Hello everyone! We are a two brother team who live Sofia, Bulgaria. Yes, the literal City 17 from Half-Life 2. We are making a game inspired by the book Obedience to Authority as well as media such as Papers, Please and the show Severance.
Here in Eastern Europe we have experience and past with harsh authority and authoritarianism. I mean look at our oppressive leftover architecture and forgotten symbols of authority. I guess the subject has always interested me… “Why do good people follow evil orders?”
What ever prejudice some media might have against people in Eastern Europe, I assure you we are some of the hardest working and welcoming people you will ever meet! And our game explores if you obey orders and how does your moral compass work (if at all). I invite you to wishlist it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2719670/The_Milgram_Experiment/
The best games do that constantly. It’s part of their storyline to test your morals and ethics in difficult situations.
Ever play any of the Fallout games? Or Cyberpunk 2077? A big part of each of those games is discovering “who you are” as a character. What living in that world means to you, and what you will do, how far you will go, to survive it.
It’s one of the hallmarks of an excellent game
I think the fallout and cyberpunk both had some of those great moments of exploring morality. But in my opinion, the Witcher 2 & 3 do it better than any other games I’ve played.
Rather than spoiling the story with specific examples, I’ll just say this: these games thrive in the grey zone, it’s where they live. And you’ll often find yourself making decisions you really didn’t expect to make or seriously regretting the choice you just committed to.
Edit: now that I’ve said that, I think the banner saga also deserves a mention. That game has some hard decisions and often, some seriously dark outcomes.
The Witcher games are pretty fucking great