5 Worst Things Players Have to Do in Games

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Have you ever felt forced to do something questionable in a video game? Many games let you choose to be evil, and sometimes that’s enjoyable, like in the Fable series. But over the last 50 years, games have increasingly put players in uncomfortable situations where they have to cross moral boundaries. We’ve all probably experienced this – being told it’s wrong to steal from a virtual child, but needing to do it to continue the game. Here are five of the most troubling examples, presented in random order.

1) Sacrificing Yoshi to Jump Higher and Further

If you’ve played any Super Mario Bros. game since Super Mario World came out in 1990, you’ve probably used Yoshi as a stepping stone – and likely let him fall to his doom many times. It feels a bit cruel when you think about it, since it’s sometimes necessary to progress in the game. Yoshi was a new addition, designed to help Mario reach higher areas than he could on his own. But to do so, you had to send Yoshi tumbling into bottomless pits. And let’s not forget that Mario actually punches Yoshi in the head to make his tongue appear! It’s clear Mario isn’t always the best friend to his dinosaur companion.

2) The Entire Story of The Last of Us Part II

Despite being a truly exceptional game, The Last of Us Part II forces players to perform violent actions to move forward. The story centers on two characters, Abby and Ellie, both driven by revenge and willing to kill to achieve it. Players experience the game from both of their perspectives, highlighting that every act of violence creates loss and grief. The game powerfully demonstrates this – when you kill an enemy, you hear their companions cry out in pain, even if that enemy is a beloved animal and their trainer is heartbroken. Ultimately, The Last of Us Part II blurs the line between hero and villain, suggesting they are often two sides of the same coin. This makes for a deeply disturbing yet brilliant examination of morality and the justification of murder.

3) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and the Baby in the Oven

It’s hard to overstate how good The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is, but one particular scene is incredibly disturbing. Players are faced with a terrible choice: they can either trust Cerys and allow a baby to be placed in a burning oven, or disobey her and save the child. It’s a genuinely difficult moment, as one option seems clearly right, but trusting Cerys feels wrong. If you follow her instructions, it’s revealed to be a trick to prevent someone else from being possessed. If you don’t, the situation gets much worse. While this choice is deeply upsetting, it’s also a prime example of excellent storytelling within the game.

4) The “By the Book” Mission in Grand Theft Auto V

The Grand Theft Auto series is known for being controversial, and that’s often intentional. The games let you break the law constantly, commit countless crimes, and even harm other characters, as long as you don’t get caught. However, the “By the Book” mission in GTA V goes further than many players expect. It forces you to torture Ferdinand Kerimov to get information. This involves pulling out his teeth, shocking him with a car battery, and waterboarding him. You have to be careful not to go too far – if his heart stops, you have to revive him with adrenaline. The whole sequence feels unsettlingly realistic.

5) The “No Russian” Mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The “No Russian” mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is famously controversial. Players are put in a situation where they participate in a mass shooting of civilians, but it’s optional – they can skip the mission entirely or choose not to kill anyone. Playing through the mission makes you complicit in the violence, while skipping it feels like passively accepting it. The scene takes place in a Moscow airport, and the developers wisely avoided including any children among the victims. Ultimately, the mission requires players to align with a terrorist group, and killing civilians is presented as the means to do so.

Did any of these stories upset you or make you question your own actions? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-11-10 21:45