If Ethics Become Optional
I stumpled upon this question, what If Ethics Become Optional? You see, Long ago, when “teen” was still part of describing my age, I had a friend. She was clever, fun, and popular (did not hurt that she was quite beautiful too).
One day, a boy (among many) found himself hitting on her. With a charming smile and sharp wit, he succeeded, after many tries, to make her fall for him. They were going out for a few weeks and he spun a web of golden thread, with promises and sweet anecdotes of the future… that was, until he got what he wanted and then dumped her.
It was not a pretty breakup and that’s when she gave me a quote which I remember to this day:
“A lot of people are alive today, simply because it is lawfully illegal to kill them.”
Bear in mind the “teen” part, so at the time everyone was raging with hormones and this seemed like an appropriate sentence. Nonetheless, I keep thinking to myself that parts of the sentence are true – since, if ethics become optional, would she still be the sad one?
It especially comes to mind when I play videogames. Behind the mask of a character, an online community can become incredibly toxic (or salty if you will). You find that there are too many people in this World who believe that they are strong, untouchable, and powerful enough, to do what they want and can walk away without anyone questioning their behavior, simply because it could be troublesome to deal with the consequences if we did do something.
I believe this to be the inspiration of many post-apocalyptic games. Particularly, in some of my favorites, such as “Last of Us”. Here former criminals become heroes, and some math teachers turn into cannibalistic, slightly pedophiliac, monsters, in human form (fuck you David, you know I am refering to you!).
You see, in a post-apocalyptic scenario, there are no laws, order, or legal consequences to worry about. All you need to worry about is the risk factor. Whether it is a suitable risk to try and take. Here, I am talking about bigger risks, not whether someone will see you pick up your bagel from the street, after you dropped it.
This is, to some, survival – to others it is the ultimate freedom. Meaning, whomever is “despicable” already, can continue their path to the more extreme in a post apocalyptic world, but contrary to our world, they might not be allowed to do so without consequences.
Where am I going with this?
Bringing us to the topic of the day – What happens if ethics become optional? Are Last of Us correct? Should we fear regular humans as much as the Fungi infection? Would all old order disappear into chaos and would we become strong individual survivors, who can fend for ourselves?
Personally, I am pretty sure I would die within the first day of the infection; for one, if the reddit theory is correct, and that the fungal virus actually spread through one of the most commonly used baking ingredients, flour, then I would be f@*ked – I eat bread every day. Secondly, I have 0 useful skills in survival – I can make a nice graph of how quickly I would die, but not much else.
Therefore, let’s start the discussion on why Last of Us plays out like this and how this would reflect on our world.
The Last of Us
Here we have a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Set in a Post-apocalyptic version of earth, the player gets to take control of Joel (big shout out to Troy Baker), a man tasked with escorting a young girl, Ellie (Ashley Johnson), across the United States. The game has following been given a second game, a dlc, and a exciting tv-show with the amazing Pedro Pascal, taking the role as Joel.
Fun personal fact, It is one of the only games that I have cried to and which continuously have made me cry for every playthrough.
The Plot
The plot of Last of Us has many known nuances of former post-apocalyptic games, however, they managed to serve the story in such a captivating way, that the player is absolutely mindblown by the end.
In 2013, an outbreak of a mutant fungus ravages the United States, transforming its human hosts into aggressive creatures. Twenty years later, civilization has been decimated by the infection. Joel works as a smuggler with his partner, Tess in a quarantine zone in Boston, Massachusetts. In order to earn a living, they accept a task from the leader of the resistance, who hires the two, to smuggle a teenage girl, Ellie, to their hideout in the Massachusetts State House.
Arriving at the State House, the trio discover the Fireflies have been killed and the Ellie is immune to the infection. Believing in Ellie’s importance, Joel decides to find Tommy, a former Firefly, in the hope that he can locate others. From here your adventure starts across america, filled with dangers and interesting people.
Fun actual fact, the fungi causing the infection is an actual fungus. Referring to Cordyceps, also known as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a fungal parasite that’s been called the “Zombie-Ant Fungus” because it infects insects and spiders.
How Is This Relevant?
Those of you who have played Last of Us, do not question why I have decided to take this game as a reference. The game is filled with examples of a world where ethical choices are far gone. You as the player get to encounter them on an almost immediate basis from various NPC’s and have to make some quite unethical decisions yourself along the way.
Without spoiling too much, the final decision of Joel to save Ellie, brings forward a mixed feeling in many, as you know what the ethical choice would be, but also can’t help but cheer as he gets to escape with her in his arms.
The villains in the game are no better and are a classic example of “it is not the zombies I am afraid of”. I mentioned the piece of turd David (amazingly portrayed by Nolan North in the game and Scott Shepherd in the show – I honestly cant say who i ended up hating the most) above, but other worthy mentions would be Robert, Pittsburgh Hunters, and the Rattlers, who all have abandoned their ethical code, in the name of “survival” using humans as resources, fun and… food.
Still I can honestly say, that I would hate if David was alive today, simply because it is lawfully illegal to kill him.
Gameplay
So how do we play? You traverse post-apocalyptic environments such as towns, buildings, forests, and sewers, in a third-person perspective, to advance the story. You can use firearms, improvised weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and the infected. For most of the game, you take control of Joel, but will on occasion also control Ellie throughout the game.
The game features an artificial intelligence system by which enemies react to combat. If they discover you, they may take cover or call for assistance, and can take advantage of the player when they are distracted, out of ammunition, or in a fight. So it is your job, to think carefully whether you are gonna play this stealthy as a ninja or brawl through like hooligan – but remember, the ammunition is limited, the weapons break and the infected are sensitive to noise.
Also, the longer you come with the story, the more you care for the characters (at least I did), making the death scenes seem quite brutal and more important to avoid.
Debate Of The Day
Speaking of avoiding death – let us assume that you are now in a post-apocalyptic wasteland! You have by a miracle managed to survive more than a few months and the society you used to know is now no more than a memory. On a scale from 1-10 how fucked are you? As I mentioned above, Personally I won’t be of much good to this society and will most likely end up being sent on impossible scout missions, as to not waste food on me.
However, that is a legit problem right? In our society today more and more of us are taking the academic road, excelling in topics like Marketing, Social studies, Art, etc. and I am just not sure how relevant a So-Me Manager is gonna be in a world of cannibals? Sure, a “go away Zombie ” campaign would be nice, if the zombies could read… and we had internet. Whereas a carpenter, he can literally build a roof above your head!
So no more managers, no more consultants, goodbye sales, and hello unemployment. What would happen to these people? Would we be responsible for “odd” jobs, simply be disposed of, or would we seek out new opportunities elsewhere? Maybe this is already a trigger for slowly letting go of the ethics. The world now having less resources, flips around the need for big business moguls – I mean what use would we really have for Mr. Bezos, when he won’t be able to deliver our packages anymore? On the other hand, the good old brick layer down the street, who can build a wall around your city, could be elected president!
So naturally our old laws are already changing and even within governmental controlled areas, we can see in “last of us” that corruption and bribery will spread fast, all in the name of personal survival. From here it is a slippery slope; You want protection, for that you need weapons, which wont be legal in the common spaces – but what if the zombies break through? Then you want food, for that you need currency or to find it yourself – but you don’t earn much collecting trash and you are not allowed outside the walls. What do you do? accommodate these “newly established rules, from a small governmental entity” or… do you take matters into your own hands?
Maybe the food is not just for you? Or the medicine you need is for your sick wife? The weapon is not to protect from the zombies, but from the gangs running amok in your small society? I can mention millions of causes, which are also relevant in some societies today, that are argumentative for why you would break the ethical code. The difference between today and my example, is simply that the justice system is weaker and in chaos.
So what happens, when these slips start to occur? Let’s get the discussion rolling and see whether you would end up like Joel, the Fireflies or… David.
The Government Is Here
According to the last of us, what makes rules compliant, is not the actual government, but that we all decide to comply with them. So what happens, when the rules being made are less accepted by the people?
In Last of Us, we are “saved” by FEDRA, which is a government agency in the United States, tasked with responding to disasters and managing emergencies. After the initial Cordyceps brain infection (CBI) outbreak, FEDRA seized control of the U.S. government and armed forces in order to set up the quarantine zones (QZs).
Yet, these QZs are less than… well functioning, and the ethics of the low paid guards are even worse. I am talking serious bribes here and a questionable powerplay. Quite often demonstrated in these scenarios, where “our protectors” are put on a pedestal (sadly, I have also seen this from a minority of the boys in blue, but at least here the majority is still the bomb).
So what do you do when the law-enforcement is unfair and no-one is around to uphold these misdemeanors? You start breaking the rules. I truly believe that what is upholding society today is this unspoken social construct, that the rules are here for the better of us – but as soon as they are not, or at least does not feel that way, I can see why the last of us, takes us down the path of a rising resistance and a social collapse.
The Gray Area.. I Mean The Resistance
Putting together a resistance is kind of a gray zone. You most likely put it together to challenge and rise against the current regime that does not uphold the values you deem necessary for the society’s best interest. Buuuuut, a resistance force, is often not more than a smaller group of people, upholding what they think the new norm should be – just like the law enforcers. So which group is more correct than the other? Are your decisions non-ethical according to their standards or ethical according to yours?
The Fireflies are the resistance of Last of Us – or as FEDRA sees them, the terrorist of Last of Us. So here everything is not black and white – since what FEDRA is enforcing is definitely not the most “clean rules”, but at the same time, Fireflies are engaging in mass bombings to counter these enforcements – also not super okay.
So now we are dealing with two groups, who each believes that their methods are justifying the greater good of the people. I don’t know about you, but to me it is hard to see who is right or wrong by the end of it – but if you follow today’s logic, then by joining the resistance, you would be going against the government and society. However, what if the values of the resistance are more ethical than those of the current government? What if they are not?
Is keeping the people safe and fed, not the more ethical choice? Yet, what if that choice comes with restriction and limited freedom? What do we value the most, when put forward with this dilemma? I have a hard time making a decision, since if given the choice “freedom” probably fits better to my way of living, but what if you are 90 years old and fragile, needing the protection?
Freedom Vs. Carnage
Bring us to the final point of today – achieving freedom versus engaging in carnage. What I want to focus on here, is the depiction of what happens to the people, who are neither under the rules of a government or the resistance. “The free spirits” if you will. In Last of Us they are portrayed as a mix between violent psychopaths, cannibals, and a smaller well functioning society.
I have a sad feeling that these predictions are more or less accurate. Truly, some will be able to join forces and build close relations to what society looks like today. Where killing is wrong and helping thy neighbor is good. However, I also see the reality of the opposite, where the viking age returns, with the mindset that true freedom is achieved by pillaging and plundering. A place where eating thy neighbor is a necessity to survive if he is weak and stealing from strangers is better than letting them in.
Because of these conflicts, I have a hard time saying that I would be a good samaritan in this scenario. I am not saying that I would go with option two, but living in a trusting society based on a minority of people, would also not be ideal for me. Today the system is built on trust – where the majority puts back their shopping cart, without being told to, but what if you flip that scale? How would I know who to aid and who to fear? The most likely outcome for me, would most likely be a secluded life, just as the one upheld by Bill.
This would be a sad life. Maybe not even worth categorizing as a life – but you would be alive. The ideal would of course be the peaceful society and helping in building that, but if I have learned anything from “the Walking Dead“, then it is that these societies are incredibly hard to keep safe.
What About The Zombies?
All in all, this piece is all insanely hypothetical, and does not even consider the fact that most of us reading this, will likely die by zombie mutilation. Be honest with yourselves here, I know we all think we are well equipped and the most fitted to survive a zombie infestation, but how many of us can even run a 100m without losing our breath?
So whether you join the law enforcement, the rebels, the cannibals or find yourself alone (but safe) in a small house somewhere, the biggest problem will most likely be getting to the point where you can make that choice.
Yet, in the meantime, we are back to the discussion topic. What happens to you if ethics become optional? Will you try to uphold the society we know or not? What rules would you change and what norms would you ignore? Most importantly, will you kick your ex in the groin or will you still try and maintain a calm facade – remember, neither have consequences in this scenario.
Or maybe you will throw a positive spin on it, like in “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” and just go wild to your heart’s content? Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and try neither to be too skeptical or too naive – and remember, layers! Zombies always get the MC because they wear a f@*ing t-shirt, instead of several layers of clothes, which cannot be bit through.
Post-apocalypse now!
With that said, I hope to have left you with a bit of a thinker – but now it is Up to you! Throw a choice in the ring – what is your favorite post-apocalyptic game?
All right, I guess that is all I got in me for today – Thank you for reading this far and feel free to provide any feedback you may have – We would like for you to keep leveling up with us! Feel free to contribute your own content, such as fan art, game reviews, or personal gaming stories, to be featured as Pixelated Wisdom.
Sources
Thank you to the sources providing me with cool inspiration: