Friday 16 February, 2018

I’ve now completed my second session, and it seems like things are progressing like I thought they would. Our intrepid protagonist Jack Boyd is now, to put it in his words, “the mafia’s whore.” I was given the decision of whether or not to help my colleague who found himself on the mafia’s bad side. I chose to help him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up in the mafia’s pocket regardless of your decision.

So far, all the mafia has really asked me to do is not to send officers to certain crime scenes, and occasionally send them cops for additional manpower. Comply, and you’re typically rewarded handsomely. However, it makes me wonder where to draw the line. I ignored one crime and was paid $8,000 for my efforts (or lack thereof), but unfortunately this oversight resulted in the death of a civilian. Is $8,000 worth the stain that a preventable death leaves on my conscience? Probably not, and I get the feeling that my morals will be tested further as the mafia gets more comfortable with our relationship. My nefarious deeds with the mafia can also affect the public safety indirectly. For instance, there was a case where I didn’t have the manpower to respond to a crime as the majority of the force were tied up with a mafia errand, and a civilian was killed because of it.

Great job, this log asks a really tackles an important question: how much is a life worth? You could explore this question through Kant's perspective or a utilitarian lens. There is also the question of moral luck. Is the protagonist truly responsible if they didn't know the civilian would die as a result of their decision? There is a lot to think about and explore here.