Poll: How do you like your Morality?

[BloatedGuppy]

Simple question. I do a lot of whining (a LOT of whining) about too much Black and White morality in games, because I like a lot of greyscale in my fiction. However, time and experience has taught me that I'm not allowed to decide for everyone what they should like (although clearly I should be). What is your preference?

[HEADING=1]HANDY REFERENCE GUIDE (Sponsored by TV Tropes)[/HEADING]

[HEADING=2]BLACK AND WHITE MORALITY[/HEADING]

Good versus Evil. White hat versus black hat. The shining knight of destiny with flowing cape versus the mustache-twirling, card-carrying force of pure malevolence. The most basic form of fictional morality, Black And White Morality deals with the battle between pure good and absolute evil. - TV Tropes

Spoiler: Example: Mass Effect Spoilers

[HEADING=3]Space Jesus vs Universe Destroying Robots[/HEADING]​

The central conflict of the Mass Effect series is perfect example of Black and White morality. Whether Paragon or Renegade, Shepard represents the last/best hope for humanity and the universe at large, and the Reapers are an unknowable, alien threat bent on destroying all biological life. It's impossible to sympathize or empathize with the Reapers in any way...they are the ultimate Black Hat. How do you relate to universe destroying robots unless you are yourself a universe destroying robot? I humbly submit that you cannot.

[HEADING=2]GREY AND GRAY MORALITY[/HEADING]

In an all-grey conflict, neither side is totally good or completely evil. Both sides have a strong, justifiable reason for fighting, and contain a mixture of people of all kinds, from admirable, upstanding individuals to vicious, slimy scumbags. - TV Tropes

Spoiler: Example: Skyrim Spoilers

[HEADING=3]What the...you're a bunch of assholes too! Now what?![/HEADING]​

The Skyrim Civil War is a perfect example of Grey and Gray morality. You're forced to choose between a venal, teetering Empire that may or may not be a puppet for the loathsome Aldmeri Dominion, and a vain, arrogant, power hungry revolutionary whose faction seethes with out of control nationalism and barely restrained xenophobia. Their conflict is tearing Skyrim apart at the very time it desperately needs unity. Who do you choose, racists or facists? Either way, you'll feel dirty inside.

[HEADING=2]BLACK AND GRAY MORALITY[/HEADING]

Only the white gets removed, leaving behind a world where the choice is between mundane corruption and baby-eating supervillainy. This is the essence of Black and Gray Morality; the only choices are between kinda evil and soul-crushingly evil. - TV Tropes

Spoiler: Example: Fallout New Vegas Spoilers

[HEADING=3]We may be merciless, bloodthirsty slavers. But the NCR are inefficient![/HEADING]​

The Fallout universe has always been Black and Gray, as most good post nuclear milieus tend to be. The people you're working for are usually disreputable at best, but the people you're working against are even worse. When they're people at all, and not a bunch of swollen, lumpy super mutants dragging women off into the desert. Nowhere was this more clear then in New Vegas's central storyline, where you're invited to choose between an ineffective, lumbering bureaucracy and an efficient, regimented army. Of HORRIBLE SLAVERS.

[HEADING=2]BLACK AND BLACK MORALITY[/HEADING]

Two villains are rivals, each wreaking havoc in their own special way. For instance, one is direct and violent, while the other is a cowardly but clever schemer. Or one is selfish and the other is a Well-Intentioned Extremist. Each one has the potential to be the one and only Big Bad. The poor heroes are caught in the middle between two completely different threats, and have to be flexible enough to stop both. - TV Tropes (Under Eviler Than Thou)

Spoiler: Example: Dragon Age 2 Spoilers

[HEADING=3]*Another* Abomination? You know...the Templars might be on to something.[/HEADING]​

Not applicable to Hawke et al. so much as the central conflict between Templars and Mages, in which both sides rapidly become completely unsympathetic to the point where you're left wishing Anders had blown them up, too. The Templar/Nazi parallels are rampant from the get go, and sympathy for the Mages will get you nowhere, as the game is absolutely thick with Blood Mages who turn into abominations at the drop of a hat. This was most galling for people when Orsino goes rogue and attacks the party, who presumably at that point are winning the battle handily, making it seem like a completely needless emotional collapse on the part of your chosen ally. Until you do a little sniffing around and realize Orsino was neck deep in blood magic from the get-go, even to the point of fraternizing with the malevolent lunatic who murdered the PC's mother to create his necromantic Frankenstein. One of the rare games in which you cannot generate a happy outcome...no matter which side you choose, everything spirals rapidly out of control and both factions act like bloodthirsty lunatics, hurling the game world into an apocalyptic conflict.

 

[Filiecs]

I like the Gray and Gray choices the best, like in The Witcher 2. They feel the most realistic and are usually harder to make decisions with.

 

[lacktheknack]

Black and Blacker.

<spoiler=Geneforge 2 spoilers>The question: If our own genetic experiments become sentient, are they as valuable as people?

Scenario: You are part of a mystical order, "Shapers", that "creates" things (think genetics crossed with magic). The order rules the world. A routine checkup on a mining town results in uncovering some WILDLY ILLEGAL and WORLD-SHATTERING crap going down - an entire lost valley brimming with sentient creations (illegal), creations that can create more creations (illegal and very dangerous), and extremely powerful creations with no controller or creator (illegal and very dangerous). Plus, <spoiler=epic spoilers>there is a canister-thing that rewrites your DNA and gives you amazing abilities, but also causes megalomania and extreme arrogance in the user.

Potential actions:

It all comes down to how you PERSONALLY feel about sentient experiments. There's no "good/evil" answer, or even "evil/evil" answer, it's all "choice->consequence", and pretty much all the consequences are dire. Pretty much the only thing that isn't part of the consequence equilibrium is your own well-being, either the bad guys win and you live miserably forever after or the bad guys win and you live almost as miserably forever after. The only ending that ends truly happy for you is the one that requires you to murder anything and everything in the valley. ALL OF IT. While not using any canisters, which is harder than it sounds.

So even it you go for the good ending, you end up dealing with the blackest morality you can imagine.

Favorite player-choice system right there.

 

[gazumped]

Grey and grey, I guess because it's like real life. If you chose one option, some people might think it was the right thing to do, some people might think it was the wrong to do.
Like in Dragon Age: Origins where you might think it's right to reassure an old man that you'll find his daughter but Sten will be angry that you made false promises. Even if you end up finding the darn girl. That annoyed me, but I appreciate the realism.

 

[Handbag1992]

Definitely Grey and Gray. I like to have to think about my choices in a game. It's the reason I still haven't chosen between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Army yet. Although I think I'll go with the latter eventually. Skyrim for the Nords is all well and good, but I'm a Breton.

 

[Crazy Zaul]

Black and white is good as long as the evil choices are actually evil, not just being a dick. Grey is good but the problem is since you can't do an evil playthought then a good playthrough you need to remember what you did last time so you can do the different choice and get different ending or whatever.

 

[seraphy]

Grey and gray definitely.

Black and grey, and black and black are ok as well if well done. Worst are black and white.

 

[Sixcess]

Grey and Gray. City of Heroes does it surprisingly well:

Spoiler: In Going Rogue

You can side with the Resistance who are fighting against the tyranical regime of Emperor Cole, so that makes them good, right? Well, yes, except that one faction of the Resistance commit acts of terrorism and murder police officers and civilians to prove their point.

But the Loyalists support Emperor Cole, so they must be evil, yes? Well some of them are, but many of the Loyalists genuinely believe that the Resistance are the bad guys, and that Cole is all that stands between humanity and extinction, which might actually be true.

On the other hand sometimes it's fun when the good guys ARE good and the bad guys ARE bad and we can cheer on our heroes and boo our villains accordingly. Mass Effect is a good example of that. As is much of the other content of City of Heroes/Villains - with both idealised goodness and unapologetic villainy.

Spoiler: Unapologetic Villainy Speech

: "I must therefore rely on all of you to spread the word of Lord Recluse's vision. A vision of a glorious future, in which man is not encumbered by the desire for truth, peace, or justice. A future where you no longer must obey others, where you must no longer bow down to those who deem themselves your superiors, a world in which you can finally say "No more." No longer will you have to listen to those who tell you that you must earn what you wish, that you must work hard to achieve your goals. You will have the strength to take what you desire. Through my way, the way of villainy, you can have what you want now. You can leave the weak lying in your wake as you grasp with both hands the glorious future of havok. The heroes are doomed! Join me now, or you will suffer the same fate that awaits all those who defy me. I, Lord Recluse, shall cover this world in darkness!"

- Lord Recluse.

Because sometimes it's good when you have villains who don't make excuses for their actions and who not only admit that they're evil, but revel in it.

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

I don't like a pure 1 black 1 white choice but I don't like a grey grey either. I do think their are truly all good choices but their rarer than said, theirs usually 8 black sides 17 grey sides and 1 white side in real life and that what I like to see.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Grey and grey is good, some well written black and white can be good (*cough*Bioware*cough*). Black and Black has a special place in my heart though.

So i'd have to go Black and Black, the Code Geass fanboy in me would never let it go if I said otherwise.

 

[endtherapture]

Grey and grey, like The Witcher 2.

Choices just have consequences and there's no ridiculous moral meter of how good and bad I've been.

For example, there is an king who rapes and murders your friends in the game, you're given the choice to let him live or die. I left him alive because the kingdom would be in a weak state against the evil invaders without him, evil though he was a massive dick.

 

[Keava]

Neither. I don't care about the contrast between choices as much as the consequences and effect i has on the story/world. Sadly in 9.99 out of 10 cases it's just the red or blue glow and a fancy skill corresponding with good or evil.

Each choice should offer benefits and disadvantages. You helped the peasants, great they maybe will help You in some way, but same time You pissed someone else. Maybe even by saving them You caused a Butterfly Effect that rippled through out the world and changed the outcome of a battle that happened 2 months later.
Give me that and I'll be happy.

 

[Phlakes]

If I have to choose I like grey and gray, although I'd rather have the whole spectrum.

 

[fenrizz]

Grey and grey morality for me.

Very rarely do one come across people that do it for "the evulz".

 

[ShindoL Shill]

sunny side up.

or Gray-Gray. in Skyrim, i prefer the Stormcloaks, mostly because they didnt try to cut off my head. i like my head, i use it to think, keep the blood from pouring out of my jugular and generally not be dead.

 

[Mau95]

Wow, a pokemon thread? Thats been a... Ooooh, you mean like that. I liked how the traders in Fable had evil twirly mustaches, and I prefer all of the above.

 

[MammothBlade]

Blue and Orange. Who cares, as long as it's popcorn stylish?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueAndOrangeMorality

I think it's pretty intriguing dealing with a system of morality vastly different from human norms.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I really like a good grey and grey or grey and black story. However any morallity can work if done right.

 

[MrGalactus]

In the real world, everything is Grey and Grey, Black and Black, or Black and Grey. That makes these the most interesting to me.

 

[SilentCom]

You forgot Black, White, and Grey. In real life, there are some stuff that are obviously good and some stuff that are obviously evil with many things being questionable in between.

In stories or video games this can still work and allow players the choice through their actions. White being as an incorruptible paragon, black being sinister evil, and grey having many shades.