As I write this I can hear the screams of millions of mothers already.
Video games only cause violent decisions! They only teach you how to hurt others! and so forth.
I can not tell you how many times I've read articles or come across mothers and fathers preaching about how Video games promote only violence and hate. They claim that it's only for gore and killing. They seem to have a twisted version of all video games in their minds. While it is true that game series like Call Of Duty or Battlefield center themselves around shooting other people and having fun by simply pulling a trigger, this isn't how most games are.
You see, many games nowadays have moral choices in their games. Take for example Beenox's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with its Hero or Menace Bar. You can choose to completely ignore helping people and fall into the menace section, or you can do what the game suggests and fight to bring a better day. Now some of you might be saying "But wait a minute. That game is all about you being a hero, that isn't a fair comparison." and I hear you loud and clear. That's why I have even more examples for you.
Techland's Dying Light is another great example of moral choices that let you choose how to handle them. In the game there are random encounters that can happen that are one of a few options. It can either be protection requests, listening to survivors talk, or helping survivors under attack. The last one is the one I want to focus on. Here they are being attacked by zombies, and you the chance to help save them, or completely ignore them and let them die with no consequences to you. I have played through this game twice and while I know that I can ignore these NPCs that have no impact on my game, I can't bring myself to do it. Sure you can get a reward and it's a very easy thing to kill the zombies and help, however the reward is rarely substantial and the encounters are usually not in the direction you are heading. In other words, you go out of your way to help someone who doesn't matter, just because they need it. I have another example if this isn't enough for you.
In Bethesda's Fallout 3 there is a city called Megaton. The city is built around an inactive nuclear bomb with plenty of residents living around. Whoever decided that this was a good idea is beyond me still. However as you progress through the game, you are presented with an offer. Detonate the bomb from a far distance and earn a hefty reward, or ignore it and lose out. This means killing many innocent people and losing every quest inside it. Moral choices are a huge part of the Fallout series in general.
All of these games offer you the choice of choosing your own destiny. They don't force you to do wrong nor right. They give you the option to be who you want to be. Show compassion, or be merciless. However there are games on the opposite side of the spectrum from Call of Duty. These games are all about showing you what a good person should be like. They show you how to be the best person you can be. One of those games series happens to be my favorite.
Kingdom Hearts is a game series based off of Disney and Final Fantasy ties. However the story is all about the most basics of Right versus Wrong. It tells a story of a hero chosen from light to fight for everything that is right. Someone willing to sacrifice his life for the greater good without a moments hesitation. He has done this in the first game before. It teaches you the value of true friendship and how to forgive things that you normally wouldn't be able to. The game series can be cheesy at times, but many of its appeal derives from that sense of innocence. You are there to help people and show kindness with no expectation of reward.
So to end this off then I will say this final piece. While yes there are games that use violence as their main drive, there are others that teach you just what it means to be a good person. Games that show your kids or even yourself that sometimes doing what is right is something we should do just because we can. Not for rewards and expectations, but just to be a better version of yourself.
Links to images:
Spiderman
Dying Light
Fallout 3
Kingdom Hearts
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