8 Obvious Moral Choices In Video Games You Couldn't Make
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Spare Your Ally, Or Bank On A Safe Future?
The set-up: Skyrim pulls a surprise reveal on you. The big bad, Alduin, is a dragon who leads an army of other dragons in a quest to destroy the world. As it turns out your allies, the Greybeards, are also led by a dragon, Paarthurnax, who’s been preparing for Alduin’s return for centuries. Problem is, your other allies, the Blades, want Paarthurnax dead.
The obvious choice: There’s an evil dragon running amok and Paarthurnax is not only willing to teach you the magic needed to beat him, but also to fight alongside you. Better yet, he’s more than proven his hero chops as leader of the dragons who banished Alduin long ago, and he’s perfectly likeable on top of it. Why kill him?
The reality: His name translates to ‘Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty.’ That’s ominous, especially as he admits that all dragons thirst for dominance, him included. There’s also the inconvenient matter of the atrocities he committed against mankind, committed before he turned on Alduin. He claims to have the strength of will to resist his nature, but how far can you trust him? He betrayed one master, already. Who’s to say he won’t betray you?
It’s the classic dilemma of ‘Can a leopard change its spots?’ and you’re betting the fate of the world on the answer.