Embracing My Inner Villain: The Joys of Being Bad in Video Games

Do you know what irks me? The expectation of goodness in video games. The assumption that we all want to save the world and help others selflessly. But sometimes, I yearn to embrace my dark side, to revel in being the villain. Sometimes, being bad is just more fun.

This seed of corruption was planted in my gaming journey many moons ago, courtesy of Dragon Age: Origins. Initially, I embarked on the game with the intention of being the hero, the savior, and a force of good in the world – as I usually am in BioWare games. However, a series of unfortunate events led me astray. An argument with a companion led to an accidental kill, and then I found myself willingly making a deal with a demon, trading a small boy’s life for the forbidden powers of Blood Magic. Anyone would have done the same, right?

Once those moral dominoes started to fall, it became easier to justify my wicked actions. I plummeted into darkness as effortlessly as a stone sinks into water. Anyone who dared to oppose me felt the scorching wrath of my spells. Poor Zevran, my loyal companion, met a bitter end, and even my beloved golem Shale was not spared. As for Alistair, the beloved hero in everyone’s eyes, I decided to execute him at the game’s finale – just for the thrill of it.