The article is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
Most gamers enjoy a well-developed storyline in a video game. Because of this, games that allow the player's actions to impact the game world tend to be unforgettable. When the stakes are high, your choices as a player are much more exciting. Morality systems are standard in many games; in some cases, the player's actions are measured and displayed on a meter or visual indicator that ranges from good to evil. However, this method can be more subtle at times, and the player may not be able to check whether their character has a clear sense of right and wrong.
Some experts say that your morality in a virtual
world can't be measured in the same way as your morality in the real world, but
it's still a fascinating experiment in ethics to try and compare the two.
Here's a list of video games that question your moral values. Visit BetterHelp to learn more about this philosophical debate.
Fallout
A hallmark of the Fallout series has always been the
ability for players to make significant changes to the game's setting by
altering their own actions. These choices could be rewarded or punished, and
this element was included in the first two Fallout games as well. It continued
in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas too. The 3D world made
the player's decisions more significant in both games. Only a restricted
version of this morality mechanism was included in Fallout 4. Actions taken by
the player still have effects, but these are limited to non-player characters'
reactions.
Dishonored
There was a unique morality system in the Dishonored
video games. As the player's actions become more chaotic, the games take note
of where they fall on the morality scale. Killing adversaries affects the chaos
system, and friendly fire is another activity that has an impact on this chaos
system.
Interestingly, because of the Dishonored series' use
of stealth mechanics, it's possible to complete the game without killing a
single enemy. The player's level of chaos has a significant impact on the game
world. Changes in dialogue options, the availability of specific tasks, and the
number of rats plaguing the game world can all be affected by this.
Infamous
The karma system in the Infamous series has a profound influence on both the game world and the protagonist's powers. In the Infamous games, the player's karma level is shown on a meter, allowing them to strategize the evolution of their character. Players can gain new skills as their character grows, and the skills they can learn depends on whether they've chosen to be moral or immoral.
Depending on which option is selected, the
protagonists even look different. The PS4 version of Infamous Second Son
expanded on this idea, and it had a special attack called the "Karma
Bomb" that was activated by doing nice or bad things repeatedly.
The Wolf Among Us
The Walking Dead and Back to the Future games by
Telltale Games are among the most well-known examples of interactive graphic
novel games. The Wolf Among Us is one of the lesser-known gems. Bigby Wolf, a
character from DC Comics' The Fables comic book series, is the protagonist of
this video game (The Big Bad Wolf in human form).
Fabletown's sheriff, Bigby, is entirely in the hands
of the player. Will Bigby be a kind peace officer or a renegade police officer? As is typical of Telltale Games, the voice acting is excellent and
helps the player immerse themselves in the story.
Mass Effect
Players in the Mass Effect series make decisions that
affect the whole galaxy. Even if their choices had a negligible impact on the
story, players found that the main goal was nearly identical for all of them.
While players had real concerns about the long-term effects of their choices,
the series did have a few humorously difficult choices that forced players to
put the controller down and consider the weight of their options.
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