The Game Mechanic
In
most games that present moral choices, the player is almost never uncertain
about what choices lead to good and what choices lead to evil. One choice glows
with a holy blue and white aura and the other choice glows in a menacing black
and red. The player chooses freely between good and evil without a serpent to
deceive them.
There
are any number of games that provide an example of this system, and I’m sure
you can think of a few yourself. Let's look at a few.
One
example is Infamous, a game which represents the more rigid end of the
spectrum. Moral choices in Infamous (referred to in-game as "Karmic Moments") affect the details of the story, but also what
powers your character receives. More importantly, it makes no attempts to
disguise which choice leads to which end. Each choice is explicitly outlined in
blue (good) or red (evil). This binary is driven home by the portrayal of
"good" powers as blue energy and "evil" powers as red
energy.
 |
| Subtlety, thy name is InFamous |
Unlike the Garden
of Eden, these choices have little impact on overall gameplay. Choosing evil
does not mean that “you will surely die,” only that you will surely get a
different triumphant ending. If anything, it means that more NPCs will surely
die, since the evil powers are more aggressive and destructive.
We
can also look at Bioshock’s Little
Sister choices as an example. The player can either choose to kill the Little
Sisters to harvest all of their ADAM or save them and receive less. This in
turn affects the ending the player receives. Of course, since the player can
also receive ADAM from other, less child-murdery sources, these choices have
little impact on the game experience. You know which choice is good and which
is evil, but it hardly matters (for you will surely level up).
 |
| These two options are morally equivalent. |
While
this Edenian moral choice system provides the basis for most video games, there
are three main variations that appear frequently enough to warrant discussion:
The Law
V. Chaos Variation
This
variation presents moral choices as different methods or ideologies instead of
good and evil.
In
Mass Effect, players choose between the “Paragon” and “Renegade” paths.
These two moralities are not presented as good or evil, but rather as different
means towards the end of saving the universe. It is not a distinction of hero
and villain, but hero and anti-hero. It is clear what choices are considered
Paragon and which are considered Renegade, but true baby-eating evil is not an
option.
 |
| Paragon vs. Renegade |
We
might call this the “separate but equal” system, since both choices are
presented as equally moral in the big picture sense. The binary distinction is
maintained but the question of ultimate right and wrong is passed over. The Shin
Megami Tensei games also frequently fall into this category, as they
present Good and Evil as warring ideologies instead of absolute truths.
The Actually Change Gameplay Variation
This
variation presents moral choices that substantially change gameplay beyond
endings and powers.
In
Dishonored, the morality system revolves around the choice to kill or
not to kill. Killing enemy soldiers makes missions easier to complete, but it
also causes more zombie-like plague victims to spawn – which makes missions
harder. Both options have a concrete effect on the game world beyond NPCs
yelling “Yay!” or “Boo!” as you walk past (Fable, I'm looking at you).
Both
choices involve their own complications to gameplay. Killing guards makes
missions easier, but having more plague victims around makes missions harder.
The moral choice is still clear, but the choices have a substantial effect on
gameplay beyond visual window dressing.
Dishonored is interesting in that it also provides an
example of the Law vs. Chaos variation – the choice to kill is not presented as
an ultimate evil, but as a chaotic action that naturally increases the chaos
level of the game world. So we see that what is essential to an Edenian moral system
is not how morality is defined, but that it is defined explicitly.
The Third Way Variation
One
common way of complicating the moral picture is to offer a third, neutral
option which lies somewhere between good and evil, law and chaos. This is perhaps
most commonly referred to as the “Neutral” path, though individual games may
apply different terms.
Atlus
loves this variation and is shows up in many of their games. Catherine
presents the Middle Way between Law and Chaos as “True Freedom.” The previously mentioned Shin Megami Tensei series and its
many, many spin offs generally give the player at least three options: side
with the Lawful Angels, the Chaotic Demons, or overcome both in the name of
Neutral Humanity.
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| Catherine's morality meter |
There
are also games where neutrality is presented as the lack of good or evil rather
than as a path of its own. Variations on variations could be multiplied
infinitely – the point is, good, evil, and neutrality are all explicitly
defined and clearly labeled.
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