Values and Aspirations

Ahh, morality meters in games. This entry is a little short, since I feel we've covered several aspects of games espousing a certain set of values throughout the course (America's Army comes to mind... over and over again). However, I do want to make mention of the use of moral accounting, as Bogost calls it, in RPGs. For example, in WoW, players are rewarded for espousing the values of certain factions within the game (destroying their opponents, saving allies from dungeons, providing desired items to "Turn-in" NPCs, etc.) with reputation-based rewards. For example, by battling the undead minions in the Plaguelands, rescuing captured members of the Argent Dawn, and turning in badges of honor, the players receive access to special weapons, armor, or craft recipes.

Similarly, in Mass Effect, selecting or deflecting certain actions or dialogue traits are rewarded later in the game with access to better weapons and quest rewards. Players are influenced in this manner to make their character's actions fit as close to tradtional "good" values as possible, since the rewards make completion of the main story line much easier. Moral accounting in this kind is ubiquitous throughout the gaming community, but most especially in the RPG sector. I believe that this is due to the company's moral integrity constantly being tested by outside influences, such as Congress or community watch groups, who often deride games as "immoral" or "evil." What I don't understand is why the companies don't simply point to these moral and behavioral control systems and say, "Look, we do support innovative and morally-based solutions to problems! You are punished for killing this guy and rewarded for sparing his life!" This is an experience I faced just yesterday while playing Fallout 3. I felt bad when I saw my reckless murdering of an adversary had taken a significant toll on an in-game NPC ally. There are plenty of scenarios in many different games which follow the same basic flow of events. Why, then, does no one talk about it?