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Moral dilemmas in video games.
15 years ago
If any of the few of you that read my journal are currently playing through SMT strange Journey right now for some reason, and have yet to get very far... then...uh... don't read forward, I guess...
I've been playing this game for a while, and I love it, but.... at the moment I'm facing a decision that I am finding a lot more difficult than the average gamer might.
To explain why the choice is difficult, I have to break it down into sections.
A: The problem. The boss of the area is behind a barrier that I can not get through, as there are demons protecting it. These demons were recently tortured and experimented upon by a group of assholes run by a man named Jack, whom a team member of my faction (named Jimenez) Killed.... but not before Jimenez was forced to fuse with his own demon, becoming a half human half demon hybrid... and also becoming the 'chaotic' character that the player is meant to relate to.
On the flipside, another member of the main character's faction, Zelenin, has recently been transformed into an 'angel' (Basically a lawfully aligned demon), and given the power to sing hymms which can hurt demons. She is aligned with the angels now, and wants us to use her song to take care of the demons, while Jimenez wants us to kill the humans that screwed the demons (and him) over.
B: The chaotic (and therefore usually the 'BAD' choice) :
The demons want me to kill Jack's squad to get revenge, so that they can feel that their version of justice was passed, after which they will let the wall down so I can fight the boss. Normally the chaotic choice is the bad choice, but I feel like this is more justified than not. These demons went through weeks of torture and experiments, and were used and abused for the profit of another group of humans, which really isn't forgivable, even though they are demons... However.... At the same time, siding with demons never works out well, and doing something for them now might lead down a dark, terrible path of things I do not want to do. Also, killing humans...even jerky humans, is bad.
C: The Lawful (and therefor usually the 'GOOD' choice): Zelenin, after becoming an angel thanks to Mastema, wants us to wipe out the demons or drive them off using her hymm power, which apparently hurts demons a lot. Normally I would go for this option, but it is becoming more and ore clear that the agenda of the angels is not as pure as it appeared initially. They're showing the really, really BAD side of the lawful alignment... trying to be in complete control of the humans, trying to wipe out every bad thought, idea, or action the humans do, and the game is being a lot more blatant with this now.... I'm growing more wary of the angels than I would be in another series, because despite them being the 'lawful' group, they're still definitely evil.
D: The 'Neutral' Choice: As far as I can tell, there isn't one. If there was, that would be the choice I picked.... in this circumstance I feel like both of my options are wrong, and I want a third way, a way out to avoid having to pick a side...
Advice?
I've been playing this game for a while, and I love it, but.... at the moment I'm facing a decision that I am finding a lot more difficult than the average gamer might.
To explain why the choice is difficult, I have to break it down into sections.
A: The problem. The boss of the area is behind a barrier that I can not get through, as there are demons protecting it. These demons were recently tortured and experimented upon by a group of assholes run by a man named Jack, whom a team member of my faction (named Jimenez) Killed.... but not before Jimenez was forced to fuse with his own demon, becoming a half human half demon hybrid... and also becoming the 'chaotic' character that the player is meant to relate to.
On the flipside, another member of the main character's faction, Zelenin, has recently been transformed into an 'angel' (Basically a lawfully aligned demon), and given the power to sing hymms which can hurt demons. She is aligned with the angels now, and wants us to use her song to take care of the demons, while Jimenez wants us to kill the humans that screwed the demons (and him) over.
B: The chaotic (and therefore usually the 'BAD' choice) :
The demons want me to kill Jack's squad to get revenge, so that they can feel that their version of justice was passed, after which they will let the wall down so I can fight the boss. Normally the chaotic choice is the bad choice, but I feel like this is more justified than not. These demons went through weeks of torture and experiments, and were used and abused for the profit of another group of humans, which really isn't forgivable, even though they are demons... However.... At the same time, siding with demons never works out well, and doing something for them now might lead down a dark, terrible path of things I do not want to do. Also, killing humans...even jerky humans, is bad.
C: The Lawful (and therefor usually the 'GOOD' choice): Zelenin, after becoming an angel thanks to Mastema, wants us to wipe out the demons or drive them off using her hymm power, which apparently hurts demons a lot. Normally I would go for this option, but it is becoming more and ore clear that the agenda of the angels is not as pure as it appeared initially. They're showing the really, really BAD side of the lawful alignment... trying to be in complete control of the humans, trying to wipe out every bad thought, idea, or action the humans do, and the game is being a lot more blatant with this now.... I'm growing more wary of the angels than I would be in another series, because despite them being the 'lawful' group, they're still definitely evil.
D: The 'Neutral' Choice: As far as I can tell, there isn't one. If there was, that would be the choice I picked.... in this circumstance I feel like both of my options are wrong, and I want a third way, a way out to avoid having to pick a side...
Advice?
