Empathy towards NPC-s or: am I insane?

[Commander L. Halsti]

Has anyone else, besides me, experienced sadness whose source is, for example, the fact that in BW2, the Relic Castle is sinking into sand...to be forgotten forever? Or, upon leaving the Join Avenue and the first, offline-created shop, realizing that he/she will never be able to fulfill the ladies' request and make it a bustling place, because there is nobody's code to be gotten, nobody to invite? (I play on emulators because of eyesight preservation, so Wi-FI, IRC and other features are not available to me)

Has anyone refused to catch any other Pokemon except those who will be used in the team, not wanting to leave a Pokemon to rot in the box and feel useless?

I know, these people and creatures are just bytes. But for some reason, I get intense reactions in certain cases. Am I the only one? Is this normal?

 

[sunshinesan]

Humans are empathetic creatures. The fact that you feel empathy towards something that was created to simulate humans/or creatures in general isn't as farfetched as you would think.

 

[Silver Bolt]

It's not just you. I'm sure there are other people that feel the same way you do.
As for me, it happens sometimes too. For instance, I felt really sorry for N in Black, I talked to my pokemon in HG a lot because I wanted it to be happy and I enjoyed those little things (like if it hugged me I felt happy too, if it was sad I felt a bit sad, etc.) and I really hate Ghethis for what he tried to do. It's not like I'd feel sorry for every single character or pokemon, but it happens. Can't help it.

 

[PrincessPeachy]

I'm not overly empathetic in the games but when I took my Victini to Liberty Gardens and he came out I felt pretty bad.
Like dang if it didn't make me love the little legendary...

 

[TeamRocketGrunt]

Nope, you're insane.

 

[epic man]

Your as crazy as Mel Gibson.

Its understandable but its just weird and creepy........

 

[blaze boy]

(I play on emulators because of eyesight preservation

What ever logic you come up with you are still stealing to play the game.

Nope, you're insane.

This.

 

[zozo]

Yeah, I can understand it. I feel bad for pokemon that I've caught but haven't made use of, or that I haven't nicknamed. If they aren't nicknamed, I either trade them to someone who wants them or just release them back to the wild.

And remember in D/P/Pt when the lakes got bombed by team Galactic, leaving all those poor Magikarps flopping around in the mud, dying? I felt really bad for them. And I felt even worse when I saw that you couldn't catch them to "save" them. x) Like sunshinesan said, we are humans and we're made to have these feelings for fellow creatures, so it's not particularly weird that these feelings get stimulated by things that resemble humans or animals.

 

[Zachmac]

What ever logic you come up with you are still stealing to play the game.

Agreed. By not buying the work, you're not just breaking the copyright law, but you're not paying the money that the retailers and gamefreak deserve to have.

And you don't need this game, you just want it, so there is no excuse to this.

Your as crazy as Mel Gibson.

Its understandable but its just weird and creepy........

Oh, so I suppose that you find it creepy if someone feels sorry for a drama as well? Or that it's weird if someone is moved by a well written book?

How is this any different?

 

[Brutaka]

Yeah, well, I nearly cried over my partner in the PMD games. And I'm a dude. :/
And books will get me worked up as well. Like the ending of the Hunger Games.

So it's not that crazy.

 

[MegaSerperior]

The ending of PMD got me totally depressed. Part of the reason being I read the whole guide before I even started the game so when I reached that part I'm sitting there like "No! This can't be the end! The book said there are more dungeons!" Haha... Ya... I also hated it in HG/SS whenever my Pokemon was mad at me I would get upset.

 

[Elegantensue]

Has anyone else, besides me, experienced sadness whose source is, for example, the fact that in BW2, the Relic Castle is sinking into sand...to be forgotten forever? Or, upon leaving the Join Avenue and the first, offline-created shop, realizing that he/she will never be able to fulfill the ladies' request and make it a bustling place, because there is nobody's code to be gotten, nobody to invite? (I play on emulators because of eyesight preservation, so Wi-FI, IRC and other features are not available to me)

Has anyone refused to catch any other Pokemon except those who will be used in the team, not wanting to leave a Pokemon to rot in the box and feel useless?

I know, these people and creatures are just bytes. But for some reason, I get intense reactions in certain cases. Am I the only one? Is this normal?

I think we all get attached to our pokemon and connect to game characters, after all that is the purpose of the game and storyline! I remember getting so mad at Ghetsis in black that i actually started murmuring things to him.... (crazy much) but we all get caught up in the heat of the game, it was made to make me feel sorry for N and I did.

 

[Manna]

I get pretty attached to my team members. And I felt horribly bad about what happened to N.

So no, I don't think that's weird.

 

[BearTown]

yeah Humans have emotions. we get attached to things easy. I tend to cringe and be all sad when a member of my team faints. I even feel bad knocking out someones pokemon (someone I like of course.) so ur not weird

 

[GalladeRocks]

Empathy is a natural human emotion. Felling it towards characters in games, movies, books, etc. is completely understandable. The PMD games always get me teared up. Seeing how some people or places have changed between RBY and GSC or BW and BW2 makes me feel loss, sadness, or nostalgia.

The point in RPGs or games with silent protagonists, games like Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, and the Paper Mario games, are to immerse you in the game. It is to make you feel like the character you're playing as. The characters emotions and problems are also yours. That's the way I see it, at least.

 

[Ferrin]

no i dont think it's insane to feel sorry for that,it happens in movies too even though it's all an act

 

[Endolise]

Well, it is a story, and it's perfectly normal to have an emotional reaction toward one...generally, most stories do try to evoke an emotional reaction form the audience...feeling a certain way toward something in a video game is no different that feeling a certain way toward something in a book or a play or whatever else you one may be into.

That all being said, I actually thought that what Cheren's dad said to the player in BW2 was pretty heartwarming. In addition, the credits are always really meaningful to me.

 

[dirkac]

I feel empathy against all my Pokémon. When I lost my Diamond (for three minutes) I freaked out over the fact my Empoleon would no longer exist with me. I also felt bad for N, Silver, Cyrus and Kirby.

 

[Flame Mistress]

It's in human nature, do no, I wouldn't consider it to be weird. I'm very attached to my team members, and I even treated up slightly when I revisited Nuvema Town in B2W2 and Hilda's mum. (Didn't tear up at the end of PMD2, though. Huh.)

 

[Commander L. Halsti]

I do feel the need to mention that I've had severe crying fits after realizing that Golett/Golurk have no purpose now, that the ancient civilizations are mere ruins ruins falling apart. Nothing to guard, or build. Same reaction regarding the Join Avenue NPC-s. I also wonder...is the BW player character seen in BW2? Or at least given a good mention? I'm particularly sensitive to things and people abandoned or forgotten.