What are the most guilt-inducing moments in games?

[StaceyPowers]

What moments in games made you feel most awful about something you’d done? For me, the worst was in RDR Undead Nightmare when I finished the Birth of the Conservation Movement quest.

[Empire]

In the first Halo game, when you watch the playback from the marine's helmet camera and you first see The Flood. Being ten or so years old at the time, that freaked me out. 

[Justin11]

I had this time I played GTA and I would just shoot anyone I see around at the end I would feel guilty for the kills but it's just usually a self induced guilty to make the game feel a lot more real in my head.

[Kyng]

Honestly, in Crusader Kings games, I feel a bit bad about killing Viking raiders.

I have a Norwegian grandmother, so that could be my ancestors that I'm slaying!

[Kane99]

I think near the end of RDR2 when you decide to go for the money and not help John. I feel like that isn't Arthur and he wouldn't do that, so there's clear guilt when this happens. I much prefer the Arthur who saves the day and we know how that goes if we played the game. 

Other than that, maybe some of the characters I killed in the RDR2. Like in the beginning you have a choice of saving a guy from a cliff, you can let him fall, or save him. I let him fall, and felt guilt because of that. And I had more guilt later on, after I hear that saving this person will end up helping you in the game at some point. I know helping some others you'll get free items from them later, so I wonder if that was the case. 

As for other games, I can't think of anything else. 

[killamch89]

I keep having to come back to this: Spec Ops: the Line White phosphorus moment - absolutely horrifying. I think it's the first game that has ever made me feel guilty for killing tons of innocent people.

[Justin11]

On 11/27/2022 at 7:06 PM, killamch89 said:

I keep having to come back to this: Spec Ops: the Line White phosphorus moment - absolutely horrifying. I think it's the first game that has ever made me feel guilty for killing tons of innocent people.

I haven't played the Game though but I have see some game play videogames and anytime I get to that scene it's always empathic.

[The Blackangel]

On 11/26/2022 at 5:38 PM, Kane99 said:

I think near the end of RDR2 when you decide to go for the money and not help John. I feel like that isn't Arthur and he wouldn't do that, so there's clear guilt when this happens. I much prefer the Arthur who saves the day and we know how that goes if we played the game. 

Other than that, maybe some of the characters I killed in the RDR2. Like in the beginning you have a choice of saving a guy from a cliff, you can let him fall, or save him. I let him fall, and felt guilt because of that. And I had more guilt later on, after I hear that saving this person will end up helping you in the game at some point. I know helping some others you'll get free items from them later, so I wonder if that was the case. 

As for other games, I can't think of anything else. 

If you save two guys from being bitten by a snake and the guy from his own jaw trap, they will get you whatever item you want from the store they're sitting in front of. If I had to pick one, I would say the guy near Flatneck Station where Rev Swanson is. He sits outside the gunsmith in Valentine, and when he sees you, you can get a free gun. I always get the Springfield, as it's my go to gun.

 

All that said, I have watched them die, and listened to them cry in pain. Despite enjoying that IRL, (remember, I'm a clinically diagnosed sociopath) I feel some guilt for not saving them. Also there's people who are minding their own business that are random encounters. Like the guy trying to get something out of his horse's hoof, the guy admiring plants, or guys that are panning for gold. They're all really friendly, but you can kill them. If and when I do that, I feel kinda guilty. I used to kill the gold panning guy when he found a piece. But it's just a $25 nugget. So it's not really even worth it, unless you desperately need the cash for some reason. It's kind of a "Why the hell did I do that" sort of situation.

[Shortie]

For me the most guilt inducing moment in a game that I always remember and I am betting so many others remember because it is one of those scenes that just sticks in  your head is in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on the airport scene where you have to shoot and kill people in  the airport during a scene in the story. I always remember playing that scene and thinking how messed up it was that we had to do that in the game and remember how guilty I felt for doing it even though it was part of the story and was in a game.

[Reality vs Adventure]

I feel terrible when I accidentally kill a horse while attacking its rider like Ghost of Tsushima for example. Watch Dogs series and Cyberpunk puts guilt trips on you because you have a profiler that can scan people and get a little info on them and some of those people judging by their profile may not deserve to get killed. It touches on a little bit of personalization, I guess designed to guilt trip you. 

[killamch89]

On 12/1/2022 at 8:09 AM, Justin11 said:

I haven't played the Game though but I have see some game play videogames and anytime I get to that scene it's always empathic.

Especially the scene where the burnt corpse of a mother holding her child was horrifying to say the least. I may have my savage tendencies but I'm not that crazy.

[Scorpion]

I completely understand! RDR Undead Nightmare has such powerful moments. The emotional weight of our choices can be truly overwhelming.