Morality in games will make an interesting future.
Jeremy Harris
Issue date: 2/15/10 Section: Opinion
Morality is slowly becoming a constant in video games. Several games and game franchises over the last couple of years such as the Fable series, the Fallout series, the Mass Effect series, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, and many others have included the ability to make choices that impact the game's plot and the main character's personality. After having played numerous games that make use of a moral scale, I have to say that it's a system I like, but only if it is developed properly.
One company that has been able to use morality properly is Bioware which has Developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. All of those games I just listed allow for the player to exercise a degree of control of how their character acts, which in turn will influence the characters standing on the game's moral scale.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (or KOTOR for short) and its sequel allowed players to choose dialog options during certain in-game conversations that would reward the player with either light side points or dark side points. These points would then move the player's character toward either the light or dark side of the force. This was a fun feature because it allowed one to play either as a light or dark jedi, which would then influence what force powers one's character could use effectively. Light side jedis could effectively use light side force powers but struggled to use darks side one's and vice versa for jedis using the dark side. It was a fun game mechanic but not perfect.
I honestly think morality is a very complex concept and when it is applied to any given situation there is no guaranteed right answer. That is what went wrong with KOTOR's morality system. When the player decides to pursue either the light or dark side of the force, the choices the game presents cease to be choices.
It is virtually guaranteed that whatever situation the game presents is predicated due to a flaw in the game's moral scale. Like I said, morality has no absolutes and what I want to debate with KOTOR is; does an evil action cancel out a good one? Because with KOTOR's moral system, if the player executes a light side choice and then a dark side choice, then they have technically made just a dark side choice because the dark side choices are given more weight on the characters moral standing. For example, if you refuse another character's attempt to give you money for completing a quest, then you are rewarded light side points, but if you then perform a dark side choice for a different quest, then you have moved closer toward the dark side because dark side points can cancel out light side points.
One company that has been able to use morality properly is Bioware which has Developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. All of those games I just listed allow for the player to exercise a degree of control of how their character acts, which in turn will influence the characters standing on the game's moral scale.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (or KOTOR for short) and its sequel allowed players to choose dialog options during certain in-game conversations that would reward the player with either light side points or dark side points. These points would then move the player's character toward either the light or dark side of the force. This was a fun feature because it allowed one to play either as a light or dark jedi, which would then influence what force powers one's character could use effectively. Light side jedis could effectively use light side force powers but struggled to use darks side one's and vice versa for jedis using the dark side. It was a fun game mechanic but not perfect.
I honestly think morality is a very complex concept and when it is applied to any given situation there is no guaranteed right answer. That is what went wrong with KOTOR's morality system. When the player decides to pursue either the light or dark side of the force, the choices the game presents cease to be choices.
It is virtually guaranteed that whatever situation the game presents is predicated due to a flaw in the game's moral scale. Like I said, morality has no absolutes and what I want to debate with KOTOR is; does an evil action cancel out a good one? Because with KOTOR's moral system, if the player executes a light side choice and then a dark side choice, then they have technically made just a dark side choice because the dark side choices are given more weight on the characters moral standing. For example, if you refuse another character's attempt to give you money for completing a quest, then you are rewarded light side points, but if you then perform a dark side choice for a different quest, then you have moved closer toward the dark side because dark side points can cancel out light side points.
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