Summary
From kicking pots or trampling flowers inThe Legend of Zelda(evoking the wrath of Magda) to attacking and murdering unsuspecting citizens, many gamers find it irresistible to invoke chaos in virtual worlds. Video games allow gamers to blow off steam and experience all kinds of fantasy worlds and scenarios far from actual reality, so it makes sense that players who are (hopefully) law-abiding, non-violent people in their ordinary lives might like to go feral in their online downtime. While some titles were designed to encourage infinite chaos at every turn, other games reject the path of mischief, reprimanding players from straying from missions or breaking in-game rules.
It is wise to know which games follow strict etiquette. NPCs might dumbly accept everything dished upon them, retaliate with clumsy violence, imprison players to end the mischief, or even join in on the destruction, depending on how welcome chaos is in each universe. Truthfully, players who want to be a menace will likely find a way to do so in any and every game. Whichever methods of chaos players favor (from antagonizing innocent NPCs to derailing missions), these are the games that let playersbe a truly remorseless menace to society.
As malevolent as some players might be in this epic RPG,don’t kill the chickensis a sacred decree known to all who have braved the wrath of Riverwood villagers inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Of all the depraveddarkest things players can do inSkyrim, (including joining a Dark Brotherhood of assassins and necromancy), it is common knowledge that killing livestock like chickens, especially in one small village called Riverwood, will unleash hordes of furious NPCs who are determined to end the playable character’s miserable life. One might think that if slaughtering chickens causes vehement public outcry, an angry mob would also appear if players hypothetically swung an axe dangerously close to an NPC - they would be incorrect. Guards will arrest and imprison the Dragonborn if they pickpocket, assault, or kill NPCs, leading to a loss of skills and a short jail sentence for a maximum of seven in-game days, but no crime is more deserving of an instant execution than chicken-killing.
In fact, there are many awful things players can do inSkyrimthat morally bankruptNPCs mostly ignore, including looting corpses, killing pets, cannibalism, and human sacrifice. These strangely illogical, imbalanced societal rules make Skyrim the perfect gaming landscape for players to be a menace, with varying consequences. Alternatively, other RPGs in the action-adventure genre, such as Rockstar Games’Red Dead Redemption 2, uses an honor system to measure whether the protagonist has displayed enough distasteful behavior to be socially unacceptable; many benefits come from a high honor ranking, affecting the final ending, earning shopping discounts, offering looting perks, and reducing NPCs who are triggered to attack the playable character for killing their family members. In comparison,Skyrimis near lawless. Of course, some semblance of morality and justice is still in place inSkyrimfor players to rebel against; otherwise, who would protect the chickens?
TheJust Causefranchise’s entire purpose is mayhem and violence, but it’s for the greater good. The fictional setting changes in each game, but the premise is identical. Rico Rodriguez must lead a rebellion against corrupt governments to liberate different countries. SinceJust Cause 2was released in 2006, the in-game currency has been literal chaos points, awarded to players who enact constant destruction and disaster, unlocking key weapons, missions, and vehicles. Even though the player is undoubtedly a colossal menace to the countries they are “helping” (likely causing devastating casualties and expensive property damage), gamers can still cling to being the “good guy” up against a more corrupt, evil government.
Many of the most successful action adventure games in history owe their popularity to their compelling, hateful, or charmingly funny villains. Take the stylish and psychotic Pagan Min fromFar Cry 4or the unforgivably evil Frau Engel in theWolfensteinseries or anycreepy older antagonists, femaleor male, who provide players with a despicable, worthy enemy to defeat. Villains in theJust Causefranchise feel like hollow stereotypes of dictators and government officials rather than genuinely charismatic, heinous opponents that players long to defeat. However, some argue the genius ofJust Causeis its distinct lack of plot, character development, or purpose beyond the chaos, as recent installments that attempted to introduce these features either fell flat or deviated from the spirit of the most successful titles. Regardless of any flaws that might dampen the experience,Just Causeis geared towards endless chaos and being a violent menace to any government that dares to form a dictatorship.
For gamers who want an innocent alternative to the more violent brands of chaos gaming, House House’s 2019Untitled Goose Gameis a wholesome, silly title where stealing slippers and scaring children into phone boxes is the height of criminal warfare. Happily waddling around a quaint English village with mayhem in mind, players control a prideful goose hellbent on wreaking havoc and causing mild annoyance for the peaceful human inhabitants pottering around their gardens. Tasked with a checklist of mischief, players are free to cause plenty of extracurricular chaos and saunter away with a triumphant honk.
Untitled Goose Gametakes inspiration from comedy games embodying different animals, notably theGoat Simulatorfranchise, popular for its ridiculous player-driven mayhem. Animal simulator games with a darker edge includeManeaterfor a sadistic shark game abouttargeting and eating human swimmers,Tokyo Junglefor a blood-splattered post-apocalyptic hunting sim, andT’Chia, a cozier summer gamewith a dash of chaos. However, this goose simulator stands out as uniquely charming, with adorable animations, entertaining challenges, inventive puzzle-solving, and a jaunty piano score that adjusts playfully to the player’s actions, perfect for those who aspire to be a menace without the blood and explosions.
Random chaos has always been sewn into the fabric ofThe Sims 4franchise and all of its predecessors (even without the game-disrupting bugs and glitches that EA is planning to address). From sad clowns to ghosts raiding bins, bizarre, hilarious, and spontaneous happenings are frequent for seasoned Simmers. Players can attempt to build a normal, peaceful family only to see them kidnapped by aliens or savaged by werewolves within seconds, making it tempting to join the dark side and become a harbinger of chaos themselves. AlthoughThe Sims 4is a game with near endless possibilities, it does not explicitly encourage spiteful mischief-making, but terrorizing other Sims in petty ways is not only highly feasible but often impossible to resist.
Even the most rule-abiding, even-tempered Simmers are easily provoked into malicious behavior when strangers constantly wander over to steal meals from a Sim’s hands and eat it in front of them, flirt with their spouses, or casually insult their children. Vengeful retaliation might be small petty arguments or silly slapstick street fighting, or it can be as drastic as imprisoning the guilty party in a watery death, via one of manyclassic ways of killing Sims. One thing that has always been missing fromThe Sims 4is serious crime; extreme violence is technically off the cards (for those who abstain from mods). However, this won’t deter players from causing imaginative chaos, such as building cults, crafting deadly mazes, becoming a black widow for money, or engaging in elaborate schemes that become even wilder with a helping hand from the game’s inherent randomness.
When Rockstar Games debuted its controversial title,Grand Theft Auto, in 1997, players were tasked with jobs like car-stealing mechanics and becoming a criminal getaway driver. Its sequels delivered even more carnage, making theGTAfranchise infamous as the go-to for raucous criminal activity. Blowing up buildings, mowing down innocent citizens, and harassing ladies of the night are all standard gameplay procedures, with the story mode calling for heists, assassinations, and kidnappings as compulsory missions. Players tend to become desensitized almost instantly, seeking creative ways to commit even more wild, outrageous acts of violence and nefarious deeds. Rockstar Games are experts at framing dishonorable villains as protagonists in their other titles, withManhunt, one of the mostmacabre, disturbing, and controversial gamesout there, being a prime example.
Despite appearances,GTAis not an entirely lawless world, as cops do pursue criminals that attract enough attention, enacting a game over if players are arrested. A number of missions send SWAT teams and cops after law-breakers, but ultimately evading the police is near impossible when the player’s wanted level is high enough, and killing police triggers a relentless pursuit in the name of justice. However, this won’t stop anyone from committing countless atrocities with glee, makingGrand Theft Autoone of the best games for players looking to be a menace to society.
