Good Evil

In nearly every video game a morally questionable player comes off as a complete fucking moron.

Presenting moral choices that result in divergent gameplay is one of the best ways to create a memorable video game experience. Overall the approach can make the game appeal to a larger audience, drastically increase replay value, and expand avenues of delivering a story. Yet of the top role playing games of all time, according to metacritic, less than half permit the player a major degree of game-changing ethical agency.

Ignoring games where the primary focus is an immutable story, the main argument for limiting player impact is that when given the opportunity to push ethical boundaries, nearly all players choose to be nice. Why are so few players choosing to be evil? It can be partially explained by the intrinsic nature of man to build society. Some players just want to roleplay themselves in an alien environment. But for those looking to experience something different altogether, playing an evil character sucks. Evil player characters are basic sociopathic idiots.

This is because games do an awful job of responding to the motivations of a controversial player. A player might make a driven decision with very clear intent, but the game interprets their actions differently. The most prevalent, and laziest, interpretation is that any morally questionable action is simply a dick move. There is very little in the way of exploring motivation, and instead a basic moral dichotomy exists where the world reacts positively or negatively to any action. For a player, everything boils down to a choice:

Though rarely are a player's motivations considered by the game, it can sometimes be worse when they are acknowledged. When the same outcome occurs regardless of the path taken, any immersion is completely ruined. It also harms replayability, as demonstrated by played time for any Telltale Games title. A game needs react accordingly to player actions; there needs to be consequence.

Consequence is best received when intent is recognized in addition to action. A player will be more amenable to repercussions if they are reflective of motives. This is where a huge breakdown occurs. When playing an evil character, the game must realize why player is doing so. A player could steal because they had been wronged by society, believe their cause superior to the mundanities of financial transactions, or even have a grudge against the shopkeeper. Understanding these motivations and building a world around them is how a conceivable story develops. Without this feedback, the whole experience is void of any substantial character development.