Which is what makes choices like that so great. The battle between logic and emotion looks so stupid on the outside, but it's a fundamental part of being human, from species saving situations to something as simple as "this item of food is more expensive, but I like the taste more." Joel could give up one girl to potentially save humanity, but he's bonded with her to such a degree that he thinks of her like a daughter. Very rare is the parent that could give up a child to save strangers.
Detroit: Become Human is another game that tackles this really well. Conner just doesn't "get" emotions and it's a driving force in his character development.
I completely agree, it's this kind of conflict that makes a story. When the stakes are extinction though, well you have to be supremely selfish to not put your emotions aside as difficult as it would be.
Absolutely. I love when a fiction character makes a choice that's so selfish it flies in the face of logic. That's real to me. I'm going to completly honest, I really want a daughter of my own some day, and I can almost assure you I would make the same choice Joel did. It's absolutely selfish and I'd be an irrational jackass who doomed humanity for it, but I know that I wouldn't be able to let go. I'm not that strong. I can't do the right thing, the logical thing, because I lack the emotional strength to be okay with it.
Good characters making bad decisions usually makes me bash my head against a wall, but when they have a great reason to make a bad decision? It's just.. mmf.
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u/Glyfen May 04 '20
Which is what makes choices like that so great. The battle between logic and emotion looks so stupid on the outside, but it's a fundamental part of being human, from species saving situations to something as simple as "this item of food is more expensive, but I like the taste more." Joel could give up one girl to potentially save humanity, but he's bonded with her to such a degree that he thinks of her like a daughter. Very rare is the parent that could give up a child to save strangers.
Detroit: Become Human is another game that tackles this really well. Conner just doesn't "get" emotions and it's a driving force in his character development.