10 Most Evil Choices In Video Games
Narcissist, sadist, psychopath... or just curious. Which one are you?
Choice is highly regarded as a vital piece of storytelling in many modern story-based video games. Of any creative medium, video games are the most immersible as you are controlling the main character, as opposed to television or film where you simply watch them navigate their respective fictional worlds.
Whether it be lines of dialogue, whether to shoot someone or not or decisions that impact how a game ends, the modern player loves to be able to create reflections of themselves in the game. This trend emerged from MMORPG titles such as World of Warcraft and Runescape, where your character has no preset of defined narrative path or personality.
Players could play however they want.
This included role-playing as the villain of the narrative.
Many people enjoy wreaking havoc and chaos in the lives of others, murdering the innocent and being a genuine bad guy simply because they enjoy it more. In many single-player open-world RPGs, there are constant choices to be made by the player that can impact the entire world they inhabit, and not all are for the good of the realm.
In fact, quite the opposite.
10. Spoiling The Urn Of Sacred Ashes - Dragon Age: Origins
Just like many of BioWare's RPG titles, Dragon Age: Origins is a game built upon player choice. Whether it be off-hand interactions with shopkeepers or a decision that will affect the entire world your character inhabits, this first instalment of the Dragon Age franchise has you covered.
One of the worst things you can decide to do is spoil the Urn of Sacred Ashes. For those of you unaware, the urn contains the ashes of the Andraste; a prophet whose teachings form the Chantry, which is the presiding religion in the game world.
You are originally sent to Frostback Mountain in search of the ashes to retrieve some and heal the Arl of Redcliffe, who can be a huge help in the upcoming battle against the Archdemon. Once you reach the mountains, however, you meet a group named the Disciples of Andraste. The leader of the cult tasks you with destroying the ashes instead, as they believe that Andraste has been reborn in the form of a High Dragon.
Taking a pinch of ashes can help save the world. Defiling the ashes gains the player-character the reaver specialisation tree.
Choose the latter, and you've destroyed the most sacred artefact of an entire religion just to be able to scare your enemies.
Good job.