It’s just a game. Ever heard those words? I have. Maybe I’ve even said them once or thrice…

But it’s not just that is it? Not even close. In my time, I’ve defeated armies, saved the world or the universe (on a good day) countless times. I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe – the fall of Rapture, the moon on a collision course with the planet, giant dog-people. But of all the things I’ve seen, all the things I’ve done, the hardest part is when I have to make a choice. Who lives and who dies. For me, a few games with this choice are BioShock, Condemned and Mass Effect

Now, that choice may be an integral part of those games – like saying “I like games with cars. For me, a few games with cars are GT4, Forza and DiRT.” – but there is a third option, which I’ve dubbed the Blair way. Switch off to avoid making the choice. This is an option I’ve never even considered until a comment Dan made recently; it’s also something I couldn’t do in a million years.

Over the years, I’ve made that choice in those games and others; it seems to be a staple of Bioware’s and, to a lesser extent, Lionhead’s games. Part of me welcomes the inclusion of that element and part of me dreads it because it doesn’t get easier; far from it. Take Mass Effect, the latest game from Bioware. Now I love this game, I really do, but… at some point in the game I found myself faced with a number of hard choices in quick succession. They’re plot-related so I won’t go into too much detail. Suffice to say it was torturous. I, as always, did the right thing. It turned out the right decision isn’t always the best decision!

Saying that, I like being given the chance to shape the game world – it gives a deeper sense of immersion because whatever choice I make, there’s consequences, possibly far-reaching ones. Even a seemingly minor decision can affect gameplay… as I found when a reward I was given (again in Mass Effect) for an assignment played an integral part in a mission much later in the game. That is a gaming trend that intrigues me. It’s also why I’ll be picking up Fable 2 when it hits the shelves later this year! Well, that and because it has a dog in it.

We all make choices. But, in the end, our choices make us.