I have a tendency in games to lean towards good. Not neccesarily because I care about the people I'm helping, because that's rarely the case. Most games fail to convince me that their NPC's are anything more than a bunch of robots (and stupid ones at that) so I usually don't care whether they live or die. No, the reason I'm usually enclined to go with the good/neutral morality is because the path of evil is so often littered with plenty of idiocy and pointlessness.
Evil characters in RPG's tend to be more Cobra Commander than Cy Tolliver.
[small]And who would you rather be? Some jerk-off in a fetish outfit who kicks puppies, or Powers Boothe?[/small]
You don't get hirelings to covertly take care of the competition, threaten people into doing your dirty work, or secrety cause strife for your own benefit. No, more often than not it just revolves around you slaughtering people, usually for no better reason than general dickishness. It's rarely the easier choice, and even when it is it's only incrementally so. Really, it's not so much evil as it is just plain crazy. And this is my main problem. Lack of subtlety aside, there's really just no benefit for being an asshole. The good guy's usually get better stuff, and don't have to deal with people spitting on them/running away and screaming in terror.
For example, in Red Dead Redemption, if you're good you get a cool looking duster, the adoration of the people, and a cross that makes enemies less likely to hit you. If you're evil, you get a scarred, beaten up black horse that comes when you whistle, and most likely a large bounty on your head. If you're corrupt/evil in Fable 2, everyone hates you, the opposite sex find you unatractive (most likely due to the horns, green eyes and big, ugly, orange scars and warts that cover your body) and the best thing you're likely to get for your efforts is a crappy sword.
[small]Not pictured: worthwhile rewards, good looks, sex[/small]
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that there needs to be more games in which you can take a more productive, less stupid approach to evil, rather than being some cartoonish villain who kills people for the hell of it, and where there's actually some legitimate reason/reward for doing so. This would also give some meaning to good in games. After all, a true good guy does well not because it's easy or because he expects some sort of reward out of it, but because it's what's right.
Now, I realize that good and evil are nothing more than concepts, and that everyone's sense of morality is different, but I'm assuming that most people here have at least a fairly similar moral compass.
[small]On an unrelated note, here's a regular compass.[/small]
I'd rather not get into any sort of discussion over the finer points/philosophies of right and wrong (at least, not today.)
Evil characters in RPG's tend to be more Cobra Commander than Cy Tolliver.
[small]And who would you rather be? Some jerk-off in a fetish outfit who kicks puppies, or Powers Boothe?[/small]
You don't get hirelings to covertly take care of the competition, threaten people into doing your dirty work, or secrety cause strife for your own benefit. No, more often than not it just revolves around you slaughtering people, usually for no better reason than general dickishness. It's rarely the easier choice, and even when it is it's only incrementally so. Really, it's not so much evil as it is just plain crazy. And this is my main problem. Lack of subtlety aside, there's really just no benefit for being an asshole. The good guy's usually get better stuff, and don't have to deal with people spitting on them/running away and screaming in terror.
For example, in Red Dead Redemption, if you're good you get a cool looking duster, the adoration of the people, and a cross that makes enemies less likely to hit you. If you're evil, you get a scarred, beaten up black horse that comes when you whistle, and most likely a large bounty on your head. If you're corrupt/evil in Fable 2, everyone hates you, the opposite sex find you unatractive (most likely due to the horns, green eyes and big, ugly, orange scars and warts that cover your body) and the best thing you're likely to get for your efforts is a crappy sword.
[small]Not pictured: worthwhile rewards, good looks, sex[/small]
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that there needs to be more games in which you can take a more productive, less stupid approach to evil, rather than being some cartoonish villain who kills people for the hell of it, and where there's actually some legitimate reason/reward for doing so. This would also give some meaning to good in games. After all, a true good guy does well not because it's easy or because he expects some sort of reward out of it, but because it's what's right.
Now, I realize that good and evil are nothing more than concepts, and that everyone's sense of morality is different, but I'm assuming that most people here have at least a fairly similar moral compass.
[small]On an unrelated note, here's a regular compass.[/small]
I'd rather not get into any sort of discussion over the finer points/philosophies of right and wrong (at least, not today.)
