Some folks wrestle with the morality over whether or not it’s “okay” to destroy your ally’s units in a Real Time Strategy game, such as Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars. Is it wrong to steal a spoon filled with a bite of Gerber’s Apricot Baby Food, two inches from the mouth of a barely year-old child? The answer to that question is unequivocally yes. Is it wrong to remove the tires from a neighbor’s vehicle and place them onto yours simply because you wanted to avoid a replacement fee? Absolutely.
So we come back to the original question: Is it wrong to kill off a few units belonging to your ally in a RTS because you’re bored / devious / mad? Yes. Yes, it sure is. Usually, one would think the conscience of the would-be offender would give them pause for thought, but not in every case. Take, for instance, my victimization a week ago, when a knife was plunged into my back by today’s equivalent of a Benedict Arnold – I doubt he hesitated; further, I don’t believe he has regretted this abhorrent transgression since.
There I stood, dumbfounded, as I witnessed my Mammoth tanks and Juggernauts ripped to shreds by my supposed ally’s Avatar laser beams. His name? Benenate, a name bordering on the profane.