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{{trope}}
[[File:harvest_or_rescue_1462.jpg|link=Bio ShockBioshock|right]]
 
Not all games [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|inspire base cruelty]] in players; some games make you feel like a [[Mama Bear]] or [[Papa Wolf]] to the little AI bots in your virtual world. You'll go out of your way to save [[Nominal Importance|Sgt. Chavez]] because his [[Final Speech]] is just too [[Tear Jerker|heartbreaking to bear]], or [[Mecha -Mooks|Mecha Mook]] #27 who bravely got the [[Plot Coupon]] when all his unit died... and is just so [[Cute Machines|darned cute!]]
 
In short, the game presents characters in such a way that [[No Casualties Run|you actually try to save the little buggers]] rather than do the sensible thing and use your [[Mook Maker]] or [[Clown Car Grave]] to replace them like the [[Redshirt Army]] that they are. [[Rule of Empathy|Don't underestimate human sentimentality]]; even if the character is "just" a [[Companion Cube]], their death will often inspire a [[Player Punch]] reaction which only gets more intense if the units or [[NPC|NPCs]] [[Hundred-Percent Heroism Rating|were thanking you on doing a good job]]. Games designers might choose to do this to inspire loyalty, discourage [[Zerg Rush]] strategies, and get the player [[Emotional Torque|emotionally invested]] in the game, and generally to make game play less cerebral and more visceral. Failure to achieve this may lead to apathy and even cruelty towards the [[Small Annoying Creature]] with the [[Artificial Stupidity|dumb AI.]] [[Crosses the Line Twice|You know]] [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|the rest.]]
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== Action Adventure ==
* ''[[Heavy Rain]]'' will likely make you seriously sympathize with the main characters and propel you to make sure [[Anyone Can Die|they stay alive]]. [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|But on the other hand, maybe you'll be tempted to use the saw during the Lizard Trial..]]
* [[Pandoras Tower]] has Elena.You can keep her company, chat with her, give her gifts, and in exchange she will make medicine and translate the documents you find, even if you do nothing of the above.Also, even though beating a boss resets the [[Stalked Byby the Bell|progress of her curse]], you really '''don't''' want to see [[Body Horror|what happens to her]] if you let the meter drop below red because you really ''had'' to finish the dungeon in one run.Even though you can easily heal her back, the moment is still heart-wrenching.
* ''[[ADOM]]'': You get this message even if your character is a bloodthirsty trollish berserker or dark elf necromancer:
{{quote| The cute dog attacks the ogre. The cute dog misses the ogre. The ogre attacks the cute dog. The cute dog is killed! You are direly saddened about the death of the cute dog.}}
** [[Nethack|"The spell hits the <monster>! The <monster> is killed! The spell hits Rex! Poor Rex is killed!]] Heartbreaking...
* ''[[A Boy and His Blob]]'' for the Wii features a ''Hug'' button just for this purpose.
* ''[[Cannon Fodder (Video Gameseries)|Cannon Fodder]]'' is particularly mean with this. Each and every one of your 200+ soldiers is individually named, with their ranks and kills, and any soldier surviving a mission will be promoted; those who don't survive are recalled by name at the end of each level, and possibly added to the honours board. The first four - [http://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/cannon-fodder/screenshots/gameShotId,93639/ Jools, Jops, Stoo] and RJ - are beloved by game players everywhere; they're also [[Shout-Out|ShoutOuts]] to the main game developers. And you ''will'' give everything to try and keep them alive, because that Lost In Service list scrolling up between the [[The Poppy|poppies]] is devastating. The game satirises pretty much every single last one of the [[Military and Warfare Tropes]]. Oh, and all the characters are about nine pixels high.
* ''[[Cave Story (Video Game)|Cave Story]]'' {{spoiler|has an NPC named Curly who sacrifices her life to save yours. But if you do [[Guide Dang It|exactly the right things]], you can save her}}. Incidentally, this is the only way to access a bonus level and the best ending.
* This is the purpose of ''[[Creatures]]'', more or less.
* The semi-sentient AI population, Darwinians, in [[Introversion]]'s [[Darwinia (Video Game)|Darwinia]]. Though, if you move fast enough you can 'revive' them endlessly, unless they get annihilated by a [[Demonic Spider|Soul Destroyer]], in which case they leave saddening ghostly echoes of their bodies behind. And then there's the {{spoiler|Biosphere}} level, where most of the methods of winning involve sending wave upon wave of the cute little guys {{spoiler|against their virus-corrupted kin}}. Made worse because the Darwinians are voiced by one of the developer's pet cat and meow very sweetly as they die.
* ''[[Earthbound]]'': Ness abandoned the cookie.
** There's also the Bird Men in {{spoiler|Magicant}}. If you get one of them killed on your way to {{spoiler|the Sea of Eden}}, another one will gladly join your side if you go back to their house. {{spoiler|However, there's a marked grave just outside of the house for every one of them you let die.}}
* A cute game is trying to keep the AI-controlled player second player in ''[[Final Fight]]''. [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|And punishing them for their stupidity when they don't get out of the way]]. This is actually somewhat useful, as having two players means double the powerups.
* ''[[The Godfather (Videovideo Gamegame)|The Godfather]]'' the game. You ''can'' get away with blasting a few innocent citizens, but every single person has a name that you somehow know. It's not so fun seeing Eduardo Mellini bleeding out in the middle of Fifth and Ten. Occasionally they will also shout things like "Don't do this! I have a wife and kids!"
** Made worse by their lack of survival instincts! GET OUT OF THE WAY, SAL! THERE'S A HIGH SPEED CHASE TAKING PLACE HERE!
** Also, the security guards at banks. They're not even mob affiliated, they're just doing their jobs! For the small banks, you can get away with robbing it and not killing any of them. Doesn't work for the big banks....
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** Heck, Ico calling for Yorda and leading her by the hand through hordes of Dark Spirits. Or Ico fighting his way ''through'' those hordes to pull her out of their grasp with all the ferocity a ten-year-old boy can muster.
*** All of this is made even more interesting because Yorda speaks an unknown language; Ico (and the player) haven't a clue what she's saying, and they have to communicate via body language. That she's so darned important to you when you can't even understand her is impressive, to say the least.
* Of course, the main inspiration for ''Ico'' was ''[[Another World (Videovideo Gamegame)|Another World]]'', which has a similar caring relationship with a mute alien who looks exactly the same as your average mook. But it's easy to forget this when {{spoiler|you run down a corridor from a deadly laser cannon and are about to be cornered by enemies you have no hope of defeating, only for him to reach a hand out to you from a hatch above}}. And then there's the ending...
* Surprisingly, ''[[The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction]]'' of all games has this trope. If you press the special button (Y in the [[Game Cube]] version) while holding someone Hulk normally slams them into the ground. But if you do so while holding a civilian, Hulk just puts them down gently and pats them on the head.
** [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|Of course, you can always follow this up by punting them halfway across the city...]]
* In ''[[Limbo]],'' the protagonist is just a silent little kid in a [[Deliberately Monochrome|freakish monochrome]] world where [[Everything Is Trying to Kill You]]. If you don't have any platformer or puzzler skills at the start, you ''will'' develop them just to get him through.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda: MajorasMajora's Mask (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask]],'' for the N64. You have to complete a sidequest which revolves around reuniting a separated couple because the man, Kafei, has been cursed to become a child. You actually have to complete the quest twice to get all the items for game completion, but to get one of the items (the postman's hat) involves not helping Kafei reclaim his mask he was going to give to his girl Anju. This of course means that Anju is going to wait in Clock Town alone, until the moon crashes down on her...
** It helps to remember that every character will only experience the [[True Ending]], since Link will [[Reset Button|reset]] time until he gets it right.
** You can totally get the Postman's Hat and reunite Kafei and Anju on the same run. Be sure to get the Letter to Mother, warp back to town after helping Kafei, go straight to the post office and give the postman the Letter. Receive Postman's Hat. Run back to the inn. You're welcome.
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** Which makes the massive Pikmin carnage in ''[[Super Smash Bros]] Brawl'' somewhat of a [[Player Punch]] for those who also played ''[[Pikmin]]''.
** Also, in the first game, Olimar himself, as an extension of the player, becomes attached to the little critters, as evidenced in his log entries. He amusedly notes their various quirks as the days go by, and he berates himself if they get caught in a bomb blast or if the Pikmin race dies out.
* GLaDOS spends an entire level in ''[[Portal (Video Gameseries)|Portal]]'' trying to make the player bond with the [[Companion Cube]], only to tell you at the end of the level that {{spoiler|you must euthanize it by tossing it into a furnace in order to complete the test <ref> Although the ending of the sequel shows that it survived</ref>. She brings this up at the end of the game when you fight her, admonishing you for killing your "best friend." After praising you for being the quickest of all test subjects to do so, no less.}}
** In the sequel, you encounter a turret-bot reclamation facility that is called [[Maximum Fun Chamber|"The Turret Redemption Slide."]] Among the piles of scrapped robots, there is a functioning one, easily spotted due to its active laser sight. If you pick it up and carry it off, it says "Thank you" in that strangely endearing robotic voice.
** Generally, the turrets talk to the player in a very endearing way. "Please put me down,", "Where are you?" and "Good night," are all great examples of this.
* The first level of ''[[Psychonauts (Video Game)|Psychonauts]]'' gives you the option of escorting [[The Woobie|Dogan]] across a mine field safely in the very first level. As long as you don't go too far ahead, it's pretty easy, you get a few arrowheads, and you feel like you've just started on your way to become a hero. [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|Then he explodes.]]
** Well, his mental personification explodes. If it helps, Dogan probably wanted to leave Coach Oleander's mind anyway.
** There are also articles of emotional luggage scattered throughout all the mental levels. They are all so sad and crying because they miss their tags...[[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made Onon Drugs?|yeah]]...and, oh, so lovely rejoice when you reunite them.
** It's not hard for fixing Fred, Gloria, and Edgar to end up feeling like a personal responsibility. They start off more funny than anything but interesting, then you get to know them [[Journey to Thethe Center of Thethe Mind|personally]] and you're bound to really get attached to at least one of them, [[The Woobie|and from there you gradually find out the rest]]. So you're rewarded with a [[Plot Coupon]] for each one, but completing their minds' main stories gives a "Ya done good, kid, ya done good" kind of satisfaction itself.
* In ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]'', {{spoiler|the trusty steed named Agro helps the player get from point A to point B. The player eventually bonds with him. Heartbreaking when after riding across a collapsing bridge, Agro throws you safely to the other side before falling to his death...only for you to find out during the credits that he is still alive, but with a broken leg.}}
** Sadistically, the game manages to make you care about practically every other Colossus you kill. This doesn't keep you from being pulled along, with the character, on his grim path, or being perversely thrilled by the challenge even while knowing [[My God, What Have I Done?|you will be devastated by your own actions]] in a moment.
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*** Of course, this may be a subtle admonishment for a player [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|trying to attack their horse.]]
* In ''[[Shadow of Destiny]]'', the player can take the time to fetch a kitten and let a small girl adopt it. There's no reward for doing so, just giving a child a kitten.
* The point of ''[[Yoshis Island (Video Game)|Yoshi's Island]]'' to babysit Mario, and being Mario of course you want to protect him...but if he ever gets knocked off Yoshi you'll either want to kill him yourself or redouble your efforts to not get hit if ONLY to not hear [[Most Annoying Sound|that crying]] again. ''Yoshi's Island DS'' adds Baby Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario and Bowser to the mix... I bet you can guess who has the LEAST tolerable sounds.
* ''[[Scarface the World Is Yours (Video Game)|Scarface the World Is Yours]]''. Some of the mooks that will fight by your side get unique conversations with Tony; a nice bit of character development. Of course, the fact that they kick so many kinds of ass will also inspire the desire to keep them alive. See how many missions you can do with the same minion!
* This happens once or twice in the introductory level of ''[[Metroid Prime]] 3: Corruption''. If you act quickly enough, you can save the lives of various Galactic Federation marines {{spoiler|when the GFS Olympus comes under attack by Space Pirates}}. You'll receive a reward for saving one in particular, who is injured and firing at his aggressors from behind a crate.
* In the ''[[Sonic Adventure Series|Sonic Adventure]]'' games for the [[Sega Dreamcast|Dreamcast]] and [[Game Cube]], the player can partake in a mini-game to raise Chao, which are essentially tiny (and cute) alien-like creatures. Powerups acquired in the main game can be brought back to 'Chao World', and used to raise the chao's stats and change their appearance, among other things. The joy a player gets when their Chao evolve from a baby to their next form is hard to reproduce. The mini-game can also be a source of [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|cruelty potential]], if you're really feeling sadistic.
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** He also sounded very pleased at the end when {{spoiler|Wonderland is restored along with all the characters and Alice is finally able to leave the asylum}}... You can't blame him!
** All of Burning Dog Faces videos have a bit of this trope. He generally goes for the villains with the most morally questionable or cruel behaviour first, and leaves the ones with more [[Sympathetic Villain|sympathetic motives]] until last.
* The AI partners in ''[[Dynasty Warriors: Gundam]] 2'' aren't good for much aside from distracting enemy aces. However, it feels good to help out your partners and hear them express their gratitude. Mission Mode encourages you to do this, as having friendly relations with other pilots can unlock bonus missions, and there's even a set of missions specifically for improving relations with them. Conversely, when you're on opposite sides with the character you like, they'll express horror and rage when they see you're their enemy now and thoroughly guilt-trip you. To top it off, Kamille's path in Mission Mode allows you to reverse the [[Downer Ending]] of ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (Anime)|Z Gundam]]'' by saving Henken, the Radish, and Emma.
* ''[[Assassin's Creed II (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed II]]'' uses this to build up the [[Player Punch]], by having you spend the first hour interacting with Ezio's family. This includes defending his sister's honor against a philandering boyfriend, doing favors for his sick little brother and his mother, and in general getting across the message that the Auditore are a very close and caring family. Later on there's a Quick Time Event that allows you to hug Leonardo da Vinci, who at this point is Ezio's best friend.
* ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'' allows the player to build up a crew of assassins that you recruit from the oppressed citizenry. You can outfit them with kit and send them out on missions. Also, destroying the Borgia oppression leads to the revitalization of Rome, and eventually ''The Renaissance.''
** As you progress through the game, the background chatter of NPCs will include statements like "things are really getting better" and "there will be a special throne in Hell for Cesare Borgia when this is all over."
* In the last part of the first ''[[God of War (Video Gameseries)|God of War]]'', in a very intense battle, {{spoiler|you must protect your wife and daughter from an army of Kratos}}. If they get hurt, you can {{spoiler|heal them, by sacrificing your own health}}.
* You could say one objective of ''[[Dead Rising 2]]'' is all about this. You play as [[Papa Wolf|Chuck Greene]] whose daughter, Katey was [[Zombie Infectee|bitten by a zombie]], to prevent her transformation into one of the walking dead, she requires a shot of Zombrex every 24 hours. Seeing how this is...well, [[Timed Mission|Dead Rising]], it's another thing you have to neatly fit into your schedule. You have to find Zombrex while finding the truth, then also administer a shot to save her. It's really easy to start caring for little Katey, you can even [[Sidetracked Byby the Gold Saucer|bring her gifts]] for experience points and achievements! However, you CAN ignore this fact and let her die, since this is...well, [[Quicksand Box|Dead Rising]], but it condemns you to [[Multiple Endings|Ending F]], which ends on an [[Tear Jerker|absolutely tragic]] note, not only that, but you'll feel like a [[You Bastard|complete bastard.]]
* You can't save most of the guards slaughtered by the Joker and his goons in ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'', but everyone you ''do'' save thanks you profusely, and the other surviving guards express their gratitude for you just being there. You even get an achievement on one level for saving all the guards and an escaped prisoner.
** This is made somewhat worse, however, when you return to the same areas and {{spoiler|find the bodies of those same guards.}}
* The last chapter of Telltale's ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]]'' ends in a brutal [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] by the [[Big Bad]] on the happy-go-lucky main character, Guybrush Threepwood. It looks extremely painful and brutal but it's made even worse when you can hear the pain in Guybrush's voice every time he talks. {{spoiler|Being a zombie at the time, he can't even die to escape the pain.}} The idea was that as he's getting thrown all over, you're suppose to come up with a way to get him out of it. In the commentary, the creators said a lot of people had trouble playing because they felt so terrible for Guybrush.
* Among the inmates of ''[[Batman: Arkham City]]'' are any number of innocent political prisoners. You'll hear them long before you see them, screaming and pleading for help as they're assaulted by criminals. And while you don't ''have'' to stop what you're doing and save them, it's very satisfying to [[Big Damn Heroes|dive in]], kick their tormentors to the curb, and hear them thank you like only someone trapped in a war zone can.
 
 
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** Ethan's interactions with Shaun and Jason can also make you rather protective of them.
* In the [[Ace Attorney]] games, your partner Maya may be an annoyingly naive, [[Big Eater|burger demolishing]] [[Genki Girl|bundle of energy]], but it still feels like a punch in the gut ''every time'' she's accused of murder and/or kidnapped. [[Distressed Damsel|Which happens an awful lot.]]
* The [[Minoto Series|Minoto version]] of "[[The Little Match Girl (Literature)|The Little Match Girl]]" is all about undoing the story's [[Tear Jerker]] ending by saving the titular girl. It begins with her lying frozen and apparently dead on the ground...but a nearby snowman will donate his arms to use in building a fire to save her. After you've built the fire, she wakes up and kisses the snowman out of gratitude, giving him [[Blush Sticker|Blush Stickers.]] From there you move on to giving her a decent meal, and then to buying so many matches that she can move into a castle.
* Numerous players in [[Minecraft]] have adopted pet slimes, since a bug prevents them from despawning. The recent addition of wolves and cats also encourages this, since they can be tamed and will subsequently fight alongside you or shun creepers respectively as long as you can keep them healthy.
** The [[Let's Play]]'er [[Snap Wave]] adopted a pet creeper he named Mr. Creepy, which saved his life on numerous occasions. He almost started crying after it died.
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== First Person Shooter ==
* ''[[Bio ShockBioshock]]'s'' Little Sisters sit on the thin line between this and [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]]. Yes, they are [[Creepy Child|creepy little wretches]], but you feel like a [[Big Damn Heroes|Big Damn Hero]] when you save one of them.
** A sequence in the end turns it [[Up to Eleven]] when {{spoiler|you become personally responsible for protecting a little sister who's been made into a normal girl. Usually the Little Sisters are invulnerable, but not anymore... meaning that she has no survival instinct. But she trusts her daddy to keep her safe....}}
** Even moreso in the sequel. You'd be shocked how much more incentive you have to protect them when they call you 'daddy' and all the creepily cute dialogue they have is directed at ''you''.
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** Not to mention they can sometimes die for real, while you continuously give them your healing items to ease their suffering.
* The resistance soldiers that join you in ''[[Half Life]] 2'' ("Follow Freeman!") are infinite in number and they die easily. They're more or less supposed to be cannon fodder, making your life a little easier, but there is something inspiring about losing as few of them as possible. ''Especially'' the ones that look like [[Concerned|Gordon Frohman]].
** Which also happens to look just like [[Half Life: Full Life Consequences|John Freeman]], making them even more worth saving.
** On a more specific note, you ''will'' become very attached to Alyx. She's arguably tougher than Gordon is thanks to her insane health regeneration (thankfully sparing you the normal pain of an [[Escort Mission]]) and can fight off zombies at close range, but you ''will'' go out of your way to protect her regardless. And when {{spoiler|she's near-fatally wounded by a Hunter at the beginning of Episode 2}} you ''will'' do anything to save her.
** Don't forget dear old Dog, adorable pile of ambulatory scrap metal that he is. Each and every one of his appearances is an absolute delight. He's just so darn enthusiastic about, well... everything. Oh, and his interactions with Alyx are practically guaranteed to make you smile.
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** The Huragok. They, alone, pose no threat; instead they shield the nearby Covenant. However, in ODST, if you defeat the Covenant they're shielding, the Engineer/Huragok will...explode. It's...a bit of a lose/lose situation. It can end up either I Have to Leave One Covenant Alive Caring Potential (there's an achievement for not killing a single Huragok, ''explosions included'') or Screw It They're Going to Die Anyways But I'm Still Sad Caring Potential.
** In Reach certain troopers will join you as fireteams which now means the people who are essentially [[Red Shirt]] now have names making it more tragic when they eventually die.
* ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War (Video Game)|Deus Ex Invisible War]]'' the entire Leila Nassif mission involves you finding a young girl, establishing that they're safe from the evil man who is killing the students who don't meet his extreme views, then telling her father that she's safe. There is no difference in the end result, but if you didn't stop at the police station first then expect to feel like crap.
** ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Video Game)|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]'' - who would follow {{spoiler|Malik the VTOL pilot's advice to leave her to attacking mercs after being shot down}}? This troper certainly threw the usual sneaking out of the window and went berserk to {{spoiler|save her}}.
*** Players have [[Roaring Rampage of Rescue|outright abandoned]] their [[Pacifist Run|pacifist runs]] without regret to {{spoiler|save her}}, either because non-lethal takedowns weren't getting the job fast enough or because ''those bastards deserved it''. Similar [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|rampages]] have also occurred upon players finding {{spoiler|Malik's body in the Harvester hideout (assuming she wasn't saved)}} and/or witnessing the absolute ''massacre'' of terrified, innocent civilians in the {{spoiler|Alice Garden Pods}} hotel.
** HR gives you the option to talk several people out of suicide, and one man into releasing a hostage. You don't have to, but you get a nice bonus (Silver Tongue achievement) if you do.
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* ''[[Fatal Frame]] II'' gives you a twin sister to protect. She's a bit of a hassle because her knee is permanently injured, so she's slower, but what you soon learn is that {{spoiler|she's like that because of Mio's (the playable character) fault, yet she never blamed her for it. Mio, however, is overwhelmed by [[Guilt Based Gaming|guilt]] over this, so she is very protective of Mayu.}} These feelings are well transmitted into the player during the game, and so, Mayu's safety becomes an indisputable priority.
** {{spoiler|This is true unless you read the fanbook for the game or look in between the lines, where you will figure out that Mayu purposely fell and broke her knee, intending to use it to keep her sister close.}}
* In ''[[Haunting Ground (Video Game)|Haunting Ground]]'', you pair up with a white German Shepherd named Hewie early on. He becomes your main defense as you try to escape from your deranged pursuers. A major contributing factor towards what ending you get is how well you treat Hewie. You are given the option to praise him at any time, and can heal him if he is injured by giving him dog-only restorative items. If Hewie becomes so injured to point where lies incapacited on the ground, you can go over to him and press the 'praise' button to comfort him and get him back on his feet. There is also a part later on in the game where {{spoiler|Hewie is shot after he runs off in a forest. The player must search for him, their only clue being his whimpers of pain. If the 'call' button is pressed, Fiona will say Hewie's name in a very sad and concerned voice.}}
* ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' can be this way sometimes when it comes to the survivor AI. Sure, they may get in the way sometimes when you are shooting and they may always snatch up health items first, but it's hard not to care about them when they are so willing to give up their health kits and pain pills to keep you alive, even if they are on the verge of death themselves.
** YMMV on this. Many players find the AI so intolerable ("What the hell!? You could have saved me from that Smoker, you were standing right next to it!") that they [[Makes Us Even|punish the computer players by withholding assistance and letting them suffer.]]
* Averted in ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', with Ashley. You're supposed to care for her and watch her, but it occasionally falls into [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]] when after she causes you to restart one too many times, you spend time trying to shoot her with rocket launchers, mine darts, and sniper rifles.
** Played straight with the dog caught in the [[Bear Trap]] at the beginning. You'd have to have ice in your veins not to free him with the whimpers he makes.
* ''[[Resident Evil 2 (Video Game)]]'' has Sherry Birkin, a twelve-year-old girl whom player character Claire Redfield must protect. Sure, she's not as handy as Leon's partner character ([[Badass]] [[Lady in Red]] Ada Wong), but she's just so ''[[Moe Moe|adorable]]''. What's more, when you walk through a level with Sherry in tow, and you stop long enough for her to catch up, she walks up and holds Claire's hand. It's hard not to feel at least a ''little'' protective of her.
* ''[[Silent Hill 4]]'' ends up with you playing lonely [[Friendless Background|Henry]] protecting his [[Girl Next Door|nextdoor neighbor, Eileen.]] With Henry having been trapped in his hellish room for five or six days and counting, Eileen having been beaten within an inch of her life and limping around pitifully behind him, and the player being terrified (this IS Silent Hill), it's hard not to go out of your way to keep Eileen safe and healthy, either out of sympathy for one or both characters, or simply out of not wanting your lone companion to [[Demonic Possession|lose her mind]] and leave you braving the Otherworld all alone.
* A rather bizarre example with the old Infocom text-adventure ''The Lurking Horror''. At one point you pick up a dead hand. At another you encounter a vat of liquid which reanimated dead tissue. Drop the hand in the vat and, it comes to life, clambers onto your shoulder, and just sits there. It will occasionally point you in the right direction if you're lost, and it can scare the crap out of an irritating NPC. Since it's one of the only friendly things in the game, many players get [[Berserk Button|extremely angry]] if anything (re-)kills the dead hand.
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*** Hell, it's easy to get attached to any of the pets. You'd be surprised how much you can like a giant crab.
** Probably a better example: When players die in runescape, all of the items they lost on death are kept under a short-lived gravestone. Given that the most dangerous areas and a long way from the nearest respawn, it's not unlikely that you'll lose a lot because you couldn't get back in time. However, other players can repair your gravestone, giving you precious minutes so you can get your armour back... [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|or they can just watch the gravestone wither away and take what used to be yours...]]
* [[Bio WareBioWare]] follows their usual standard in ''[[Star Wars: theThe Old Republic (Video Game)|Star Wars the Old Republic]]''. If you do a good turn for the various NPCs you meet during your quests, they'll frequently send you an in-game email with their heartfelt, and heartwarming, thanks.
* ''[[Guild Wars]]'' second chapter, Factions, has a mission on the Luxon side, Gyala Hatchery. Normally, escort missions can be a pain, particularly if the AI you are guiding is prone to wading into combat (I'm looking at -you-, Rurik). Gyala Hatchery inspires players to go for the Master-level mission completion due to the fact that you must protect [[Ridiculously Cute Critter|3 newly hatched Seige Turtles, which waddle around in the middle of the group]]. Sure, they'll grow up to be artillery-carrying weapons of mass destruction, but it's hard not to feel bad when one bites the dust.
 
 
== RPG ==
* [[Bio WareBioWare]] RPGs all feature engaging casts of secondary characters that look up to the protagonist. While you can do [[Kick the Dog|mean]], [[Moral Event Horizon|terrible]] things to them [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|if you want]], it's usually [[Good Feels Good|more satisfying to be nice to them]]. Most of the games also feature certain scenarios with diplomatic solutions. Sure, it's easy to wipe out a tribe of kobolds or lizardmen, but it's much more satisfying to earn their trust, arrange for peaceful cohabitation with humans, and have them consider you an honored friend.
** Minsc in ''[[Baldurs Gate II]]''. His epilogue will have you shed a tear, guaranteed.
** ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' gives you Deekin. Anyone who can be cruel to Deekin is a monster with no soul. And those few who didn't care for him probably found themselves attached to Grobnar from ''Neverwinter Nights 2.''
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*** The team's resident [[Dark Action Girl]], Morrigan, comes across as a [[Stupid Evil]] [[Jerkass]] to most of the cast. This can also extend to the player. But if the PC shows her respect and treats her well, it is possible to befriend or romance her. Considering what a dick she can be at times, it can be very satisfying to see Morrigan [[Defrosting the Ice Queen|slowly soften up when she's around you]] and basically tell you that you are the only person she gives a damn about.
*** Your [[Team Pet|dog.]] From the way he fetches items for you, fights alongside you, interacts with your teammates, and rolls around happily on his back when you pet him at camp, even the most ruthless Warden will probably be nice to their poochie.
** ''[[Dragon Age II (Video Game)|Dragon Age II]]'' has Merrill, a shy elf girl who turned to blood magic and is now hated by her whole clan. Once she befriends Hawke, she's the most adorable little thing. Heck, even your snarky companions act nice to her!
*** [http://bagoflimbs.deviantart.com/art/DA2-Wuv-at-first-sight-253907206 This short comic] neatly sums up every player's reaction upon first meeting her.
** Non-Bioware but definitely closely related example: talking to the Handmaiden after Atris nearly tortures her to death with Force Lightning for falling in love with you in [[Knights of the Old Republic]] 2.
*** Possibly more so is the speech Visas/Mical (depending on player character gender) gives you after the final trip to Dantooine if you were nice to her/him.
* Many of Nippon Ichi's game have ending flags based on the number of allies you killed. In particular, the first ''[[Disgaea (Franchise)|Disgaea]]'' game, ''[[Disgaea Hour of Darkness (Video Game)|Hour of Darkness]]'', locks you out of the best (and ultimately canon) ending if you kill even one of your own characters.
* ''[[Dragon Quest V (Video Game)|Dragon Quest V]]'' was ''built'' on it.
* ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (Video Game)|The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion]]'' has given all the NPCs personality, unique quotes, a friendship minigame that will have them fight for you if they like you enough, and they don't come back to life.
** Well, there's [[Fan Boy|one who comes back to life naturally]], but he inspires more Cruelty than Caring.
** It's also easy to become loyal to causes within the game. Try not to feel proud when you wear a Kvatch cuirass after saving the town.
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* In [[Final Fantasy X]], during Operation Mi'ihen, {{spoiler|Sin wipes out an entire beach of Al Bhed and Crusaders}} but its' their Chocobos' faces that hurt the most.
** Same story in the opening sequence for [[Final Fantasy XII]].
* ''[[Lost in Blue (Video Game)|Lost in Blue]]'', which has DS and Wii incarnations, is another game built around [[Video Game Caring Potential]]. You play as Keith, a young man who finds himself stranded on a desert island with Skye, who has lost her glasses and is [[Blind Without'Em]]. You must forage for food and water to keep you and your partner alive, and since she doesn't leave the cave you call home unless you're dragging her by the hand a la [[Ico]], you have to plan ahead to leave her adequate food and water while you're away unlocking new parts of the island or hurry back when her stats drop too low. [[Most Annoying Sound|"She's getting thirsty... She's hungry..."]]
* Although [[RPG|RPGs]] can be a mixed bag when it comes to this trope, since most tend to revolve around a group of plucky young adventurers who can go on for days about [[The Power of Friendship]], the later games in the ''[[Persona]]'' series are ''rife'' with it in the form of Social Links. Because it's unlikely that a player will be able to successfully complete all of them in a single playthrough, and there's no consequence for ''not'' doing them, the ones the player does complete are probably going to be the ones for the characters they like best (like the little girl whose parents are divorced in 3, or the boy whose sister was murdered in the main plot in 4).
* ''[[Persona 3]]'' and ''[[Persona 4|4]]'' have this in the form of [[Level Up At Intimacy 5|Social Links]]. There is something incredibly satisfying in maxing someone's link out, knowing they're going to be alright, [[The Cutie|Nanako]] in particular, with her "I love you, Big Bro!". {{spoiler|Nanako almost certainly [[Invoked Trope|invokes]] this, considering [[Player Punch|what happens to her]].}} [[Updated Rerelease|Persona 3 Portable]] takes this [[Up to Eleven]] with {{spoiler|[[Ensemble Darkhorse|Shinjiro]]}}. Maxing out ''his'' Social Link can {{spoiler|make his death ''not happen''.}}
* Pikachu in ''[[Pokémon Red and Blue (Video Game)|Pokémon Yellow Version]]''. This version introduced the happiness mechanic, but ''only'' for Pikachu- you could look at it and see how it liked you. So you wanted to keep it happy by using it in battle but not letting it faint, not keeping it locked up in the PC, etc. (Or you could just [[Good Bad Bugs|repeatedly use the Potion from your PC on it at full health and get it to love you in two minutes flat.]])
** In the remakes of ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver (Video Game)|Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'', ''HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'', you can have not only Pikachu out and about with you, but ''any'' Pokémon you want. So if Pikachu couldn't earn your love, now you've got options.
*** Not only that, but can get to interact with them in a much deeper level. At first they will get angry at you repeatedly, but if you care well about them they will go as far as play with you and look for flowers and things to give to you.
** Nicknaming your Pokémon will inevitably lead to you caring about them. And getting pissed at enemies who KO your little Pichu. [[Disproportionate Retribution|And then you bust out your Level 100 Charizard and roast the NPC's team of Grass-types.]]
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** Forging a deeper connection with your Pokémon is pretty much the whole point of a [[Nuzlocke Comics|Nuzlocke]] [[Self-Imposed Challenge|Challenge run.]] If a Pokémon faints, it is "dead" and [[Killed Off for Real|can never be used again,]] the number of Pokémon you can catch is also limited, which makes you use species that would've been overlooked otherwise, and you also have to name every one you catch. When done right, every lost party member [[Player Punch|feels like a punch in the gut.]]
*** [http://pettynuzlockelg.smackjeeves.com Petty], an author of a Nuzlocke comic, just knows how to pull at your heartstrings every time she has a friend die.
** Something completely unrelated to the Pokémon themselves, however, is an optional side-quest in ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Video Game)|Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]'' and its remake, Platinum. In it, there is a cave beneath Cycling Road named Wayward cave, which is [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]] In the furthest point of the cave is a young girl named Mira, whose sprite looks to be about half the height of your character's. She has a lone Kadabra without Teleport, Dig, Rock Smash (required to get through the cave), or Flash. She begs you to escort her out, which your character does without your input (you'd have to have a heart of ice to refuse, though.) What really makes this an example is that Mira really doesn't give you much of a reward for saving her, other than you being able to rebattle her in the Battleground or team up with her in the Battle Tower later, neither of which are very significant in themselves. Saving her is completely optional, too. [[Fridge Horror]] kicks in when you think about the real-life implications of being stuck in a dark cave with literally no way of escape, and exactly how terrifying it would be to a little girl.
* The ''[[Quest for Glory]]'' adventure/RPG series has the character classes of fighter, mage, thief and paladin. Becoming and playing as the latter requires going well out of the way of the rest of the game mechanics to do Right. Some of a paladin's deeds are too rewarding to count as simple altruism (returning a reward, telling a disarmed enemy to re-arm -> [[Flaming Sword]]), others likely count (snuggling a rotting undead -> one released spirit, you smelling and waist deep in a lake).
* In ''[[Snatcher]]'', you can reconcile with your wife, or help an elderly Freeman return to his family before death. You are not rewarded for doing so beyond the congratulations of your [[Robot Buddy]].
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** Whose heart shall I break, Shani's or Triss'? Caring potential for Alvin may factor into the decision, as either woman has something to provide him.
* One of the first quests in ''[[Ancient Domains of Mystery]]'' provides this (along with [[That One Sidequest]]): Why would you risk your brand-new level one character going up against giant ants (fast carapace-armored psych-immune killing machines), an underground river (in a world with [[Super Drowning Skills]]) and four more levels of early-game hell? Because an adorable little girl admiringly calls you a "true hero" for bringing back her puppy dog. That's why.
* There's much caring potential in [[Fallout: New Vegas]]. First, there's the companions, each of them is well written, well voiced, incredibly helpful, and, thankfully, in casual mode, quite immortal. However, in Hardcore mode, they can (and almost certainly will) die. For this reason, more than a few people avoid taking companions with them in Hardcore mode, seeing as how they [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies|couldn't bear the thought of seeing their friends die.]]
** Then there's the towns, filled with nice, charming, helpful citizens who will give you discounts and free stuff once you've done them a few small favors. Makes it a hell of a lot harder for you to come back in your next playthrough and [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|murder them all horribly with a chainsaw,]] [[You Bastard|doesn't it?]]
* In [[Golden Sun]] 1, the town of Kolima has all of its residents turned into trees - frozen in whatever position they were in at the time. If you visit the town before this happens, you'll see a group of kids playing by a river just outside of the town. They stand on each others' shoulders to try to get a persimmon out of the tree. When you come back and they've become trees, the children were still standing on each other, and so they collapsed, with one of the children landing in the river. At this point, you can either walk into the water and pull the kid-tree into the shallows, or go on with your business. Once the plot's moved on and the people are restored to human form, the child will thank you and give you a little reward. It doesn't take much effort to save her, and the reward is small. However, if you don't save her, the other two children she was playing with will mope around and give heartrendingly sad statements about the fate of their friend. That alone is enough to make you want to restart...
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*** Some demons will actually beg for their lives if you beat them within an inch of it. It's surprisingly satisfying to have something like a giant snake demon thank you for sparing him, or even join you out of appreciation.
* Near the end of [[Bastion]], the player is given the opportunity to save {{spoiler|Zolf}}, rather than leaving {{spoiler|him}} to die. If you choose the first option, {{spoiler|the Ura become so impressed with your [[Determinator]] status that they back down and let both of you leave alive.}}
* There's a '''''lot''''' you can do in [[Planescape Torment|Planescape: Torment]] to fulfill this trope, from helping a terrified and mentally shattered woman find her way home after decades of searching to helping a shy guard and a lonely but cheerful woman come together. But what really deserves special mention is {{spoiler|playing the very end of the game several times until you figure out how you can save all of your dead companions}}.
** Not to mention that it gets a lot harder to {{spoiler|let your character "die" frivolously}} once you've played the game to the end and know the true cost of {{spoiler|each of [[Balancing Death's Books|The Nameless One's averted deaths]] }}.
 
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== Space Combat ==
* Brilliantly done in the ''[[Homeworld (Video Game)|Homeworld]]'' series. Each part has a single moment where extra efforts aimed at saving people are more or less optional and are without material reward of any kind but are extremely compelling and self-satisfactory:
** In the first game you return home after a hyperdrive test run only to find your planet in flames and some aliens destroying the cryo trays with the last remnants of your race. One of the trays is already damaged by the time you arrive, and in a "normal" course of events the invaders will destroy it before you can destroy them. There is no reprimand for that and no bonuses for saving the tray, but, goddammit, there is a hundred thousand people in it!
*** This troper failed the first time... He immediately started all over and next time had six salvage corvetes, all ready to capture three enemy ships destroying defenseless cryotray. "The subjects didn't survive interrogation." indeed.
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** The finale of Homeworld 2 reenacts the tragedy that destroyed the original homeworld when three planet destroyers start barraging the surface of your core planet with nukes. Intercepting every rocket is be a bit annoying, as it must be done manually and you'll have to constantly switch between the tactical screen, where the rockets are visible, and the game screen, where all the fighting takes place, but these inconviniences are completely blotted out by a single thought: "Not a single rocket must reach the surface. You hear me? NOT A SINGLE ONE!!!"
* In ''[[Star Trek Bridge Commander]]'', you encounter a vessel belonging to the enemy who, during a large firefight, has kept out of battle with their shields down. Your crew makes note of it before it turns away and warps out. You encounter the same ship later, guarding your objective, but again, with its shields down and making no effort to attack you. This is where you ought to slow down, take a breath, and think, "What Would Captain Picard Do?" Open hailing frequencies. The result is gaining a new ally and making the last level much easier, your sector admiral giving you huge glowing praise, more detail about what's going on with the plot, and the satisfaction that Gene Roddenberry's view of the universe is still alive and well, even in an action game.
* ''Starlancer'', a space fighter from the makers of ''Wing Commander'', has an entire squadron of [[Red Shirt|red shirt]] wingmen, none of whom are actually useful in battle and tend to [[Artificial Stupidity|ram things to death (their own)]]. ''But''...they each have their own backstory in the game's information system, like the petite blonde girl who joined the Navy Fighter Corps after being a star in a barnstorming show...[[MST3K Mantra|in space]]. Or the bitter little Frenchman, or the black-market dealing Scot, or the sultry Italian chick...the list goes on. Also, when they die, they die screaming in a ''truly'' disturbing manner.
** Speaking of ''[[Wing Commander (Videovideo Gamegame)|Wing Commander]]'', it's not uncommon for players to replay missions where their wingmen were killed in the first game, in which [[Anyone Can Die]] was in full force. Except for [[The Load|Maniac]], who can [[The Scrappy|just stay dead.]]
** Also, in ''[[Wing Commander (Videovideo Gamegame)|Wing Commander]] III'', on the later missions where [[Anyone Can Die]] comes into play. There's a reason you can take fewer wingmen along the final stretch {{spoiler|You get the single ending if you picked the pilot as your love interest and bring her along- all wingmen die at some point along that series of missions.}} However, if you bring Maniac along, he actually listens, sometimes, and becomes a little more competent, so he's not as bad a choice.
 
 
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** Democratic-type governments in general are the "grow and make money like crazy" systems in all ''Civilization''-type games.
*** In ''II'' and ''III'' they give a direct boost to the economy by boosting Trade/Commerce.
*** In ''[[Sid MeiersMeier's Alpha Centauri]]'' (''Civilization'' [[Recycled in Space|in space]]), Democratic Politics gives a boost to Growth and Efficiency, which you can combine with Knowledge Values and Cybernetic Future Society to achieve a Paradigm Economy (i.e. maximum Efficiency) with pretty much every faction (even the [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|Peacekeeping]] [[United Nations|Forces]], as I recall), meaning you can run a very large empire with ''far'' less money lost to corruption than under any other system, or combine with Planned Economics and Eudaimonic Future Society (which is basically [[Video Game Caring Potential]] in the form of a Social Engineering option) to get to a state of Population Boom (i.e. maximum Growth), which is a [[Game Breaker]]. (The direct boost to income is provided by Free Market Economics.)
**** This comes nowhere close to showing the game caring potential. Just consider [http://alphacentauri2.info/articles/?sa=view;article=5 "Interlude 6 : despair"], which the player receives if his first mindworm unit is killed, along with its commander, who's a friend and pupil. {{spoiler|"For all the gene splicing and longevity treatments, all the manmade miracles of M.Y. $[[NUM 0]], death remains as final, as capricious, and as desolate as it has ever been. No matter what happens now, no matter what journey of wonder humankind now embarks upon, $[[VOKI 8]] will never see it, never know the end of it. And no matter how many centuries you continue to cheat eternity, you will never again have the company of your student and friend. And you cannot cheat eternity forever."}} Makes you want to just keep it far from any real battle.
*** In ''IV'', Representation increases Research and Happiness in large cities, and Universal Suffrage increases the amount of money produced by Towns (the direct boost to income is provided by Free Trade economics).
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* ''[[Ogre Battle]]'' has several special characters that you can draw into your ranks as you move through the game. Some of them are likable characters and you can feel like crap for getting them killed. Even the generic characters make your heart wrench when they fall in battle. Although, this can be because you spent countless hours leveling them to reach a certain class and you hard work just died out.
* ''[[Original War]]'' is built around this trope. Every human unit in the game is a unique individual with RPG-like stats, and when they die, they are [[Killed Off for Real]]. It is often better to deploy inferior remote-controlled or computer-controlled vehicles just to avoid risking your precious soldiers. (Honestly this is a lot like the use of military robots in [[Real Life]].)
* Played straight in the ''[[War CraftWarcraft]]'' clone/superior cousin ''War Wind'', where veteran units may be kept until the next stage for a minor pre-game boost. You may even keep the 'epic' units with you, though most of the time you'll want something faster, or you'll want to bring an extra artisan for resource/build tier boosts.
* In ''[[Halo]] Wars'', it is common to become attached to units with stars, to the extent of not actually using them for fear of their deaths. Especially your starting scout unit.
* Somewhat averted in CDV games, notably the Conquest series. Despite almost EVERY SINGLE UNIT having its own experience, morale, and even phobias! American Conquest is especially bad for this, as human wave tactics are pretty much the only way to take a fort due to the sheer number of defences. See, even though you have all these stats, non-hero units tend to take damage like the squishy pink fleshlings that they are... Just created or alive since the start of the battle, a few shots from a musket will ruin any militia or trapper's day. The damage indicator is more an indicator of how accurate their weapons are, as you may see if you watch the spot of the impact graphic closely. Bullet impacts seem to deal percents, not numerical, while high health only really helps in melee. Also, cannonballs can mow through troops ridiculously accurate for their time period. One of the largest reasons behind the human wave requirement is how deadly fort cannons can be.
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* In ''[[Raiden Fighters]]'', one of the stages has a tank boss firing at houses before proceeding to attack you. If you use your [[Attack Drone|Attack Drones]] or bombs to block its shots, you'll get a "DEFENDED THE HOUSE!" bonus. ''Raiden Fighters 2'' has a similar bonus involving defending friendly tanks from a medium-sized enemy tank.
* ''[[Men of War]]'' is likely the best WWII RTS for caring potential. Let's review: All soldiers have their own names and inventories. The ability to loot gear off the dead means that a bit of effort makes soldiers much more effective. The ability to loot hats off the dead means personal touches. The AI is helpful beyond contemporary standards, e.g. when an enemy tank rounds a corner, a soldier throws an AP grenade, takes cover in the opposite direction, and tends his wounds. A lack of hand-holding means room for crazy plans. The option to switch to FPS controls for individual soldiers means opportunities for death-defying heroism. A fairly interactive environment means, for example, removing weapons from disabled tanks and adding them to the defensive lines, or some fool driving through a battlefield on a hijacked tractor, hauling machine guns and ammo. Playing the game means sending these people to die by the hundreds. Ladies and gentlemen, video games as a learning tool.
* ''[[Mount and Blade (Video Game)|Mount and Blade]]'': Your army is comprised entirely of recruits which are rather unique from one another, all of which are trained up by you to be powerful and fearless soldiers. It is not uncommon for even the largest player armies to have a troop that is the "odd one out", either by being a neutral faction troop that you rescued from another lord's captivity or the last survivor of a recruitment run you made while in another faction's borders. It is not uncommon for that specific soldier to survive months worth of fighting under your command only to be unceremoniously listed on the casualty report after a skirmish.
* ''[[Total Annihilation]]: Kingdoms'' gives units bronze, silver, and gold ranks as they rack up kills. And, after awhile, you grow attached to them, to the point where one may send out their whole army of flying dragons of doom to incinerate the enemy if they dare to kill your 'pet'
* In [[X-COM]], it is ''extremely'' hard not to get attached to a few of your veteran soldiers. Sadly, since [[Anyone Can Die]], your favorites will almost inevitably be killed off <s>unless you keep them stationed on the dropship or your base</s> by a blaster bomb into the dropship or an attack on your base.
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* In ''[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pencilkids/monkey-go-happy/ Monkey Go Happy,]'' you're tasked with making a cute, crying monkey happy on each level. It's hard not to feel for the little guy, sitting there crying and trembling. The sequels take it further, adding a second, smaller monkey in the second game, and a baby monkey in the third.
** Welcome Grandpa in number 4!
* The computer game [[Star Trek]]: [[Birth Of The Federation]] (think [[Civilization]] in the style of [[Star Trek]]) can occasionally invoke this trope. When the Borg [[You Will Be Assimilated|assimilate]] a race you know and love from the series (or, you know, [[Earth Is the Center of Thethe Universe|Earth]]), or they get subjugated by the Cardassians or there's a negative planetary shift, your heart aches a little.
** Of course, this game has an equal, if not greater, amount of [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]].
 
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