After the sixth week when I decided to change my mindset, my classmates asked me a question: “Since you have divided the options in your game into ‘good’ and ‘evil’, then what is good? What is evil?” This was a question that I had never seriously considered before. I researched some materials and read some books to figure out some conclusions.
In simple terms, good and evil are two mutually contradictory principles. In philosophy, religion and psychology, “good and evil” is a common dichotomy. The dichotomy of good and evil has been a universal theme throughout history. All cultures have their own words for good and evil. “Good” usually represents things that are considered correct and worthy of pursuit. “Evil” is often expressed as bad and unpopular.
Moral ideals often determine the way of distinguishing good and evil. Good is usually regarded as something that enhances the satisfaction of life. Evil hinders this satisfaction and thus undermines this ideal.
According to Caffrey, “with some contemporary thinkers advocating for a scientific approach—moral naturalism—which seeks to understand good and evil through rational human needs rather than religious teachings. This ongoing dialogue reflects the complexity and significance of good and evil in human experience.” (Caffrey, 2023).
However, as is well known, it is impossible to make an absolute and perfect distinction between good and evil. Therefore, this game adopts a comprehensive framework of “intention – action – consequence – context” to weight and judge events, and it is combined with the reputation system in the game.
Example: A player misses a date with a girlfriend because they helped a lost little girl. Since the girlfriend was unaware of this and no one could testify to explain it, the player’s reputation value will temporarily drop; but the player’s Karma value will increase because objectively they have completed a good deed.
Sources：
Caffrey, C. (2023) Good and evil. EBSCO Research Starters. Available at: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/good-and-evil (Accessed: 4 January 2026).