5 Worst Things Players Have to Do in Games

Have you ever noticed that in some games, you’re forced to do bad things? That’s not to say there aren’t games where you can choose an evil path, like in the Fable franchise, as sometimes, being bad can be fun. However, looking back at all the games of the past 50+ years, players are increasingly presented with situations that cross moral and ethical lines, which can feel uncomfortable. You’ve no doubt encountered this before, as your conscience tells you that stealing from a child NPC is wrong, but you have to do it to progress, and situations like those put players into immoral territory. These are five of the worst things players have had to do in games, and they’re presented in no particular order.

1) Sacrificing Yoshi to Jump Higher and Further

If you’ve played a Super Mario Bros. game since the release of Super Mario World in 1990, you’ve likely sacrificed Yoshi on many occasions. It’s a pretty horrible thing to do when you think about it because it’s necessary to complete some areas of the game. Yoshi was brand new, and as an innovative platforming mechanic, he could help Mario jump beyond his normal ability. Of course, you had to let Yoshi fall to do it, and in many spots, he fell to his death in a bottomless pit. Add to that the fact that Mario punches Yoshi in the back of the head to trigger his tongue, and it’s clear that Mario doesn’t treat his dino friend very well at all.

2) The Entire Story of The Last of Us Part II

While The Last of Us Part II is undeniably a fantastic game, the story leads players down a path that requires them to commit brutal acts to progress. This is woven throughout the game’s narrative, which explores two sides of the same coin: Abby and Ellie. Both seek revenge and kill along the way. Players experience this from both perspectives, first as Ellie and then as Abby. Essentially, the game expertly makes the player realize that every kill leaves behind someone who mourns the loss. When you kill a soldier, their friends call out their name in anguish — kill a dog, and their trainer does the same. It’s a balance of heroism and villainy that are ultimately proven to be the same thing, from a certain point of view. This makes The Last of Us Part II a grueling exploration of morality in justifying murder, and it’s as brilliant as it is horrifying.

3) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and the Baby in the Oven

The brilliance of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt cannot be overstated, but there’s one moment in which Geralt of Rivia has to make a choice, and it’s traumatizing. The player is given the option to do one of two things. They can trust Cerys and put a baby into a burning oven, or not listen to her and save the baby from fiery doom. It’s one of those moments in gaming where the player is truly unsure of what to do. One choice is obvious, but you trust Cerys, yet also don’t want to put the child in an oven. If you do, it turns out to be a ruse to save Udalryk from possession, but if you don’t, things escalate. In the case of this game, it’s the choice that’s harrowing to the player, but it’s also fantastic storytelling, so there’s that.

4) The “By the Book” Mission in Grand Theft Auto V

There’s no question that the Grand Theft Auto games are controversial, and that’s essentially the point. You wantonly defy authority, commit more crimes than entire Mafia families, and you can indiscriminately slaughter anyone you like, so long as you can evade capture. Still, it pushes the bounds of most players’ expectations in GTA V’s “By the Book” mission, where the player is forced to torture Ferdinand Kerimov for information. You must pull out his teeth, use a car battery to electrocute him, and waterboard him. If you go too far, his heart stops, so you have to inject some adrenaline, and it’s all a bit too … real.

5) The “No Russian” Mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

This is probably one of the most controversial missions in a single-player campaign from the Call of Duty franchise. In Modern Warfare 2, players take part in a civilian massacre in “No Russian,” though it should be noted that it can be skipped without penalty, or players can opt not to kill anyone and just … follow along. If you play it, you’re culpable in the slaughter of innocents, and by skipping it, you’re kind of looking the other way. The killfest takes place in a Moscow airport, and thankfully, the programmers had the good sense not to include child NPCs. Still, you need to keep up your profile with a terrorist organization, and killing civilians is the way to do it.

Did any of these make you feel like a bad person? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

6 Worst Xbox Franchises Ever