The most difficult choice in The Walking Dead game of season 1 is the moment when Lee must decide either to leave or to tie Lilly up. The main reason for the given choices is that Lilly murders a member of the group of survivors. If Lee leaves her behind and drives away, she will most likely die because the scene takes place in the forest. However, allowing her to stay with the group will threaten everyone’s safety. It was a difficult choice due to the fact that Lee was the one who saved Lilly in the first place; therefore, there is some emotional connection between them.
The given game situation was an excellent illustration of the tension between rationality and human behavior. It was logically right to leave her behind because she was dangerous and not able to control her rage. However, in terms of human behavior, it was emotionally painful to let her die because there only a few people left in this post-apocalyptic world. The option of letting her stay was less altruistic because the group’s survival would be prioritized over Lilly’s life. It is important to note that by not leaving her behind, others were in immediate danger and certain death. The main reason is that she can be kept hostage, and she might not murder anyone again. Therefore, a player can both rationally and emotionally allow her to stay with the group. Other challenging options were presented when Lee must decide either to save Doug or Carley, which means that one of them will die. The given choice was highly reliant on the altruistic nature of a decision-maker because neither of these options facilitates Lee’s survival.
Another example of dubious dilemma can be seen when Lee must decide to either cut off the infected leg of Travis or let him become a zombie. Although both choices result in fatal outcomes for Travis, the wounded version increases the survival rate. The given selection process is based on rationality and emotions because it involves pain and suffering for someone’s benefit. The reciprocity concept and folk theorem can describe the influential factor during these cases. The altruistic nature is an essential part of human social programming, which is deeply embedded in primates’ behavioral patterns. The example choices are easy if the altruism factor is removed, and the only goal is survival.