As I mentioned yesterday, Fable 2 looks like a pretty spiffy little game. I also mentioned that I believe free-will and moral accountability are two of the important aspects of the game, ones that are almost certainly going to be contrived and governed by the creators, but will I think nonetheless provide some interesting insight into life beyond gaming. The key question that acts as a boundary to the in-game free will (and shines a light on the potential moral repercussions) is this: what kind of “hero” will you be–that is, how can you be a “good” in-game person?
In an interview, the game’s head creator Peter Molyneux said “true goodness and nobility is not about saving this person or that person. It’s about how much you’re willing to sacrifice.” I think this is an interesting statement, one that in some ways is intended to go against the typical storyline tasks of “save the shopkeeper” or “save the princess”, but more importantly the statement reveals something about how we ought to define “goodness”.
As an undergrad student I saw the question of how to define what is “good” pop up from time to time, and then again as a law student we grappled with the difficult balance between subjective and objective perspectives on what is good. I in no way buy in to moral relativism, but I do think there are legitimate grey areas when it comes to deciding what the best moral choice is in a given situation.
When we talk about what it means to be “good” there’s a certain academic tone to the discussion, until we are forced to apply the “good” to a moral dilemma. Do we have a moral imperitive to invade another sovereign nation if that nation is engaged in genocide? Do we have the right to terminate the life of an unborn child in order to preserve the life of the mother? And, far less serious but no less telling, do I have a duty to sacrifice some in-game benefit for the sake of protecting another?
I think the way Molyneux defines “goodness”, as based on what we are willing to sacrifice is a fundamental aspect of why Christians look to the example of Christ to know how to act–WWJD as the cheesy 90s take, but still, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice and he is associated with a higher “good”.
How we define the “good” ultimately is an important question, one that I’m not prepared to tackle in full, but I am looking forward to how Fable 2 deals with this question. And I suppose most of this is just me rambling, but hopefully it will whet your appetite for Fable 2, or if nothing else give some insight into how I can be a Christian gaming junkie.
Posted by Micah McMillan 
