Towards enhancing NPCs' morality: The case of the elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Morality systems are one of the key features that most computer role-playing games (CRPGs) include as a way of allowing players to build their own characters, as well as capturing how the virtual world reacts to their choices. In some of those games, non-playable characters (NPCs) follow their own virtual lives and schedules beyond the players' actions, which contributes to simulating a more believable virtual world. However, the moral dimension of those NPCs is often very limited, and their morally-relevant deeds usually depend on scripted narratives; this prevents NPCs from showing believable moral autonomy in their actions, beyond what they have been hard-wired to do. In this paper, we analyze the case of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as a particularly detailed case in terms of its NPCs' moral profiles, and we argue how, by reusing mechanics that already exist in the game, NPCs could be furnished with a much deeper moral profile and autonomy.