The Witcher 3 and Growing Up

The first game I remember having morality choices be a central part of the gameplay experience was Knights of the Old Republic, which I played circa 2004. Prior to that, every game seemingly had a fairly linear structure with one defined outcome. You had no say in how your avatar acted or reacted; it was basically a movie with gameplay interspersed.

But in that game, you could choose whether to be a Sith Lord and take over the galaxy or be the heroic Jedi that makes everything right. I really don't remember much of the story beyond that and you actually being Revan, but I do vividly remember me going out of my way to always pick the evil choices. They were pretty hamfisted in terms of being either 100% right or wrong in that game, but I intentionally picked the most evil one. My brother picked the light side ones.

Long story short, I ended up taking over the galaxy in a hostile takeover while he ruled justly. My guy's face looked like hamburger meat while his looked like Jedi Fabio. But why in the world did I gravitate so easily toward the evil choices? Was it because my brother was playing at the same time and I got to see the light sided choices? Was it because you never really got to be an out and out evil character in a game before? Was I a messed up sociopath who wished I, too, could slaughter younglings?

I don't think it was really any of that, at least on its own. I think since I was about 15 at the time, I was an angry, emo teenager who hated everyone and everybody has those feelings to some degree. But most people don't act on them, I don't think, even in a (real life) consequence free video game environment. Bad things still happen to you in the game and you see how things react to your bad decisions.

Evidence against this is every psychopath teenager playing Call of Duty online against DRock cursing out the players they're fighting. I never wanted to do that though. Whatever the reason though, I was an angry, lonely teenager with hardly any friends who took the first chance I got, virtual or otherwise, to take out everyone around me and be as mean as possible.

I kept doing that in whatever games I played during high school, whether Fable or Oblivion or whatever. Then, when I went to college and law school, I didn't really have time for games beyond those of the sports variety, which have been abjectly terrible since about 2005 (FIFA aside). Eventually I tried to play Mass Effect but hated Commander Shephard's male voice actor so much that I couldn't play the game anymore. And I thought it was horribly overrated besides that. Bioshock Infinite was in my top 5 favorite games ever but there wasn't really much you could do off the beaten, linear path.

I think something clicked when I played The Last of Us, which I didn't particularly like but that's beside the point. At the end (SPOILERZ), you have to save Ellie at the expense of mankind and then you lie to her and this is presented as ok. She's not your daughter and you've only known her for a few months. And the only reason you know her is to get her to make an antidote. I wanted to save humankind and they wouldn't let me. I wanted to do what was noble at the cost of myself.

And then time passed and I moved to Ohio after graduating law school. I still didn't have much social experience beyond the few friends I'd made over the years, but I got flung in head long here. Nothing helps you grow up, at least socially, more than just being around and talking to people. I still do stupid stuff and talk to much, but I'm at least better in relating to people now than I was then. And then I bought The Witcher 3 the day it came out.

Without any kind of conscious decisionmaking process, I just did everything I thought was the right decision. And it wasn't because it was what would get me a happy outcome (some people on Reddit just went according to guides to get them desired outcomes); it was because, I later figured out, it's what I would have done if I was in Geralt's shoes.

WITCHER 3 SPOILERS COMING

I didn't think it'd be to my benefit, but I made sure I wouldn't let the Baron's wife and daughter go back to him because he was a woman beater. I let Ciri go because it was the right thing to do for her. I tried to do things to help the other characters be happy, not what would get me the best witcher gear or whatever. I stopped to help people in distress just because that's what I'd do in real life.

It didn't always turn out great since I got the Baron's wife killed because I had to help orphans who were kept hostage by the Crones and by keeping the Baron's wife and daughter away, I caused him to hang himself.

I just tried to do the right thing as much as I could since that's what I'd do in real life, and wouldn't you know, I got all the characters to help me fight the Wild Hunt at Kaer Morhen at the end aside from one. I chose the right ruler for Skellige instead of the one who'd help me. I chose to spare Keira's life instead of killing her which would have been safer for people. I didn't turn on Avallac'h or the priest who I thought was a serial killer without talking to them first.

END OF SPOILERS FOR WITCHER 3

And I think there's a life lesson to take out of all of this. I think if you just do what you think is the right thing to do as much as you possibly can, things will generally turn out ok. I don't it'll be good karma or anything spiritual like that; I just think people will want to help you out and that'll make everything easier for you.

I've had a much easier time here than I did during law school since I've had friends to talk to when I've had a hard time and they want to help me through. I've gone too far getting mad sometimes (hey, GAP) and done stupid things to them and made them mad, but they haven't abandoned me. I think it's because I've generally been good to them and they know I mean well even when it doesn't come off that way.

And I think that's a big part of growing up. Don't try to manipulate people, just try to do your best at doing the right thing because then people will come around to help you. And I'm not talking about getting a tangible benefit from that help. It's just nice to have someone around to talk to or hang out with or send a text to when you're excited or sad. That's the kind of help that I think really matters. If you're alone and rich, you're probably sad but if you have people who love you and you're poor, I think you're rich.

Maybe this is only a problem I had since I didn't have much social experience and didn't know about these things, but I think it's been the most important thing I've learned at business school and even in law school and undergrad to a lesser degree.

I always wanted people who cared about me outside of my family but I didn't really know how to get that. Now I think I'm pretty sure that if you do the right thing and are nice to people even while being weird and the class' mascot, people will like you and help you. And for that I'm grateful.

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