10 Video Game NPCs You Should NEVER Kill
4. Little Sister - BioShock
One of the selling points of BioShock at the time was it's over-arching choice about the Big Daddies and the Little Sisters. After taking out the protective diving-suit monstrosities, players can decide the fate of the ADAM-riddled children. The words specifically used are "rescue" or the much more sinister "harvest".
In reality however, one of these choices is greater than the other in absolutely every way.
The so-called advantage of immediately harvesting a Little Sister is an instantaneous pay-out of ADAM which can be used to gain more abilities and make your character stronger. However, if you just wait things out, Dr Tenenbaum, who cares deeply for the children, will supply with a greater share later. In fact, it's only in this way that you can get certain plasmid upgrades.
Moreover, the game has three different endings depending on how you tackled this conundrum. If you harvested more than one of the girls, the story concludes with darker undertones that see the player turn into a villain with an army of mind-controlled Little Sisters. Only the good ending is considered canon, which instead allows the girls to live out their lives in peace and take care of the player on their death bed.
It's a moral victory as well as a utilitarian one, which is a rare combination.