Shadow and Responsibility in Video Games

[Bring4th_Austin]

If one has sufficiently accepted an aspect of self, would acting out or encompassing this aspect make one feel uncomfortable?

Let's take the example of using video games as a sort of feedback tool. Many games nowdays have a sort of moral system of choice built in, where you may make various choices and decide how your character behaves throughout the game, often divided distinctly into a sort of "good" and "evil" category. Usually these decisions have either an effect on on how your character advances or in how the story of the game itself unfolds. Usually there are benefits of choosing consistently, like more powerful abilities or access to different story elements.

This can be an excellent way to explore aspects of the self which we may not normally find acceptable to act out in real life (in the Jungian sense our Shadow, "the person we'd rather not be"). If used with the proper intention, it has great potential for personal growth. It can also be abused similarly to how Q'uo described, in indulging the feelings of control over others and fear-based defense of the self. It could also be used for sleep and distraction, ignoring one's quest for the self.


Questions about this idea:

If at a certain point we have sufficiently explored this shadow side through video games with the intention of coming to acceptance and love, our desire to explore that side of the self would naturally fall away.

However, how would we feel about choosing that option after this has been processed? Would we feel uncomfortable about choosing this option? Would there still be some emotional dissonance by acting out the shadow aspect within a game? Or would we no longer carry a persistent emotional rejection of these things and thus not feel a dissonance towards the shadow?

Also, how far does our responsibility to act compassionate go? Once we have sufficiently explored and become fully aware of the potential for human behavior, would our responsibility to be aware of how we are co-creating a collective reality carry into smaller worlds we inhabit through video games? The awareness possessed by characters within these worlds may only be a product of our own imagination and attention, but is there a persistent energetic effect carried out in the Creator by creating a story in a video game to maximize suffering or unity? If we enact suffering upon characters in a video game when we possess the knowledge and wisdom to understanding the choices we're making then are we responsible for these actions playing out in some way, in an even smaller microcosm of the universe than our own?

[Brittany]

This is Darth Fahlen, my Sith Inquisitor. He is Dark level 5, meaning he's made pretty much every evil decision. I think he's pretty badass. I had trouble making some of the decisions, even though he's a fictional character, but at the same time it was liberating to explore a personality so different from my own. I learned a lot about myself in the process.

[reeay]

I think Brittnay brings out a good point. She is aware of her decisions and can use that for contemplation about self for purpose of knowing self more. If the object of the game is merely to play out a role to 'blow steam' or release energy or just entertainment, the buck stops there. lol they should have group discussion with gaming groups to reflect upon their choices.. like a debriefing group.

[Plenum]

think of computer games as a form of concretised daydreaming.

it is still an exploration of the self; and as such, responsibility still holds.

there are no thoughts without consequences basically; ie you can't just write it off as a 'computer game' with no meaning.

16.54 Questioner: Does what we do, when we think of possibilities that can occur, say daydreaming: Do these become real in these densities?
Ra: I am Ra. This depends upon the nature of the daydream. This is a large subject. Perhaps the simplest thing we can say is, if the daydream, as you call it, is one which attracts to self, this then becomes reality to self. If it is contemplative general daydream, this may enter the infinity of possibility/probability complexes and occur elsewhere, having no particular attachment to the energy fields of the creator.

16.55 Questioner: To make this a little more clear, if I were to daydream strongly about building a ship, would this occur in one of these other densities?
Ra: I am Ra. This would, would have, or shall occur.

16.56 Questioner: And then if, say, an entity daydreams strongly about battling, let us say, another entity, would this occur?
Ra: I am Ra. In this case the entity’s fantasy concerns the self and other-self; this binds the thought-form to the possibility/probability complex connected with the self which is the creator of this thought-form. This then would increase the possibility/probability of bringing this into third-density occurrence.

16.57 Questioner: Does the Orion group use this principle to create conditions brought about to suit their purpose?
Ra: I am Ra. We will answer more specifically than the question. The Orion group uses daydreams of hostile or other negative vibratory natures to feed back or strengthen these thought-forms.

16.58 Questioner: Do they ever use any, shall I say, gratifications of the physical body to amplify such daydreams?
Ra: I am Ra. They are able to do this only when there is a strong ability on the part of the receiving mind/body/spirit complex towards the perception of thought-forms. This could be termed an unusual characteristic but has indeed been a method used by Orion entities.

[xise]

Unless you really are getting into character and role-playing, and thereby truly daydreaming, I wouldn't worry about it. On the one level, roleplaying an evil grand theft auto character while contemplating how you could do this in real life/ or would love to be able to be that person is one end of the spectrum of actual polarization, while at the other end is "killing" an opponent's Queen in Chess is more of a mere mechanic in a time passing game. Most of the time, games are closer to the latter category I believe, hence giving rise to this quote from Ra:

34.12 Questioner: I thought that that was correct, but I wasn’t sure. Can you give me the same type of information that we have been getting here with respect to the unmanifested self interacting between self and gadgets, toys, etc.— inventions?

Ra: I am Ra. In this particular instance we again concentrate for the most part in the orange and in the yellow energy centers. In a negative sense many of the gadgets among your peoples, that is what you call your communication devices and other distractions such as the less competitive games, may be seen to have the distortion of keeping the mind/body/spirit complex unactivated so that yellow- and orange-ray activity is much weakened thus carefully decreasing the possibility of eventual green-ray activation.

Others of your gadgets may be seen to be tools whereby the entity explores the capabilities of its physical or mental complexes and in some few cases, the spiritual complex, thus activating the orange ray in what you call your team sports and in other gadgets such as your modes of transport. These may be seen to be ways of investigating the feelings of power; more especially, power over others or a group power over another group of other-selves.

[Lycen]

I go by feeling, if I feel it is wrong then I play the way I feel is right. I am usually conscious of my choices, as if I where making em in my life. Emotional attachment makes it hard for me to play anything other than what I perceive as "good". This kinda makes many games for me "boring" as well, because of this choice of being "good". I would have liked to play as something els sometimes as games usually provide a few 'paths'. Yet being other than myself gives no satisfaction, more like a steady rise of anxiety depending on how much I ignore my feelings.

I think if I played without emotion, I could be other than myself, but I see no point in that. As emotional engagement is what I look for in games at this time. The expression of who I am.

I believe that my choices affect my polarity always (each time/moment), by how much 'knowledge' and emotion I have behind em. Thus it matters not if it's a game or something other for me at this time, any choice will either lighten or burden me it seems.

I would note, that I believe I have studied/lived semi consciously with my darker side longer than my light. Perhaps I am content with what I know for now as well. Even so I think the thoughts offered still apply to any who choose this way.

[Spaced]

I like to allow my shadow to express itself through games. I think it is a somewhat healthy way to learn about your shadow side without causing much pain or distortion for self and other-selves.

In my current dungeons and dragons game (not a videogame, but same idea I think) I play as a evil little goblin with a gun. He's sly, sarcastic, conniving and power-hungry and I admit, I have a lot of fun with the little guy . Sometimes I surprise myself with my bloodthirstiness and capacity for evil plots in the game, which is interesting to me, because it's a side of my personality that I suppress most of the time. I see at as a learning experience, because I think it's important to integrate and understand all portions of the self.

One thing that really surprised me after I started playing as him is that I started getting this little voice in my head that would criticize me and lead me to become more argumentative and selfish in my dealings with others. I meditated and did a lot of work to balance that shadow aspect and in the process I asked it for it's name. The name it gave me was Gu'ug which I thought was weird until I realized that my goblin character was named Gug

Reintegrating that part of myself was actually quite helpful, as it brought out a part of me that doesn't allow itself to get pushed around and isn't afraid to voice it's opinions (which has always been a big problem for me).

[schubert]

I like to allow my shadow to express itself through games. I think it is a somewhat healthy way to learn about your shadow side without causing much pain or distortion for self and other-selves.

In my current dungeons and dragons game (not a videogame, but same idea I think) I play as a evil little goblin with a gun. He's sly, sarcastic, conniving and power-hungry and I admit, I have a lot of fun with the little guy . Sometimes I surprise myself with my bloodthirstiness and capacity for evil plots in the game, which is interesting to me, because it's a side of my personality that I suppress most of the time. I see at as a learning experience, because I think it's important to integrate and understand all portions of the self.

One thing that really surprised me after I started playing as him is that I started getting this little voice in my head that would criticize me and lead me to become more argumentative and selfish in my dealings with others. I meditated and did a lot of work to balance that shadow aspect and in the process I asked it for it's name. The name it gave me was Gu'ug which I thought was weird until I realized that my goblin character was named Gug

Reintegrating that part of myself was actually quite helpful, as it brought out a part of me that doesn't allow itself to get pushed around and isn't afraid to voice it's opinions (which has always been a big problem for me).

i am schubert. lol guby

[EvolvingPhoenix]

Since I got turned onto LOO material there are some videogames I used to love that I can't play anymore. Like the Warriors. It's such a violent, gritty game. I used to love it! Now I'm disturbed by how much violent s*** I used to love/ Although it should be noted, I am not violent myself and never have been.

[AnthroHeart]

I talked with a spiritual person before that said when they turned spiritual they could no longer listen to Pink Floyd the Wall,
especially the song Mother.

It goes like "Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb."

And I had a military dream last night. I get those every so often.

I've never really been into video games since I grew up.
My step mom wouldn't let me play our Nintendo when I was a kid
and punished me for going to the arcade one day.
When I went to stay the night at a friends, my stepmom told them
not to let me play any video games.