violent video games....making bad karma or its just fun?

[jikwan]

see what people are doing these days....plague inc (try and kill billions of people fast as you can

grand theft auto (someones dealing crack in your patch, got to take him out)

ive made my mind up already about this. i wouldnt mind confirmation/better reasoning

the keywords are imagined and intention

i'll post my view bit later. want to know what you guys think

[householder]

Another form of dukkha, not sure about the kammic implications though...

[fabianfred]

Virtual killing in computer games probably doesn't accrue any karma, but it does form bad habits. We know we are only killing sprites and not real people, but as the Buddha said...the mind leads everything.

[jikwan]

say john smith done you wrong, so you spend time

imagining youll get him back. real bloody scenes, break

every bone etc. in slow motion too

spend a lot of time-hours every day on it

but its only "imagination"

there is no real person there, and this is from the conventional

point of view. not the ultimate. ofcourse, with the ultimate view

definately no real person

ok, you can turn your fantasy into fun if you like. break the bones

in a fun way-throw in some laughs

essentially its still the same thing-dwelling on harming and killing

probably be a lot of hatred/aversion too

its a very unwholesome mind. this has karmic effects

years ago i read a book by ajarn lee. he said dwelling in miserable

states - you are destined for the hell realms after death (or words

to that effect)

but you havent killed anybody!

so theres a john smith invading your territory. your crack sales

have plummeted. got to kill him. how can i do it? got a gun here. nope,

too loud. a knife?

you have to spend time thinking how to take the life of an imaginary

person. he looks like a person on the screen. he must be killed. i want

to kill this guy! you dont think this is just pixels and binary numbers

so off you go-you shoot-hits him in the arm, chase him etc

in your mind you try to harm and kill an object

is this a wholesome mind? has to be a lot of suffering.

how can one be perfectly detatched when engaged in trying to

kill an imaginary person?

a player can/does spend thousands of hours doing this. locked in

an aggressive mode.

oh wait, hes just had a heart attack in mid-game

wheres this disembodied spirit/mental force going to go? straight

to the highest deva lokas? or what

[rockyysdt]

say john smith done you wrong, so you spend time

imagining youll get him back. real bloody scenes, break

every bone etc. in slow motion too

spend a lot of time-hours every day on it

but its only "imagination"

there is no real person there, and this is from the conventional

point of view. not the ultimate. ofcourse, with the ultimate view

definately no real person

ok, you can turn your fantasy into fun if you like. break the bones

in a fun way-throw in some laughs

essentially its still the same thing-dwelling on harming and killing

probably be a lot of hatred/aversion too

its a very unwholesome mind. this has karmic effects

years ago i read a book by ajarn lee. he said dwelling in miserable

states - you are destined for the hell realms after death (or words

to that effect)

but you havent killed anybody!

so theres a john smith invading your territory. your crack sales

have plummeted. got to kill him. how can i do it? got a gun here. nope,

too loud. a knife?

you have to spend time thinking how to take the life of an imaginary

person. he looks like a person on the screen. he must be killed. i want

to kill this guy! you dont think this is just pixels and binary numbers

so off you go-you shoot-hits him in the arm, chase him etc

in your mind you try to harm and kill an object

is this a wholesome mind? has to be a lot of suffering.

how can one be perfectly detatched when engaged in trying to

kill an imaginary person?

a player can/does spend thousands of hours doing this. locked in

an aggressive mode.

oh wait, hes just had a heart attack in mid-game

wheres this disembodied spirit/mental force going to go? straight

to the highest deva lokas? or what

Anger, aggression, & hatred are associated with Aversion, one of the "three unwholesome roots" or Mental Poisons.

These being Aversion, Attachment, & Ignorance.

The three unwholesome roots obstruct our ability to see things as they really are.

Aversion is represented by the Snake in the Wheel of Life.

In your example the victim is himself.

Any Kharma and consequent Vipaka generated will be the result of living life anchored to Aversion, Attachment, & Ignorance.

If you live with Aversion (mental affliction) it will shape your life accordingly.

Edited January 13, 2014 by rockyysdt