Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism/Video Games: Difference between revisions

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* The first part of ''[[Warcraft III]]'' is an interesting case. In order to fight the undead threat and save his people, Prince Arthas gives up the idealistic tenets of paladins and does whatever he feels is necessary to achieve his goal. While this cynical behaviour makes him successful, it eventually results in him being corrupted by the [[Big Bad]], killing his own father and dooming his kingdom.
* The first part of ''[[Warcraft III]]'' is an interesting case. In order to fight the undead threat and save his people, Prince Arthas gives up the idealistic tenets of paladins and does whatever he feels is necessary to achieve his goal. While this cynical behaviour makes him successful, it eventually results in him being corrupted by the [[Big Bad]], killing his own father and dooming his kingdom.
** Made more interesting by the fact that the Paladins who object to Arthas's actions had no problem committing far worse atrocities against the Orcs (and Alterac) in the second war, and have no plan to deal with the Undead besides the one Arthas advocates. For that matter, his fall has less to do with cynicism, and more to do with turning into a raging revenge centric sociopath. The moral for Warcraft 3 is more "[[The Dark Side Will Make You Forget|Don't forget why you're doing what you're doing in the first place]]" and "[[Poor Communication Kills]]" than pro-idealistic, and stayed that way up until World of Warcraft when everyone from TFT was smacked with the character-undevelopment stick repeatedly.
** Made more interesting by the fact that the Paladins who object to Arthas's actions had no problem committing far worse atrocities against the Orcs (and Alterac) in the second war, and have no plan to deal with the Undead besides the one Arthas advocates. For that matter, his fall has less to do with cynicism, and more to do with turning into a raging revenge centric sociopath. The moral for Warcraft 3 is more "[[The Dark Side Will Make You Forget|Don't forget why you're doing what you're doing in the first place]]" and "[[Poor Communication Kills]]" than pro-idealistic, and stayed that way up until World of Warcraft when everyone from TFT was smacked with the character-undevelopment stick repeatedly.
* ''[[City of Heroes]]/[[City of Villains]]'' is an interesting case. While the games take on the expected roles on both sides of the fence (Heroes being very Idealistic and Villains being very Cynical), in the [[Metagame]] it is reverse. You are more likely to find a [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]] who will drop from the team once they reach the mission's boss (sometimes, they do this en mass, leaving the person who set the mission up to deal with finding replacements so that they can advance while they leave with the spoils of war, or most of them anyway) on Heroes rather than Villains, which is a tightly knit community of people out to enjoy a game. This is in all likely-hood due to the idea that the "devs hate red" and the people who end up playing Villains are generally doing it to have fun, while the people who want to win go to Heroes.
* ''[[City of Heroes]]/[[City of Villains]]'' is an interesting case. While the games take on the expected roles on both sides of the fence (Heroes being very Idealistic and Villains being very Cynical), in the [[Metagame]] it is reverse. You are more likely to find [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]] who will drop from the team once they reach the mission's boss (sometimes, they do this ''en masse'', leaving the person who set the mission up to deal with finding replacements so that they can advance while they leave with the spoils of war, or most of them anyway) on Heroes rather than Villains, which is a tightly knit community of people out to enjoy a game. This is in all likelihood due to the idea that the "devs hate red" and the people who end up playing Villains are generally doing it to have fun, while the people who want to win go to Heroes.
** The recently implemented morality system allows heroes and villains to run the gamut with four stops: Hero (fully idealistic)-> Vigilante (A cynical [[Anti-Hero]] [[Fallen Hero|falling]] to the [[Dark Side]])-> Villain (fully cynical)-> Rogue (A still cynical, but becoming idealistic [[Anti-Villain]])-> Hero.
** The morality system allows heroes and villains to run the gamut with four stops: Hero (fully idealistic)-> Vigilante (A cynical [[Anti-Hero]] [[Fallen Hero|falling]] to the [[Dark Side]])-> Villain (fully cynical)-> Rogue (A still cynical, but becoming idealistic [[Anti-Villain]])-> Hero.
* There's a web game called [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games6/gameindex/thelifeark.htm ''The Life Ark''] where you create a new world out of place in space where there is nothing but dust and emptiness. Nice, huh? However, there's a [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark2.htm sequel] which takes place years later where you have to evacuate the people after they've ruined the world that you created in the first game.
* There's a web game called [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games6/gameindex/thelifeark.htm ''The Life Ark''] where you create a new world out of place in space where there is nothing but dust and emptiness. Nice, huh? However, there's a [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark2.htm sequel] which takes place years later where you have to evacuate the people after they've ruined the world that you created in the first game.
** [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark3.htm The next installment] has the ship you so painstakingly evacuated crash. into a moon. [[It Got Worse|Things get worse]] in the [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark4.htm next part] as your efforts to stop the black hole from swallowing your ship have turned it into a super black hole which will [[Apocalypse How|destroy the universe]]. Your only chance is to escape into another universe, which is done through cooperation with another alien race which requires a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] on their part. Finally, in the [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark5.htm fifth installment] you land on Earth, accidentally destroying a few states. By the end of that game you repair the damage you caused and set up a colony on the moon, hoping not to screw up anything else.
** [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark3.htm The next installment] has the ship you so painstakingly evacuated crash. into a moon. [[It Got Worse|Things get worse]] in the [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark4.htm next part] as your efforts to stop the black hole from swallowing your ship have turned it into a super black hole which will [[Apocalypse How|destroy the universe]]. Your only chance is to escape into another universe, which is done through cooperation with another alien race which requires a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] on their part. Finally, in the [http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/lifeark5.htm fifth installment] you land on Earth, accidentally destroying a few states. By the end of that game you repair the damage you caused and set up a colony on the moon, hoping not to screw up anything else.
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