My issue I think is with this use of the word 'evil'. What exactly is 'evil'? How do you define it; because to me something evil is something that is inherently destructive for no other reason than 'it just is' - something or someone that wishes to mindlessly inflict pain and suffering on anyone and anything around it.
There are many examples of acts in history many would call 'evil' but I honestly struggle with that label because everyone has their motivations, and even thought we can't always see what they are they exist and understanding them is the key to moving away from simply labelling something as evil and moving on, and being able to empathise with those who turn to violence, death and destruction as their only way out so as to prevent it happening again in the future.
For example, Anders isn't instantly evil for destroying the Chantry and killing people (who may or may not have had it coming to them - lets not go there again! lol). When you look at why he did it, where he was coming from and what events befell him that led him to that path, you can understand and empathise even if you vehemently disagree with what he did.
The example you guys are using of Howe's guards is an interesting one, and I certainly disagree that those people were evil or that they 'deserved' to die either; of course they didn't. They were following the orders of a man they trusted would send them to fight the wicked and deserving of condemnation - they were guards after all, to take up such a role demands some level of principled morality; they weren't a legion of despicable henchmen, as far as I remember.
I suspect the majority believed they were protecting Ferelden from a dangerous treasonous criminal when they attack the Warden, but this isn't reality you don't have the luxury of attempting to talk them down; stealth in or create a distraction, it's a game where you have to gather xp to level up so you can go fight the big bad Archdemon! So, while killing them might feel a little wrong, at the same time it's what you must do, they are attacking and the game ends if you let them just skewer you like a shish kebab because you feel it is wrong to kill them for simply following the orders of a megalomaniacal wannbe dictator.
It's like I mentioned in a previous post, you can't comfortably transfer the morality of the modern world into Dragon Age because Hawke (and the Warden) waltz around commiting acts of murder day in, day out without so much as a battering of an eyelid. The value on human life is set decidedly lower, and so the murder of a bandit who turned to crime because his wife got sick and he could no longer tend to the family farm as he had to take care of their 6 children doesn't factor in when you're blasting a hole in his face or slitting his throat for jumping out of the shadows to steal your gold as you walk the streets of Lowtown.
They're nameless, faceless... if they attack you, then you attack back. It's just the way it is in a game like that. But do that in real life? You can expect to be in court facing jail time. If someone breaks into your house and holds a knife to your kids throat and you killed them, it would be you in the dock facing a judge and jury. But are you evil? No, of course not... If a gang of thugs attacked you as you wandered around at night and you whip out a big arse sword and sliced their heads off, you can bet people are going to think - YOU - have the problem. No so, in Dragon Age.
Absolute morality does not work, in either direction, society whether it is in a video game or in reality is never so cut and dry, never that black and white.
Whoa that was pretty tl;dr... apologies! haha.
Editado por sestrensaz, 17 abril 2011 - 09:59 .
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