# Inappropriate Choices **URL:** \ **Category:** Writing and Content\ **Created:** [November 24, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/inappropriate-choices/32629 "2017-11-24T22:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 41
**Author:** ![Havenstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/choiceofgames/user_avatar/forum.choiceofgames.com/havenstone/32/198451_2.png) [@Havenstone](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/u/Havenstone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/inappropriate-choices/32629/41 "2017-11-26T08:50:02Z")
First, people who are interested in previous forum discussion on this topic can look [here](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/where-are-the-moral-ethical-lines-in-interactive-fiction/29491) and [here](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/are-there-choices-that-a-game-shouldnt-give-a-player-was-are-games-inherently-trivializing/23481). > [@IvoryOwl](#): > > I’m not quite that delusional yet that I can’t tell fantasy from reality Nor is anyone else on the forum–but a number of people seem to be subject to a delusion that they aren’t influenced by fiction. After all, they _know_ it’s fiction, so it can’t have any power over what they believe or how they act… [Psychologists, marketers, and politicians](https://www.karen-keller.com/blog/stories-are-powerful-tools-influence) know better, as do [neuroscientists](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain). Stories shape how we see the world. As I’ve argued before, [fiction is as at least as powerful as non-fiction](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/where-are-the-moral-ethical-lines-in-interactive-fiction/29491/42) in this respect. That doesn’t mean we should only write about sunshine and butterflies. Precisely because fiction is powerful, we need to use it to explore the horrors of life as well–we can’t abdicate the job to nonfiction writers. A good work of fiction is great for conveying experiences at the extremes of human experience, generating empathy, and getting us to reflect on normally unspeakable and fearful things. Buried in my CoG game is the choice to murder a child rather than see a kidnapping go wrong. I did my best to write this not just for shock value, but following up what it meant–showing consequences for your relationships and mental health. Whether I succeeded or not I leave to the judgment of the readers. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/inappropriate-choices/32629)._