There are no choices when it comes to "Good" or "Bad"

One of the biggest game design features of most modern RPGs and similarly story heavy games is this idea of “Good” and “Bad” endings. Players have been told if they follow the “moral” idea that the developer has in mind that they will be rewarded with happy cut-scenes and a good feeling in their heart. I personally believe that this idea of “good” vs “bad endings is not only overly simplified but limits the storytelling and personal connections that players gain through their choices.

One of the major appeals of video games as a storytelling device is that the player interaction allows for deeper interpersonal connections with the villains and the story. A movie does not expect its watchers to become involved in the story, however, video games do. This extra personal connection allows for the player to grow deeper feelings towards characters and the world that they are playing.

However, most video game stories don't expect the player to actually become apart of their world. You can't just teleport into the screen a la the newest Jumanji right? Yet, I think we do teleport in some form. Not teleport into the game physically, but mentally and emotionally. The idea that as players we are stuck in the specific story that the writers want us to see makes sense in the cases of single choice narratives where there are no choices (games like Problem Attic, Braid). If they want us to play the good guy then we should play the good guy and similarly we should be the bad guy when they want us to. However, once they give us a choice into how we play I believe they should remove this moral compass. As it being there creates the idea that we as players made the wrong decisions. That throughout this story our choices were inherently “Bad”. But I would argue that for there to be a compelling choice in a story there should not be a “wrong” decision as it removes the idea of choice from the situation at all.

Take Bioshock for example. One major decision you’re presented is to harvest or to not harvest the little sisters. However the framing of this choice is so blatantly obvious that as a player you know what the “correct” choice, when the player is told to “save them” vs. “ they are not human anymore” it immediately sets off an alarm that this decision has a bad choice. This framing immediately removes the idea of there being a choice in the game. The story has a choice it wants you to make and whether you like it or not, that is the “correct” one. And that idea means there was no two options. There was the “correct” ending or the ending you got only if you went to look for it. Which just leaves the story in its essence with a one choice narrative.

This is further developed when the game is over. If you do the “correct” decision you get a happy soundtrack below a soft voice telling you how you did the right thing. Versus the dark ambiance and near yell of the woman as she tells you that you have wrought destruction on rapture. And while I don't disagree with the story beats that are hit, I actually love the idea that you take over the world's nukes, I once again disagree with the framing of the idea. See none of the greatest villains thought that they were 100% wrong and were a bad guy (look to Thanos from the latest Marvel movies as just one example), they all have this twisted sense of righteousness and justification. So why shouldn't the player? They made their choice for a reason right? So play to that reason. Imagine this, instead of a dark soundtrack, why not replace it with a chorus singing a hymn (Abide with me: fast falls the eventide is a great one just based off its lyrics in my opinion). Instead of the woman saying that you took and will keep taking, make her talk about how you saved Rapture and were going to save the rest of the world, instead of the dark shots of war have it replaced with people worshiping in front a symbol fitting of the hero, you can still end with the final image of the nuke, but have it be built as a righteous thing. As the image is lingered on have the chorus rise into a serious of high notes, and instead of it being cut to darkness, have it fade to white.

The player still gets the ending fitting of their choices, they still get the developers “Bad” ending where they are a villain, they are just not told directly. Instead of being pulled back out of the game and shown that they are immoral directly, they are now left “inside” the game. There is no wrong answer anymore, just two different “good” ones. Their connection with the characters and their choices are still intact, as they don't know if there was a “Bad” ending as both endings are now essentially happy. it is now up to them to look into themselves to find the answer to if they were the hero or villain. The story now has a deeper connection with the player as their choices were not fully condemned and the story is not so black and white. Leading to a more interesting and captivating story in my opinion.

And though while I don't think that games should be left without a moral message, the idea of there being a blatant “Bad” ending ruins the story that the player has been building on their play-through. Perhaps I’m wrong but I would love to hear what other people's thoughts are.