Editorials Reviews Previews Essays Worth Playing

Essays

Essays 26 March 2020, 15:05

Does Your Voice Matter? Discussing Choices in Video Games

Will you kill a man and take his food, or will you go your way? Game developers have fallen in love with moral choices, but if you play enough games, you may start to feel that they have little to do with choosing, and even less with morality.

Table of Contents

The Walking Dead was certainly a revolutionary game – it proved that the right weight of moral choices and credible characters are enough to make a game compelling – without shooting, jumping on platforms, or driving a car. But in fact, the history of making difficult choices in games starts much earlier – just mention 1999's King of Dragon Pass. I strongly recommend it, by the way.

What we're attracted to in games is a sense of control. Unlike in most movies and books (save for the few exceptions), video games let us decide what happens next. We do that in basically every game, even if it's just Duke Nukem 3D, and our choice comes down to whether we use a freezer or a flame thrower. That doesn't mean every decision in the game can be called a moral choice.

Tough decisions in video games are nothing new. - Does Your Voice Matter? Discussing Choices in Video Games - dokument - 2020-03-25
Tough decisions in video games are nothing new.

I'd like to tell you more about them today, but in order for you to get a better sense of the subject, I'll let you make your own decision now.

  1. You want to know what makes a good moral choice different from a bad one? Go to Part 1A on Page 2.
  2. Or would you rather read about the author's experience in creating storylines? Go to Part 1B on Page 2.

Martin Strzyzewski

Martin Strzyzewski

Began at Gamepressure in the Editorials department, later he became the head of the technology department, which included both news and publications, as well as the tvtech channel. He previously worked in many places, including the Onet portal. By education, a Russianist. He has been planning to return to diving for years, but for now he is mainly busy with a dog, a rabbit, and a YouTube channel where he talks about the countries of the former USSR.

more

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus

Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3

The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series - Season One

The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series - Season One

Mass Effect

Mass Effect

We. the Revolution

We. the Revolution

This War of Mine

This War of Mine

Fallout 2

Fallout 2

See/Add Comments