“What are you doing? You can’t do that to the poor animals, Diego!” my sister would yell as I hunted livestock for food on Minecraft. In my eyes, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I was simply surviving the harshest winter known to a pixelated game (yes, I ALWAYS played survival mode).
As a young kid, Minecraft shaped my gaming addiction. The combination of creativity and adventure packed into an open-world sandbox was a breath of fresh air. You could build whatever your heart desired. From residential neighborhoods and farms to Yankee Stadium and Hogwarts. But what one doesn’t realize at such a young age is games indirectly immerse themselves in human experiences. One of the most frequent human experiences seen in video games is morality. Games like Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Fallout 4 are excellent examples of games that implement morality. Each game uniquely approaches morality, providing players with a rich moral landscape to explore.
In Minecraft, players are free to create, explore, and build their own world. While the game has no explicit moral system, it provides players with the tools to shape their own morality. For example, I would either collaborate with my friends to build cities or simply use TNT to blow up their prized creations out of spite. This freedom of choice makes Minecraft fascinating as players can explore their moral bounds through interactions with nature, animals, and other people.
Red Dead Redemption 2, on the other hand, takes a more narrative-driven approach to morality. The game takes place in the Wild West, where players control an outlaw named Arthur Morgan. Throughout the game, players are faced with moral decisions that impact the story and the relationships they have with other characters. The game’s morality system is nuanced, with choices that are not always black and white. With Red Dead’s honor system, when players do good deeds, their honor level goes up as they are well respected. When players do bad things, their honor level goes down and they are seen as outlaws. Needless to say, my version of Arthur Morgan was always seen as an outlaw (stealing the train was too much fun).
Finally, Fallout 4 takes a post-apocalyptic approach to morality. The game is set in a world that has been devastated by a nuclear war, and players must navigate a world filled with moral dilemmas and ethical quandaries. The game’s moral system is based on a reputation system, where players’ actions impact their reputation with different factions. This reputation system creates a unique moral landscape, as players must consider not only their own ethical principles, but also the consequences of their actions for the wider community.
Going back and playing each of these games made me question whether the moral choices we make in video games are aligned with the moral choices we make in life. Each of these games, to an extent, enters you into different realms of human existence with varying plots and roles. Everything that is experienced through the game, like farming in Minecraft or trading goods in Fallout 4, can be experienced in real life. Does that mean our morals influence how we play or does the digital escape into the Wild West alleviate us of our moral bounds? I believe both can be true at the same time.
These large games intentionally allow you the freedom of choice to explore not just the depths of the game but also the depths of the human experience. No matter how noble or how horrid your actions may be, in the world of video games, they are welcomed and accepted (to an extent). Each scenario presents an opportunity to either mirror your morals or do something out of your comfort zone. Hence, while I would never steal a train in real life, I damn sure will in Red Dead 2.
Additionally, the added freedoms of such games allow each player to experience every possible outcome associated with their moral choices. Just like in life, your choices have consequences. Through these experiences, players are more likely to connect with a game and uncover the unique details and side stories that would not be apparent if they stuck with the main storyline.
So, if you ever panic and question your morals when it comes to gaming, realize games like Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Fallout 4 were built for you to experience both the moral and immoral implications of your choices. As much as I love animals, I had to survive the Minecraft winters somehow. Sorry vegans!
-Diego Gomez Lopez
New Media: Storytelling in Literature, Films, and Games 
You must be logged in to post a comment.