When is it satisfying to watch brutal killing and when is it barbaric?

In many entertainment mediums, it is imperative that more action-y or monster movies like vampires or whatever have a lot of killing, slicing, and dicing. Lots of blood and gore for the audience to feel satisfaction.

Perhaps a show like Dexter? The viewers anticipating his next victim? How about video games? That's a big one right there, and pretty much the only reason why the "M" rating even exists.

This is all basic stuff, but when is it barbaric or unpleasant to see? Bordering on the lines of being too squeamish to watch?

I think this topic requires a kind of philosophical reflection that would have no place on this forum.

For now, this: all violence is barbaric. It's only a question if you can stomach it. What that means for you, I don't know.

It's rarely satisfying to see killings in and of themselves. Deprived of context, an on-screen death is just a pointless act of violence, just as it frequently is in the real world. For me, personally, the line is crossed with movies like Captivity. It's apparent that the violence is intended only for for prurient pleasure and poorly conceals a deep misanthropy or (much more frequently) misogyny on the part of the filmmakers.

It was satisfying when I was 13.

edit: Actually it was never satisfying, but I did enjoy a lot of mindless action.

It becomes barbaric when someone actually gets hurt. Otherwise, there is no problem at all. I'm a very stable individual and I enjoy violence & gore a lot (used tastefully of course).

Using blood and gore tastefully? That's a bit of a clashing sentence...

It's only satisfying when you know it's fake.fedora80

This pretty much.

context. That's all it comes down to and there are too many scenarios.

when its a revenge scene, its a blast to watch as the avenger rips the wusses to pieces.GazaAli

i never find it satisfying to kill things. i dont mid it in Video games or movies because in video games there not real people and in movies there acting. if its like the news i just throw up.

I wonder if that's the best attitude to take...

Blood and gore dont borther me at all on video games and rarely bother me on tv or movies but if I saw someone in real life get killed or hurt badly I think i might get sick

When it contributes to the story or helps get a point across...i find pointless gratuitous violence rather...uninteresting..

When that yellow bastard got his knob ripped off at the end of Sin City was one of the most satisying moments of violence i have ever seen.

Brutal killings are barbaric, even if they aren't real...

Psh, IT's always satisfying in Games and Movies when you see the bad guys die in a fountain of blood and gore.

Its never satisfying for me. I don't understand why anyone would find someone being brutally killed satisfying, whether it be real or on tv.

Any amount of violence on tv is fine with me as it is just tv. Outside of that? I'm not sure, if I ever go to war I will tell you.

Oddly enough, the only time i get satisfaction from kills and deaths is when they are brutal and barbaric.