Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • Borderlands 4 review
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk It took me 326 hours to clock a less-obvious reason why Cyberpunk 2077 is the best open world RPG I've ever played: it's a secret comedy game
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
PC Gaming If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
Death Stranding 2
Action Games After Metal Gear Solid 5 made sparing or killing enemies so important, I'm disappointed Death Stranding 2 wasted its most interesting mechanic
Jan sadly presses a hand on a screen that says 'deceased' in The Alters
Survival Games The Alters has changed the way I play games for the better, and after 18 years I can finally finish Mass Effect
Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Hulk game ever and makes me wish for the return of destruction-oriented sandboxes
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot of Sam on a futuristic motorcycle
Action Games Death Stranding 2 players reach "breaking point for hating signs" as devious porters place speed boosts in inconvenient places: "I ran over a quokka because of one of those signs... I was devastated"
Resident Evil Village
Games The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Open World Games As GTA 6 and Ghost of Yotei approach, Assassin's Creed veteran says good open-world games are slapstick: "You're just setting up the opportunity for jokes"
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing Maelle fighting an enemy.
JRPGs I accidentally became a god in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it broke combat so badly that I had to nerf myself to keep things fun even on Expert mode
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
RPGs "I don't think there's such a thing as a good game": Fallout's Tim Cain says "the same people will complain" about a game with bad reviews while praising a game with good reviews even if they have the "exact same problem"
GTA 6
Games Take-Two boss says good games are the new bad games: "Some of our competitors have realized maybe a little late in the day that consumers are not okay with okay"
Helldivers 2 soldier in blue lighting
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 players were already getting obliterated, so now it just feels like game master Joel is taking their lunch money, kicking their teeth in, and spitting in their eyes
Red Dead Online
Action Games Red Dead Online's role-play servers have clearly broken my brain, but I'm just happy to be saving the Wild West as a flamboyant gentlemen vigilante
The Alters gameplay screenshot showing
Survival Games After 10 hours of The Alters, I've been trapped in a Groundhog Day of mutiny and magnetic storms – and I fear even movie night can't save me
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories to play right now
  1. Games

Games that turn us into much better jerks

Features
By Patricia Hernandez published 11 October 2012

Doing the wrong thing...for fun!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Games we love to be jerks in

Games we love to be jerks in

No matter what we play, from realistic military shooters to artsy-farsty indie games, theres one unifying element to a surprising number of games we enjoy. Its not the ability to save the world or be heroic. Actually, its the opposite: the ability to be a jerk. Sometimes, its just the nature of the video game youre playing, since it will ask you to do things youd never do in real life. Other times, its all on you, the player.

Being rude can be fun if youre not actually hurting anybody, and especially if you have the confidence of knowing thats not what youre really like. Heres a list of eight games we cant help but be awful human beings in--you might be surprised to find that things you thought were innocent are terrible if you stop and think about it.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Call of Duty taught us how to be campers

Call of Duty taught us how to be campers

Just because staying in one place to prey on poor, (mostly) innocent folk who sometimes cant fight back is a valid strategy, doesnt make you any less of a jerk for doing it. Think about it: Nobody likes it when a cop car hides out of sight, just waiting for speeding cars to pass by. You shouldnt be speeding, but you should exhibit good sportsmanship while playing a game--else, what is the point? Youll rack up your kills, but everyone else has less fun for it. Alas, the K/D must be honored above all else. You cant blame anyone for doing everything in their power to win.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Diablo III conditioned us to break everything

Diablo III conditioned us to break everything

Diablo has a way of making it feel good to perform even the most basic skills. We attribute most of the feeling of gratification to the sound design, which makes everything feel crunchy. Its done so well that youll find yourself destroying everything around you, just to keep experiencing awesome sensations for as long as you can. Barrels? Clay pots? Carefully placed logs? Rocks? Gone, bye-bye. We cant even say we break everything because there might be something hidden. Theres often nothing there in Diablo III--not that it matters. Actually, sometimes theres something there trying to hit us back. Hmm...

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Skyrim turned us into dirty thieves

Skyrim turned us into dirty thieves

Some see Skyrim as a playground for fantastical adventure. Others see an endless array of objects that nobody will miss or need. We dont even need to call it stealing, because that sounds too evil. Lets go with purloined, which sounds fancier and more dignified. Robin Hood might even say were liberating these items. Some people have power fantasies that involve conflict and violence, but theres also thrill to be found in playing a sneaky kleptomaniac character. Trying to nab as much as you can before a character has you in their field of vision is deliciously tense. Plus, its difficult to resist indulging in stealing when its so beneficial to you, its easy to do, and there are negligible consequences for getting caught--compared to real life, anyway.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
The Sims 3 dehumanized humanity

The Sims 3 dehumanized humanity

Weve all probably met or heard of that creepy kid that plays with toys in a downright sinister way--like Sid in Toy Story. Its unsettling because we fear it might reflect something about the person doing it. If youve ever played The Sims, its likely that youve pulled out your inner Sid without realizing it. You have the power of a god who can use and abuse people however youd like. Who can resist the temptation or locking a digital Lilliputian in a doorless room, with nary a bathroom in sight? Its like a more advanced way of playing with dolls, only the dolls have an iota of autonomy and you cant always tell whats going to happen if you mess with something. Sounds like the perfect premise for malicious fun to us.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Grand Theft Auto rewarded our sociopathic outbursts

Grand Theft Auto rewarded our sociopathic outbursts

So youve got an entire city at your disposal, an arsenal of dangerous weapons, and you can steal any vehicle youd like. What else is there to do but to cause a ridiculous commotion? This is the reason that Grand Theft Auto truly caught on, as it gives people a sandbox in which to let loose in between missions. The possibilities are endless, and the value we see in choice cannot be understated when it comes to games. If that freedom means giving us more options to have cause a mindless ruckus, then all the better: It becomes a matter of seeing how far the game allows you to go in situations youd never actually be able to experience. Like, you know, firing rockets at police helicopters.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
World of Warcraft taught us how to marginalize creatives

World of Warcraft taught us how to marginalize creatives

Consider this: A talented creative writer spends hours, days, maybe even weeks, crafting an intricate dialogue tree, one that, in a relatable way, explores the human condition, the depth of emotion, the travails of life. And then you, the player, giving approximately zero damns about any of that noise. In World of Warcraft, youll speak to hundreds of characters and just hammer through the quest dialogue, only to run off and kill, what, 10 kobolds?. And then you return, hand outstretched looking for a few XP points and some change. Do you realize what that can do to a poor creatives sanity? His sense of self-worth? Yes, of course you do. But until games are sophisticated enough to relay a human being in all their complicated, nuanced glory, itll be difficult to stop treating these quest-givers like tools.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Bulletstorm upped our creativity when it comes to murder

Bulletstorm upped our creativity when it comes to murder

Were no strangers to murder in games--violence is an easy conflict for designers to simulate. Were often given a myriad of ways to kill people in games, because that keeps things interesting. However, few games actively encourage and reward you for being creative in how you dispose of enemies; fewer games ask you to revel in your cruelty. But Bulletstorm flies in the face of all these boring norms. Thanks to its skillshot system, which gives you more points for elaborate kills, youre practically no different than The Jigsaw Killer from Saw movies. At least he did it to teach people a lesson, not just because of a high score. What Bulletstorm reveals, though, is that we can be manipulated into doing anything if the mechanics are designed in the right way. Scary.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Halo made us love gloating over corpses

Halo made us love gloating over corpses

Every new Xbox 360 comes packaged with a controller and a headset, meaning, if you hop online, you have the means to communicate with everyone else. They say that anonymity, distance and lack of consequences can turn anybody into a jerk, but the way gloating and smack talk happens in Halo is special. Players sometimes like to crouch repeatedly on defeated foes--you may know this as "teabagging," but some of us know it as being a real bastard. Teabagging is like the digital equivalent of dancing at the endzone after a touchdown. Sure, its more aggressive, but that makes sense: Were duking it out with guns in Halo, not bodies! Plus, it's difficult not to get sucked into the practice if the people you're playing with like to teabag endlessly. Intense matches can see even the saintliest of players getting down and dirty out of frustration. When teabagging the perfect universal sign for you suck, chances are well never stop doing it. But you know what they say, When in Rome...

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Theres more than one way to be a jerk

Theres more than one way to be a jerk

Wed like to believe that most of us are actually well-meaning human beings, but the things we like to do in games doesnt always reflect that. This is but a small list of things that we do which makes us seem like jerks in games. Theres also stuff like treating companions like pack mules in Fallout New Vegas, practicing eugenics in Pokemon, and probably a million other things we cant think of without throwing our humanity to the wind. So tell us, dear reader: What are some ways in which youve been less than a model citizen in a game? We promise we wont judge you too hard for it.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms Mobile Gaming
Patricia Hernandez
Patricia Hernandez
Contributor

Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. She specializes in offbeat internet culture stories, along with reports on unbelievable player triumphs.

See more Games Features
Read more
Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077
It took me 326 hours to clock a less-obvious reason why Cyberpunk 2077 is the best open world RPG I've ever played: it's a secret comedy game
 
 
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
 
 
Death Stranding 2
After Metal Gear Solid 5 made sparing or killing enemies so important, I'm disappointed Death Stranding 2 wasted its most interesting mechanic
 
 
Jan sadly presses a hand on a screen that says 'deceased' in The Alters
The Alters has changed the way I play games for the better, and after 18 years I can finally finish Mass Effect
 
 
Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Hulk game ever and makes me wish for the return of destruction-oriented sandboxes
 
 
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot of Sam on a futuristic motorcycle
Death Stranding 2 players reach "breaking point for hating signs" as devious porters place speed boosts in inconvenient places: "I ran over a quokka because of one of those signs... I was devastated"
 
 
Latest in Games
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann says his hope for The Last of Us season 3 is "to make sure it's as deeply faithful as season 1"
 
 
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Remake director takes a hammer to difficulty discourse as the JRPG reveals ultimate god mode, says he's played games where he "gave up because of the time it takes to level up characters or traverse the game"
 
 
Anthem
BioWare realized late in Anthem's development that "this game was coming in on fire" after EA told the devs "we were targeting a game in the 70s" on Metacritic
 
 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Harper skin
Activision doubles down on Call of Duty skins problem, makes Black Ops 7 skins less goofy "after receiving community feedback specifically related to the Black Ops 7 Vault Edition"
 
 
Borderlands 4 trailer screenshot of Rafa around a bonfire
Gearbox and Randy Pitchford aim a fire hose at the Borderlands 4 PC port, share "optimization guide" and a tip to "boost your performance" which is, big surprise, enabling DLSS performance with frame gen
 
 
Characters from Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Remake gets 2026 release date on Switch 2 and Xbox with Rebirth and Part 3 to follow
 
 
Latest in Features
Man of Tomorrow concept art showing Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up superimposed over a group of heroes from the cover of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Almost 90 years after Superman was first called the Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn is reviving the name for his big sequel
 
 
A lineup of Helsmiths of Hashut warriors armed with spears in a rocky environment, with a larger model looming behind them
Fear this new Warhammer Age of Sigmar army, because the Helsmiths of Hashut are gonna kick your ass
 
 
A screenshot of the upcoming Switch 2 game, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave with a character using a purple energy blast
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – Everything we know about the strategy game's Switch 2 debut
 
 
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Downton Abbey helped me through the toughest times, but The Grand Finale feels like the perfect time to wrap things up
 
 
Upcoming video game movies: Mario, Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about The Super Mario Bros. sequel
 
 
Mario
How well do you know the Super Mario series?
 
 
  1. Gwent: The Legendary Card Game box on a wooden surface, with cards visible in the background
    1
    There's now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it's just as engrossing as the original
  2. 2
    Borderlands 4 review: "Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy"
  3. 3
    This enormous exploration board game won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay
  4. 4
    Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"
  5. 5
    Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
  1. Vera Farmiga as 'Lorraine' in The Conjuring: Last Rites
    1
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  2. 2
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  3. 3
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  4. 4
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  5. 5
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams in Wednesday season 2 part 2
    1
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  2. 2
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  3. 3
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  4. 4
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  5. 5
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...