Uploaded June 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Morality systems are a huge trend in videogames, and with good reason- games are maybe the best medium for analysing and exploring ethics. So why are most games with morality systems rubbish at exactly that?

The Architect is going to have to journey to the middle of the ocean, the arctic circle and to the darkest of dungeons to work out what the problem with morality systems is.

Follow me on Twitter- twitter.com/Thefearalcarrot
Support The Architect of Games on Patreon- patreon.com/ArchitectofGames

You saw:

Quarantine Circular- 2018
Mass Effect 3- 2012
Undertale- 2015
Saints row 4- 2013
Darkest Dungeon- 2016
Half Life 2- 2004
KOTOR 2- 2004
Dishonored- 2012
Frostpunk- 2018
Papers Please- 2013
Fallout New Vegas- 2010
Subsurface Circular- 2017
Dauntless- 2018

Interesting links:

Buy Dan Le Sac's music for the circular games, it's great- danlesac.bandcamp.com

Designing moral systems- gamasutra.com/view/feature/5324/ethics_101_designing_morality_in_.php?print=1

How the book of laws came to be- pcgamer.com/frostpunk-developers-on-hope-misery-and-the-ultimately-terrifying-book-of-laws