The main aspect of gaming that differentiates it from books and films is that players are in control of the main character(s). Although there are some "choose your own adventure" books and interactive films like Black Mirror's Bandersnatch, they are outliers.
As narratives in gaming have grown in budget and scope, many games now let players make key choices in what happens in a story. While some games have decisions that are arbitrary or uninterestingly simple, there are others that force players to make decisions that can have them staring at the screen for far longer than they may want to admit, weighing up the potential future consequences of their choice.
7 Killing A Person To Save Ethan's Son (Heavy Rain)
Heavy Rain was released in 2010 and turned heads with its multiple fleshed-out narratives that required players to make a plethora of decisions to reach 1 of a possible 17 endings. The main narrative follows Ethan, a father whose son has been taken just a short while after his other son died in an accident.
To save his son from the so-called Origami Killer, Ethan must complete five trials to obtain clues. The fourth trial sees Ethan have to make arguably his toughest decision, as he is tasked with killing a drug dealer to obtain a clue. Once the dealer is at gunpoint, he will beg for his life and show Ethan a picture of his two daughters, just as players are given the choice to kill him.
6 Save Ashley Or Kaidan (Mass Effect)
Like Heavy Rain, Mass Effect captured the attention of the gaming industry when it was first released in 2007 for its story-driven campaign filled with tough, impactful choices. One of the most memorable decisions that players are forced to make in the entire series comes towards the end of the first game, where players have to choose whether to save Ashley or Kaidan, two of their squadmates.
The funny thing about this choice is that many people prefer Kaidan as a person but choose to save Ashley. The reason is that Ashley makes a handful of discriminatory comments about non-human species throughout the game, which obviously makes her extremely unlikable. However, to put it bluntly, Kaidan is one of the dullest characters ever created. So essentially, the decision comes down to whether players want to save the better person or have a more interesting story.
5 Save Arcadia Bay Or Chloe (Life Is Strange)
Life is Strange is another game that gives players the choice to save a character or let them die, but unlike Mass Effect, the other option is to save or sacrifice an entire town full of people. Although saving the lives of thousands over one life may seem obvious, many people will have grown attached to Chloe by that point in the story.
The choice has parallels to the ending of The Last of Us, except this time, players get to choose whether to destroy numerous lives for the sake of one they care about.
4 Choosing A Starter Pokemon (Pokemon Red & Blue)
Thankfully, not all tough gaming decisions are utterly miserable and soul-destroying. However, just because a choice isn't life or death, it isn't necessarily easy. A decision that sparked UN-level debates on school playgrounds in the late '90s was deciding which starting Pokemon to pick, with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander being available.
According to a poll by Nintendo, 45% picked Charmander, 32% picked Squirtle, and 23% picked Bulbasaur.
3 Deciding On A Method Of Torture (Grand Theft Auto 5)
Now back to the utterly miserable and soul-destroying choices with Grand Theft Auto 5. The Grand Theft Auto series has always been known for its over-the-top violence and for pushing the boundaries of what's allowed in a video game, though many people were still left shocked by the infamous "By The Book" mission in GTA 5.
The mission puts players in control of both Michael with a sniper and Trevor with various torture devices and tasks them with ascertaining information from Kerimov. This information is needed to help Michael know who to kill at a party. Unfortunately, players have the grim task of torturing the poor guy themselves, and they have no choice but to pick which method of torture to use.
2 Sacrifice, Love, Or Wealth (Fable 2)
The Fable series began in 2004 and was ahead of its time in how it let the player be either a hero or villain through choices made throughout the story. One of the toughest decisions in the entire series comes at the end of the second game, where players can choose one of three wishes: Sacrifice, Love, or Wealth.
If the player chooses Sacrifice, thousands of innocent people who died unjustly are resurrected, but the player can never see their family again. If players choose Love, then the opposite occurs, with the player's family being resurrected instead of thousands of innocent lives. Finally, if players choose wealth, they simply get a million coins, but no one is resurrected.
1 Cure Cancer Or Feed The Hungry (Saints Row 4)
Saints Row was once seen as a viable competitor to the Grand Theft Auto franchise before embracing its weird and wacky side and essentially becoming GTA's eccentric cousin. Saints Row 4 leaned into the series' bizarre side further than ever before, with players becoming the US president and having to fight aliens with superpowers. Before the aliens attack, players are given the unexpected choice of either curing cancer or forever feeding the hungry. The choice is, of course, a win-win, though that doesn't make it easy.
On the one hand, Feed Hungry may seem like the right choice, as hunger is something that can potentially affect everyone in the world. However, it could one day be possible to eradicate world hunger, while a cancer cure may never be found, which works in favor of the Cure Cancer choice. Either way, the player's decision will make them a hero to some and a villain to others.