good or bad? We need better moral systems in video games

Antiheroes like Tony Soprano, Don Draper, Saul Goodman or the boys and ladies from The Boys are an absolute hit on TV. Morally ambivalent characters fit perfectly into the format, because it is not clear from the outset where their path will lead and which impulse will win in the end. It’s easy for us to empathize with the dilemma and speculate as to what resolution awaits us, only to be cleverly surprised or confirmed. It’s exciting and keeps the audience engaged.

In video games, whose stories sometimes take up as much time as an entire series, such moral challenges also play an important role. With the difference that we can influence the direction in which the main character decides. RPGs in particular attach great importance to freedom of choice, but only very few titles are as exciting as on TV. Despite an excellently written story and multi-layered NPCs, enough games still rely on inflexible moral systems for our own characters. Most of the time we are even punished for trying to deviate from the beaten track. Of course, there are also a few prominent exceptions, but as we know, they confirm the rule.

It’s your choice – always press the same thing!

Having a “good” or “bad” approach to all decisions usually means picking sides early in the game and then choosing the appropriate option each time. Recent games I’ve played include King Arthur: Knights Tale, KoTOR 2, and the Mass Effect series, all of which contain such systems.

When our responses or actions match a specific alignment, a gauge fills. If this is full, we get bonuses for certain skills or new solutions for quests. In Mass Effect, these are even highlighted in color, so we don’t accidentally leave points behind.

If you don’t want to commit to one side, you definitely have a disadvantage in such RPGs. But even those who don’t have a problem playing a slyly nasty or good-hearted character are still too tamed by the system. There is not only one all-encompassing form of good or bad, but shades. A cold-blooded businessman who will stop at nothing for his greed is undeniably evil, but that doesn’t mean he’s a murderous lunatic.

In many RPGs, like KoTOR, the scoring system forces us to know no boundaries, regardless of personal motivation. It’s not enough to be selfish and opportunistic. If you want to keep your malice at maximum in order to dust off all the bonuses, you also have to act cruelly and sadistically. This makes the main character look like a robot programmed for good or evil. Which is somehow true.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2

Source: PC games