Waxing Philosophical Over A Stupid Game
Sep. 27th, 2004 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hesperornisI believe I have already mentioned the computer game that Chris and Gordy got me hooked on: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's very cool, but I ran into a situation tonight that was almost depressing.
SW:KotOR is a role-playing game, which means that there are multiple outcomes for any given situation depending on how you respond to said situation. (I know most of you know that, but there are a couple of people who read my journal who don't.) This particular situation involved an old friend of one of my character's companions who is accused of murder. The old friend's wife begs my character to prove him innocent, so my character takes the case. The old friend is a Republic war hero, crippled in the last war with the Sith. The victim is a beautiful young Sith woman. She was shot in the back. No-one really likes the Sith, and it wouldn't be _too_ too difficult to get most of the judges to let the old friend off. But... the evidence is sketchy. The owner of the hotel where the murder took place _thinks_ that he saw the crippled war hero hobbling away _after_ he heard the blaster shot. But he can be bribed or persuaded to say he saw him run beforehand. Another witness claims that the two had been seeing each other for weeks and made...quite a ruckus in that room. A third witness can be persuaded to admit that he was paid to plant the defendent's war medal in the victim's hand. And a 'mysterious man' tells you that all is not what it seems and suggests that my character investigate the Republic Embassy.
At the Republic embassy, my character slices the computer (which is not exactly a kosher way of gathering evidence, admittedly), and finds a security recording--turns out that the defendent is guilty as charged. He even admits it when presented with the evidence. But he won't turn himself in, so my character proceeds with the trial... my character keeps quiet on the incriminating evidence, but doesn't outright lie about anything, either. The defendent is convicted but the sentence is reduced from death to life in prison. All parties are devastated... but I don't know that I could have played it any other way.
Anyway, depressed by that incident, I looked up a game walk-through to see what the other options were. Turns out that you earn the most XP _and_ a discount at the local shops if you lie and convince the judges that he's innocent. You get the second most XP if you hand over the incriminating evidence right away and let the whole thing be over without a trial, despite the sketchy circumstances behind how you came by the evidence. And you get the least XP if you do what I did, which is let the trial run its course without lying and allowing him to be convicted. Yet to my mind, justice was served with a minimum of cruelty to the defendent, who is technically on my character's side of the war and also a friend to my character's companion.
It's distressing that a video game could bring up such icky issues like this. On one hand, your character is trying to fight a war against the Sith, and this guy just made your job a little easier--turns out the woman was a dark-Jedi-in-training. On the other hand, he was having an affair, and then shot this woman in the back...that deserves some punishment, right? And your character is a Jedi--renowned for impartiality. There's dignity in that position, right? It needs to be upheld, right? Justice must be served, right? Honesty is the best course, right?
Damn, I'd hate to be a lawyer.
SW:KotOR is a role-playing game, which means that there are multiple outcomes for any given situation depending on how you respond to said situation. (I know most of you know that, but there are a couple of people who read my journal who don't.) This particular situation involved an old friend of one of my character's companions who is accused of murder. The old friend's wife begs my character to prove him innocent, so my character takes the case. The old friend is a Republic war hero, crippled in the last war with the Sith. The victim is a beautiful young Sith woman. She was shot in the back. No-one really likes the Sith, and it wouldn't be _too_ too difficult to get most of the judges to let the old friend off. But... the evidence is sketchy. The owner of the hotel where the murder took place _thinks_ that he saw the crippled war hero hobbling away _after_ he heard the blaster shot. But he can be bribed or persuaded to say he saw him run beforehand. Another witness claims that the two had been seeing each other for weeks and made...quite a ruckus in that room. A third witness can be persuaded to admit that he was paid to plant the defendent's war medal in the victim's hand. And a 'mysterious man' tells you that all is not what it seems and suggests that my character investigate the Republic Embassy.
At the Republic embassy, my character slices the computer (which is not exactly a kosher way of gathering evidence, admittedly), and finds a security recording--turns out that the defendent is guilty as charged. He even admits it when presented with the evidence. But he won't turn himself in, so my character proceeds with the trial... my character keeps quiet on the incriminating evidence, but doesn't outright lie about anything, either. The defendent is convicted but the sentence is reduced from death to life in prison. All parties are devastated... but I don't know that I could have played it any other way.
Anyway, depressed by that incident, I looked up a game walk-through to see what the other options were. Turns out that you earn the most XP _and_ a discount at the local shops if you lie and convince the judges that he's innocent. You get the second most XP if you hand over the incriminating evidence right away and let the whole thing be over without a trial, despite the sketchy circumstances behind how you came by the evidence. And you get the least XP if you do what I did, which is let the trial run its course without lying and allowing him to be convicted. Yet to my mind, justice was served with a minimum of cruelty to the defendent, who is technically on my character's side of the war and also a friend to my character's companion.
It's distressing that a video game could bring up such icky issues like this. On one hand, your character is trying to fight a war against the Sith, and this guy just made your job a little easier--turns out the woman was a dark-Jedi-in-training. On the other hand, he was having an affair, and then shot this woman in the back...that deserves some punishment, right? And your character is a Jedi--renowned for impartiality. There's dignity in that position, right? It needs to be upheld, right? Justice must be served, right? Honesty is the best course, right?
Damn, I'd hate to be a lawyer.
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Date: 2004-09-28 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-28 07:59 pm (UTC)...I didn't know you played KotOR. It's surprisingly addictive, neh? What kind of char? How did you play it? My character started as a scout and became a Jedi Consular, and she's almost sickeningly Lawful Good...