Now that we’ve seen the distant past of moral choice in games as well as recent history, let’s take a look at what it all means, and where it all could be going.

Choice is a powerful thing for a gamer; it can be the critical difference between a player simply playing a game and a player really experiencing a game.  Choice draws the player in, makes them feel like they really have a say in what’s going on in a game. Obviously, some choices are more important than others, and players want to know that the decisions they make have an actual effect.  Simply offering them the choice between going down the left hall or the right hall may be a choice, but it’s not one they are likely to remember. Moral choices, though – especially the ones that carry real consequence – those are the ones that players really remember.

The kicker in that thought, though, is the part about consequences.  Choices that don’t carry real consquence are not really choices.  Final Fantasy VI has a moment where Terra must decide whether she wants to help the Returners in their rebellion against the empire.  Clearly, this is a pretty big decision in the life of this young… esper… woman… thing.  The truth is, though, you can’t say no.  If you refuse the offer, the game forces you to wander around the caves for a few more minutes until some heartfelt NPC manages to change your mind.  Obviously, it would pretty quickly bring the game to a stuttering halt if you really could say “no” and be on your merry way, but if your choices don’t matter, don’t have the player make them.  This is a somewhat harmless example, but many, many other games have tread the same path with the same results.

Ultros thoughtfully tells us the year the War of Devolution came to a close

There are also the instances where weighty moral choices have but one outcome; a good ending or a bad ending.  While this is technically a consequence, it is usually so telegraphed to the player that it ceases to carry much meaning; if they do the “bad” thing, they get the bad ending – if they do the “good” thing, they get the good ending.

In life, the ethical quandaries we face are rarely ever so completely black and white, no matter how much some people would like you to believe they are.  Is it then a requirement that games, as a form of escapism, simplify them for us?  Perhaps, but a richer experience is usually had when these choices are subtle, and perhaps don’t turn out exactly how we might expect.  The original Fallout, released over 10 years ago, did a good job of this, but even then they worried about defying people’s expectations.  It is said that originally, in one particular instance where a player can choose between assisting a gangster or the local sheriff, that if players took the “good” route and helped the sheriff out, it would secure the town in the short run, but in the long run the sheriff’s iron-fisted rule of law would cause the entire town to stagnate and die.  This particular section of the ending was ultimately removed before release because the designers felt it would upset players who thought they were doing something good.

Not every problem has a black and white solution

This, however, is what I think is the natural next step for moral choice in games.  We’ve had fifteen years of games drawing clear lines between good and bad, and rewarding (or punishing) us accordingly.  But gamers have grown up, and it’s time for some of our games to grow up with us.  I think most of us would gladly take a richer gaming experience that can really suck us in even if it means the good/evil divide isn’t always what we expect.  This is the time to step forward and defy our expectations, let us make choices and let us deal with the consequences.  Yes, there is always the “escapism” argument, that games aren’t supposed to get into this kind of territory, but I think that’s an outdated notion left over from an earlier era.  And it’s not like every game needs to deal with moral choices; Tetris cannot be improved even if you have to worry about whether it’s right or wrong to wipe those blocks out of existence.

Ok, it might be a little better…

Did it ever occur to you that those blocks might have families?

So ends our look at the past, present, and potential future of moral choice in the world of gaming.  It’s a still largely unexplored territory, and one that a clever developer could make some real advances in; In the constant search for new ways to tell stories to gamers, this is an old way that still has lots of room for growth.  In the meantime, just remember that bad guys always get scars, and that while good guys may not always get the girl, they almost always get a discount a local stores.