In those cases, you have to say something that someone doesn't want to hear, so it becomes easier to just pick what you feel instead of just trying to game the system(unless of course you're focusing on building one person and don't really care about building the other, but I still think this type of interaction is useful).

Of course, for their story and for things to make sense(without removing characters from the game), they want everyone to be super friends with the player avatar. I see why it's difficult to structure the interactions in a way to keep everything in tact but let you interact more naturally.

I think the problem actually lies in the way the supporting cast is built though. Most of the time(there are a few exceptions) the characters just want you to be super nice to them or say exactly what they want to hear regardless of you established your character with them, or others, previously. They should stop going so far into blank slate and more have a few loose-ish personality types that the player can play into. Then build the side characters in a way that each of these types can get along with the player avatar, maybe not in the same way, but in a way that makes sense. People have relationships that don't hinge on just saying what everyone wants to hear.

I realize that might be entirely unrealistic, but as it is now it doesn't feel like characters have real relationships with player avatars, it's just grinding friendship points.

I did not answer the question in the thread, but I just wanted to discuss Brode's point a bit since it is something that is beginning to bug me yet I love those type of games.

I don't think that "stereotype" will ever catch on even if it were true, it doesn't fit the public's perception of how gamers live their lives.

Why is being reasonable being converted into a stereotype?

@lucien_lachance: I think it has less to do with training you to be a diplomat and more to do with locking yourself into a certain path and having to adhere to it in order to maximize the benefits.

In Mass Effect, to get to the "best" Paragon options (conversation choices, interrupts at certain points in the game), you have to be a goody two shoes for a large part of the game. Same thing goes for Renegade. Talking with your crew members a lot will unlock the loyalty missions, romance options, etc. A lot of moral choice in video games is sort of broken in that respect, I guess.

And as for real life: I'd like to think that I'm a nice guy naturally, rather than being affected / effected by video games?

@dagbiker: Might want to look at the Monkey Isle games where the swordfighting is done with insults over swords, fun stuff & should be used more.

While this new gaming stereotype of a Mediator/Diplomat is a good idea, just don't see it working on many games where more action is involved or could be combined with others like the gamer who tries in stealth games to not harm anyone or just look for the least confrontational way to go.

No, I don't think that will become a stereotype.

I also don't think that the social aspects of an RPG can possibly replace a real honest-to-God conversation. You should be able to separate what you would do in a video game with what you would do in real life quite easily; you aren't Commander Shepherd. You're Luci... no, you're not him either. You get the point.

Also, did you not ever play as a Renegade Shepherd?

@lucien_lachance: This isn't a gamer stereotype, it's called being reasonable. Sad to see it's becoming so rare that we need to fucking label the people that still practice it.

That actually sounds like a great idea

(Stuck up British accent) Yes, I do find it to be true dear boy. We are diplomats and noblemun in the making. Now, excuse me while I partake in a glass of Mountainous Dew and the ethnic cuisine of Dori'tos. Call of duty awaits gentleman.