WEEK FIVE: The Wolf Among Us
How does
morality influence the choices you make in the game?
This week
I played The Wolf Among Us, and interactive narrative story based around
fairytales and fables, such as Little Red Riding Hood, most notably as the
playable character is Bigby Wolf, aka the 'Big Bad Wolf'. We follow his story
as the town sheriff, doing his best to turn over a new leaf from his less than
amiable past. The theme of morality plays a big part in The Wolf Among Us,
where the character Bigby can take different routes to achieve his goals.
Options such as, do choose to spare a character, or kill them, and what
repercussion this might have.
A sample
from the game involves a bar fight between Grendal and Bigby. It is
established that most of Fabletown is wary of Bigby due to his infamous past,
and his rough demeanor he presents, with it makes it easy for the player to
make decisions that might be grittier than they would personally in real
society. Bigby had the option to make Grendal's beating more severe if the
player choose to, breaking his arm being an option, which brings morality into
the players decision making. It isn't necessary to break his arm, and it would
be taking the morally good path if the player chooses to ignore this choice. It
still presents the break arm option, and if the player doesn't care for
Grendal, or the moral compass they could very easily select the option to do
so.
The player has quick-time cut-scenes for quick decision making, suitably matching the intensity of the events, and in these events, sometimes morality takes a back seat from the pressure. If you have the choice to kill or be killed, one is likely to kill the other, as the fastest solution, where if more time was given, one can reflect what their actions will heed.
When playing games, the player isn't actively going by their own moral code; it is very easily to disconnect yourself and act upon the character's moral code. Furthermore, in-game actions and consequences are just that - in-game - so the options can feel as rebellion without real life after effects. Therefore, in some situations, the player can stop can think what will benefit them and their character more. Examples would be what can one gain from acting on one end of the moral compass to the other. If reactivity is prominent in a game, where NPCs will react to the playable character, will being "bad" reap more benefits through intimidation, or will being "good" result in compliance out of kindness? As mentioned in the reading by Perdue, "There is plenty of reason to try to quantify a player's moral choices somehow in the game system. It allows rewards for certain kinds of activity. Nonplayer characters can react according to a player's reputation.".
When playing games, the player isn't actively going by their own moral code; it is very easily to disconnect yourself and act upon the character's moral code. Furthermore, in-game actions and consequences are just that - in-game - so the options can feel as rebellion without real life after effects. Therefore, in some situations, the player can stop can think what will benefit them and their character more. Examples would be what can one gain from acting on one end of the moral compass to the other. If reactivity is prominent in a game, where NPCs will react to the playable character, will being "bad" reap more benefits through intimidation, or will being "good" result in compliance out of kindness? As mentioned in the reading by Perdue, "There is plenty of reason to try to quantify a player's moral choices somehow in the game system. It allows rewards for certain kinds of activity. Nonplayer characters can react according to a player's reputation.".
I don't
think the moral route you chose necessarily changes much of the end outcome of
the game, though it does determine the responses from other characters in game
that you approach. I personally tried to play as "good" of a moral
route as possible; good for Bigby and I are a little different, but nonetheless
suitable for his character.
Perdue, B. (2011) Ethical Dilemmas and Dominant Moral Strategies in Games [Book] Retrieved From: http://animation.onlearn.co.nz/pluginfile.php/2510/mod_resource/content/0/Perdue%2C%202011%20-%20Ethical%20dilemmas%20and%20dominant%20moral%20strategies%20in%20games.pdf
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