The Tavern

This cliché is so bad I don't think making a full-length article is even appropriate here. So, instead, enjoy this humble blog entry.

Previous entries in the series:
Spread Diary Entries
Bows Are Easy And Only For Women
Revenge Explains Everything

Common for: Temporary enemies, secondary NPCs, heroes at the beginning of the game.

Description: When we want to add a difficult moral dilemma or show that the red-handed NPC we just caught is not a complete asshole, especially if we want the player to actually like this person. Most likely this NPC makes something Wrong for the first time in his or her life and doesn’t even want to do this, but since They Mother Is Sick, they has to steal/do something evil to Buy Her A Medicine.

Why it is useful: It’s not. It’s just a bad writing.

The problem: So, you want to give your game world some more shades of grey, avoid “black-and-white” morality? Maybe try to do it without using the oldest trick in the book. Using young-kid-and-sick-mother is so lazy it was actually parodied multiple times in movies, cartoons, comics and video games alike. It’s the same category as showing a sad puppy with big eyes or playing a violin music in a rainy night rift after something sad has happened. ; (


Alternatives: If you want to show the process of falling into the life of crime, portray it, indeed, as a process. Using the most basic feeling of compassion may work, but its laziness is just so dishonest many people are going to perceive it as a cheesy side-plot not worth any attention. Let your players get attached to the problem and the people from your world, don’t just count on their ability to project their sympathy toward sick mothers onto your NPCs.

Even “I wanted my friends to like me more” is a more interesting motivation than “I can’t afford the medicine for my sick mother”. Dammit, this kind of “moral” problem is something children are asked about in schools.

Although if you’re making your game only for children, I guess it’s going to work just fine.

Thank you for your attention. If you think I’m completely wrong or you would like to discuss this topic, let me know below!
See you next week!