Undertale, the Prey reboot, a bunch of other games: the story is built around the PC learning a lesson. They can accept it, or they can refuse and become a murderous monster.

Harvester, Elsinore: the story is built around the PC learning a lesson that will make them into a murderous monster. They can accept it, or they can refuse to sink that low.

Edna and Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes: the story is built in such a way that it would be equally valid for the PC to learn two opposite lessons, one of which would make her into (even more of) a murderous monster. She can accept either, or refuse both and reject every aspect of the story.

(This does not mean Harvey’s New Eyes is good. It’s interesting. There’s a difference.)

 This isn’t gonna be a full Fiction for Utilitarians, because I try to do those for overlooked or forgotten fiction, and Prey is a major new release. I just feel like gushing a little.

The writers of Prey were clearly aware of Utilitarian thought. There are a lot of references to the trolley problem, and the story’s central conflict is very Utilitarian in nature. There are several points where you’re given a moral dilemma and asked to sort it out, and one of your answers is often Utilitarian in nature.

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