Moral choices and systems in video games are nothing new. In the 90s, when every new role-playing game brought something new to the table, it did not matter whether you were choosing an alignment for your character in Baldur’s Gate or trying to earn some good karma in the wasteland of Fallout, you were still dealing with morality and moral choices. Would you rob the weary traveller you encounter on the road or would you spare some of your very limited supplies to help him and expect nothing in return?

It was during the last decade that moral choices in video games have truly taken a giant leap forward. Fallout: New Vegas had over a dozen of factions and towns you could create fame (or infamy) for yourself in. Series like Dragon Age and Mass Effect went a step further and allowed you to import save files containing all your choices from previous games into the current one and adjusted the world based on those choices, creating a new level of immersion and making it seem like your choices matter more than ever.

However, not all games are upfront and transparent about the consequences of your choices. They will hide their intentions and hit you with them when you least expect it, making you question every choice you made so far. So let’s take a look at some of them.

Morality of an assassin

Dishonored is an action game that puts you in a role of a supernatural royal assassin, and is definitely the master of subtlety when it comes to consequences. Choices like deciding to play hide-and-seek with a child or taking a drink from a man having his portrait taken seem insignificant, but they will still result in a change of the world later in the game. Be it in a book entry or a finished portrait.

However, not all choices in Dishonored, or its sequel, are as easy as those. As a master assassin wielding the power of the supernatural it is expected you would go about solving every problem with good old-fashioned assassination. But Dishonored will also offer an alternate path at every turn and many NPCs will actively voice their displeasure about your violent actions, so it is often a good idea to consider an alternative approach.

As it turns out, the alternative approach might not always be as simple as hitting a person with a sleep dart instead of killing them. Is it better to kill an evildoer or frame him as a traitor against his Empress? Would you poison a woman at her own party or let her creepy stalker kidnap her? Situations like those prove that morality is a grey area.

If you want a game that will make you look for every possible solution to a problem and keep you on your toes while you make hard choices make sure to check it out.

Choices we make in frozen wastelands

Frostpunk is a new twist on a survival game, where instead of having to take care of yourself you are in charge of an entire colony in a frost-covered post-apocalyptic world. You are the one that establishes laws that regulate the society, decide the working routine of your people, and are responsible for maintaining their hope and contentment.

Frostpunk is filled with choices, big and small, but none of them are easy. If the society is to survive you will have to make some cuts. Maybe you will not always have enough food for everyone to have a proper meal, or maybe there just will not be enough space in your city for the refugees that show up on your door. Every once in a while your citizens will make requests, and it is your choice whether you will fulfill them or not. Even though you might not like them you still have to remember they can remove you from your position at any time. In this frozen wasteland morality depends on your current situation.

Each choice in Frostpunk might bear an unexpected result later on. Frostpunk pushes people to the limit. But what will you become in the process?

Morality during war

This War of Mine is a war survival game based on real events. In it you control a group of civilians trapped in a besieged city while struggling with lack of food, medicine, and constant danger from soldiers and scavengers.

This War of Mine is probably the best at presenting repercussions of acting against morality. You will have to balance your resources against your character’s mental state. Having them commit crimes will take a heavy psychological toll on them. Put too much pressure on them and you will end up losing either them or resources, and it is never easy to choose which one to part with.

Your conscience will ultimately be what drives your decisions. Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one? Are there good and bad decisions during the war, or is there only survival?

You can find all of these games right here at 2game!

Have you ever made a hard choice in a video game? Are there any other games that come to mind? We would love to hear from you in the comments.

Until next time, and remember, morality is subjective.