Play 'em or slay 'em?

I've been going through a bit of a weird gaming spell.  Pillars of Eternity frustrated me to the point of exasperation, then I felt like shooting things and switched gears to Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel which I'm not that crazy about.  Then I felt like driving so I started up a new round of Grand Theft Auto V.  My manic bouncing from game to game isn't over but I think I've finally settled on something that I can spend some time with.  Dishonored is one of those classic games that is severely underrated.  I had played through it several years ago but hadn't touched it since finishing the main storyline and all the DLC.  There's something special about stalking through the streets of Dunwall and the upcoming sequel has been a welcome reminder of what I've been missing.

A few weeks ago one of my former students posted a funny quote on Facebook about how she always wants to help people in video games and will play the "good guy."  I, too, have this exact same mentality and find myself leading Corvo on a quest of non-lethal takedowns.  But where's the fun in that?  Assassinations feel so much more rewarding than choking out every guard you come across.  I've always wanted to play a higher chaos campaign....

One of the main reasons I've avoided the high chaos scenario is that the game (and many others) seems to reward players more for choosing the less lethal approach.  There's a special box to check off for killing no one, for not being detected or raising any alarms.  This seems to be steering players toward the more stealthy approach--which, I fully agree with, but secretly I've always wanted to opt for the less peaceful option.  I feel like I'm missing out on some of the best parts of the game when I choose to be a pacifist.  I never get to shoot anything or do any of the cool drop assassinations or set a group of ravenous rats onto a guard.  No fun, no fun!  I mean, it's still fun, but the stabby stuff is kind of awesome.

The drop assassination.  Peaceful players are missing out on this fun move.

Players are awarded special points for never being detected and for not killing anyone.  Why isn't there an award for masterful assassination?  Or for going on a vengeful killing-fest of all the guards on a level?  This sounds a little bloodthirsty, but isn't that sort of the point of the game?  You're on a mission to avenge the death of the empress whose assassination you were framed for...what's a little revenge?

I finished Dishonored for the second time on a low-chaos playthrough.  The reality is that I struggle at playing the bad guy.  Even though I find it hard to kill mercilessly in a video game I do feel that many games intentionally steer players along a specific style of play.  I'm torn about this illusion of freedom and choice.  I'm also really looking forward to the next installment of Dishonored, Dishonored 2, which is scheduled to come out later this year.