5. Killing For the Sake of Killing
A good storyteller never does anything for the sake of itself. In a story where a character can kill without a sense of consequence, that is a facet of the character that can be explored, either through gaining understanding of why they think that way or by showing their change and development from that over time.
A mature, critical story can handle this well because a mature, critical story doesn't require its audience to agree with its characters. The most potent part of the gaming medium is its ability to Being John Malkovich players into another entity, allowing them to see a world outside of their own experiences. There is enormous potential here to explore extraordinary concepts, including a character who supposedly kills "for the sake of killing" who could be played as a learning experience for the player.
The “No Russian” instance of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 cited by Milne wasn’t just for the sake of killing. While the series isn’t famous for nuance, it was a moment where players had to decide whether or not they would participate in the killing of innocent people. The consequences fell to the player themselves and the immersion they had in it. It’s not a defense of the segment of the game, but there is a degree of internal accountability. Grand Theft Auto IV, another example that Milne uses, however…
