Morality in Video Games

With the recent releases of Skyrim and Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the looming releases of Mass Effect 3, Fable: The Journey and Rainbow Six: Patriots, players will likely be making more important, in-game choices than they do in real life.

Morality in video games is a topic that is often dismissed and avoided. In RPG’s and sandbox games especially, a player has choices to make, from seemingly unimportant decisions to choices that could affect lives. The overarching theme among open-world games, however, is which path the character will take: an upright road of justice, an immoral route of a criminal, or somewhere in between. What I’d like to explore in this article is how the choices that we make while gaming affect us, and subsequently what they say about us.

It’s no secret that many gamers love playing villainous characters, simply as an escape. Video games offer people the chance to detached from the laws and confines of real life, and immerse themselves in a world where they can do whatever they want to with little or no repercussions. For example, The Old Republic MMO currently has more gamers who chose the route of Sith rather than Jedi, and it doesn't seem like the numbers will even out any time soon. In Sandbox games like Skyrim, players can steal and murder to their heart’s desire –and without punishment --  as long as they don’t get caught.

Yes, I’ll admit it: I’ve done some pretty evil things in RPG’s because I wanted to earn certain achievements. At first, things like this made me literally sick to my stomach. In Fallout 3, I pickpocketed a helpless, thirsty beggar, stuck a grenade in his inventory, and watched as his body blew to pieces. In Oblivion, I committed dozens of murders under the banner of the Dark Brotherhood. So many, in fact, that I slowly started building up a resistance to the horrible sights and actions, and even grew proud of my sneaky, lethal proficiency. This begs the question that has been brooding in my head for some time: Is it wrong to plot murder, even if the victim is a game character? Does evil manifest in the thought, or in the action?

I certainly don’t have the answer; I don’t know if there is an answer. But I do know that giant, open sandbox games give people the chance to do either good or evil. I know that these games can encourage us to be better people in our own lives, and at the same time they can numb us to very real atrocities. And I know that sometimes, games are nothing more than just superficial games. Still, this topic raises quite a few issues that are worth pondering.

So, let’s have a discussion! Tell us what you think about morality in gaming.