Poll: Am I the only Morally motivated gamer out there?

[an annoyed writer]

I'm generally on the same boat as Erin here in this comic:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/critical-miss/9225-Highlanders-Anonymous

And yeah, like the people before me have said, most people choose the good options because the evil options usually result in "act like a total ****" as opposed to "act like a human being". If the evil choices were more morally grey and had really good reasons behind them, then yeah, I might be more evil more often. But I don't like being evil. I try to help whoever I can, even when they hate my guts.

 

[Kiardras]

You needed an option for "sometimes"

Sometimes I will be an evil reprehensible bastard, and sometimes I will take the path of higher virtue. Mostly on the same character/playthrough.

Depends on the context as well - hurting a little sister made me feel so bad I couldn't bring myself to do it, yet on Fallout 3 for example, I was fine with the slavers of paradise falls, and only cared about buying the children free. I also captured all those they said they wanted.

So I tend to the morally grey kinda side.

 

[zarix2311]

I always try to have a "good" file and a "evil" file, but my own bias tends to leak in. Unless I'm going for a completely good or evil file, then I'll do it no matter what I personally think of the character.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Bioware I think it was had a post or release that said they were irked at how few people chose the 'evil' option in their Paragon system for ME2 or somesuch. They'd spend all this time making intricate scenarios in case someone was evil and very few gamers ever found it because they were all doing the goody two shoes things.

Anyway, I usually opt for good. Given the choice between killing a little girl or missing out on one situationally useful ability like shooting bees from my outstretched hand, it's not much of a question.

 

[Baldry]

I always try and do what I think is right, that tends to be the "right" thing so I tend to always be good, even when I do an evil run through I can't not be nice or do what I believe in without some real pushing and apologising to the pixels on screen...That said I steal the shit out of everything, as long as I can get it and sell it, its mine. Thankfully I use the money for good...And stuff.

Oh and as for giving money to beggars in Skyrim I once picked the lock to the charity chest, in the temple at riften and put a hefty sum of money, partially because they wouldn't take all my money and because it was the right thing to do...Also because it's Skyrim and I was walking around with shit loads of gold.

 

[JWRosser]

Vast games such as Skyrim I tend to roleplay, and ergo do what I feel the character would do.

With regards to Bioshock, I harvested one Little Sister and felt horrible afterwards, so saved the rest. So no...you're not the only one. For me, it just depends on the game, but I do often feel bad for killing an innocent or something similar if I am not roleplaying a character.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Sometimes I try to be evil just to see THAT side of a game, but I can never commit... for example in Fallout 3, I got to blow up megaton and then my interest dropped entirely. I accidentally chose the bad ending (pre-broken steel) in my first (good) run through, which led to a funny end sequence where Ron Perlman praises me for all the good i did in the world, but then 180s in his tone as he describes my failure to the do what was asked of me (sacrifice).

In deus ex HR (and Deus Ex, in fact), because I have the option not to kill at all (bar bosses) I find myself completely avoiding all the beefy weapons. I have still not seen what the laser rifle or rocket launcher does in a combat situation and I've had the game since release and have done several playthroughs.

Personally, I prefer if games allowed me to walk in the grey area between despicably bad and saint like. In Deus Ex there were a few sequences where I willingly did what was objectively bad, in order to achieve a good outcome (end justifies the means kind of grey area) in 2 of my several playthroughs.

This annoys me greatly sometimes as I lose out on certain aspects to a game (Not doing Morag Tong or Dark brotherhood quests in TES games). But it doesn't stop me from doing Thieve Guild quests since they are in the "grey" area of morality. I still can't get myself to join with Legion in New Vegas or play Renegade in Mass Effect (why can't there be a grey area in that game). Name any game where there is a moral option and chances are I have only been able to play half, or less, of the games outcomes.

These reasons are probably why I love The Witcher. Even when playing as a straight shooter, I can find myself in situations where my moral fiber causes problems for other characters, resulting in unexpected consequences. This encourages me to think beyond my own code and try to see how I can best resolve a situation so it won't come back to bite me... this may or may not include violence.

So yeah, I prefer a morally grey experience rather then ultimately good or ultimately evil. But when I only have a binary choice, I choose good.

 

[Riddle78]

My moral code in gaming is what happens when Urdnot Wrex meets the Tau Empire.

"For the greater good. Weather they like it or not."

In games that allow it,I always work for my precieved "Greater Good" while ruthlessly crushing all opposition in the proccess. However,I do have a soft streak. It's geberally aimed at my subordinates,if I have any. Otherwise,it's aimed at the underdog. I sometimes do the odd "Bad guy" playthrough,but it's rarely as satisfying. Although,Renegade Shep with Paragon leanings is quite close to how I would operate in that situation...

 

[SouthpawFencer]

I tend to make "good guy" decisions in most games.

Part of the reason is that I feel that, all too often, the Renegade/Evil renegade choices tend to be dumber.

In Mass Effect, for example, a lot of the Renegade options seemed to me to be more of "be a jerk for no good reason" decisions.

In Skyrim, I played my first play-through with a certain amount of "moral flexibility", as John Cusack put it in Grosse Point Blank. Even then, I had certain RULES. If the thieves guild had me steal from Carlotta Valentia (the widow in Whiterun who supported her daughter by running a produce stand in the market), I completed the mission, but I left in place of the necklace I stole from her with a Gold Diamond Necklace enchanted with a Grand Soul Gem to provide a bonus to Barter. It had no in-game effect, of course (just like stealing from her didn't cause her to go hungry), but I wanted to offset my guilt for stealing from a widow...

I cut myself off from the Dark Brotherhood questline because I refused to kill one of the three victims, since I didn't have any way of knowing that they DESERVED to die. Instead, I killed Astrid. When I did it, I noted that she'd told me "Repayment of your debt is but a discreet knife thrust away", so I made a point to kill her with a dagger so that, as I explained to one of my friends "She'd be right about something at least ONCE in her lifetime."

Of course, I probably lost any right to lecture ANYBODY about morality when I trapped her soul and put it into a dagger, which I then left in a display case in one of my houses. In fact, quite a few people who have ticked me off are now in enchanted objects. Mercer Frey is in a pair of boots, Ancano is in an elven helmet, Jaree-Ra is in a set of Fine Clothes, Deeja's in a hat, Grelod the Kind is in a Ring, Sigar is in the dress of one of his victims. But I'm not REALLY evil, because they all deserved it. At least, that's what my character tells herself when trying to get to sleep at night...

 

[BOOM headshot65]

I cant do evil. Literally...cant...do it. About the only thing that can make me do it is the achievements, but then I just do a rush game thinking "lets get this over with right the hell now." There have been times were I have used every last bullet and every last unit of currency just to protect a faceless, unnamed NPC, and my brother (who usually does the evil paths and acts like a prick) doesnt understand why. The ONLY way I will do an evil option is if there is no other way or I think the guy doesnt deserve mercy.[footnote]Those underserving of mercy include: Slavers, weapons dealers who supply the bad guys/no mercy people, Drug Runners, Murderers, Genocidist, Dictators, General Rippers [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GeneralRipper], anyone who attacks children, etc. With some exceptions, like the Great Khans.[/footnote]

Although, there is one way I could be considered evil. I am rather ruthless when it comes to a fight. If they surrender, I will gladly take care of thier men and make sure they are safe and well cared for. When the fighting happens, I will not stop until they have been destroyed, retreat (maybe, depends on situation), or surrender. This is shown in one of my favorite stratagies in RTS/TBS games: "The Killbox."

Step 1) Send armored, high firepower units to meet the enemy head on.
Step 2) Send lighter armed/armored units sneaking on the left and right flank.
Step 3) Launch suprise attack on front, left, and right of the enemy. Add artillery/air support to mix if possible.
Step 4) Laugh as they run for thier miserable lives.

 

[Popadoo]

Even though they're essentially lines of code, I always feel bad for being a dick in a game. I think the fact that I'd do that just for more, say, money means that in real life -although I may not be as big of a dick- I might do something similar to gain benefits.
So fully good karma for me.
In the ol' D+D measuring system... thing, I usually go for chaotic good. That allows me to be a good guy, but still have a little bit of freedom to have fun.

 

[King of Asgaard]

I do what gets me the most loot.
Why?
Because it's a game.
I don't act in games the way I do in real life, because if I did, I would be killed by a lone wolf in the tutorial level. I find it impossible to role-play in games because IRL I'm a spineless wimp, so in a virtual world, I'm the biggest douche who ever existed.

 

[TheCommanders]

I usually play games that allow for good and evil options multiple times, and try to pick a personality for the person and stick to it. I actually do find it hard on occasion to be evil in a game, especially if the game makes me like the characters a lot. Some other games, like Fable, where every single NPC I meet tries as hard as possible to be annoying, I will kill them. What's annoying is when the game makes something deliberately annoying, then punishes you for killing it, or doesn't allow you to kill it at all (Borderlands anyone?). Also, I wouldn't want to kill the children in Skyrim, but god damn did they make them obnoxious. Especially that ***** in Dragonsreach in Whiterun.

 

[rob_simple]

I just do what I think is right, and that usually turns out to be the good option.

Well, except for that stupid bullshit in Fable III where apparently preserving some National Trust land is a better idea than building a factory to produce weapons to help fight the end of the damn world.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

In most games I'll do a 'good' runthrough first and then consider an evil one after that.

 

[shrekfan246]

Depends on the game. I love being a complete monster when playing as a Predator in AVP2 but I tend to be nice in RPGs. I haven't quite grasped the concept of role-playing yet .

Yeah, what this guy said.

I have a hard time being a douche in games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, inFamous, and I've just realized I'm having a difficult time thinking up any more relevant examples. But in a game like Prototype, where everything is so over the top and let's face it, collateral damage is unavoidable, I don't really have any qualms about it.

Also, welcome to the Escapist. Stay away from the basement if you want to have an enjoyable stay.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

I have the same problem; I really can't make myself take the evil option unless I really push myself to be absolutely evil all the time in game. If I try to create a character who's mostly evil but still reasonable (ie. sane) then more often than not they come off as neutral or still comparatively nice. I think the only games where I've properly gone full evil is Knights of the Old Republic one and two, although I was a fair bit younger then.

EDIT: Oh, except for games where being evil is pretty much part of the whole thing, like Prototype, Saints Row and GTA. I can quite happily act like a psychopath in those.

I do what gets me the most loot.
Why?
Because it's a game.
I don't act in games the way I do in real life, because if I did, I would be killed by a lone wolf in the tutorial level. I find it impossible to role-play in games because IRL I'm a spineless wimp, so in a virtual world, I'm the biggest douche who ever existed.

Not that I'm criticising your choice, but... Why is fictional loot better than fictional morals?