I always feel a little bad on some level, playing sadistically (even though it's a game), so it doesn't have as much as a pull for me as some. But I'm glad the author talked to someone knowledgeable and emphasized the "it's just a way to blow off steam" perspective. I also like that they acknowledged the reality of the few who would be sadistic in RL, without making it into some fear-mongering piece.
Cause really, video games are fantasy. And power fantasies are, I think, the most common desire in relation to them. It's common for people to feel powerless in their lives in one way or another, as the world is very much a place that is out of one's control. And what better way to feel powerful than to play a dictator?
I suspect that for this game in particular, there's a sort of "break the matrix" effect going on as well, since it is a life simulator. This idea that you can act out a fantasy of tearing down rules of reality and social conventions of RL, allowing you to get even a fantasy glimpse of what lies underneath. Possibly related to the reason that apocalypse tv shows and games appeal to so many people. Animals don't like being caged and we are no different, but I think it's safe to say that most of us (if not all) understand implicitly that we have to be caged on some level for the overall health and survival of our species. Caged in this case really just meaning a kind of cooperation that we don't strictly desire to go along with every moment.
