History FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse / VideoGames

** The first boss of Olberic's story is Gaston, a former member of the band of sellswords to which Erhardt belonged, who ended up becoming a bandit after the group disbanded and he found that he was only good at swinging a sword. Olberic points out that Gaston could have used a sword to protect the people rather than steal from them, to which Gaston replies by saying that honest work takes more wits than he has, and he felt he had no choice. Olberic relies, "Choice or no, you must answer for your crimes." Gaston surrenders and turns over a new leaf.

* In a Light Side Climax for ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', when Malak is defeated, he questions what would have happened to him, had Revan not led him to the Dark Side in the first place. In one of the response options, [[spoiler: while apologizing for starting Marak down said path,]] the Player Character points out that it was Marak himself who chose to continue down the Dark path. Malak admits there is truth in what the Player Character says and that he alone must accept responsibility for his fate.

* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', the first boss of H'aanit's story is the Ghisarma, a ferocious beast that was acting so violent [[FreudianExcuse because it was driven out of its old home by another beast]]. However, H'aanit doesn't believe it justifies its actions and points out that it could have learned to live in its new home [[MisplacedRetribution without taking out its anger and pain on creatures that weren't responsible for its plight]].

** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', toward the end of the game, the party hears about [[FinalBoss Duke's]] backstory. He fought with Elucifur, an Entelexia, alongside humanity against the anti-humanity Entelexia, only for the Empire to betray and kill Elucifur in order to obtain his Apatheia to make more Blastia. Raven and Judith sympathize with Duke, both being people heavily affected by said war, but Yuri points out that it doesn't justify Duke's plan to sacrifice humanity to destroy the Adephagos and that he needs to be stopped.

* At the end of ''Videogame/LiveALive'', after defeating the final boss [[spoiler:Oersted]] is overcome with guilt over his actions. While most of the heroes offer [[SympathyForTheDevil varying levels of sympathy]], if [[JapaneseDelinquents Akira]] is the chosen hero then he'll give an [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech angry speech]] about how while everyone goes through bad things but it doesn't give them the right to take it out on others and that the villain chose to see the worst in humanity. For his part, [[spoiler:Oersted]] concedes that he succumbed to his grief on his own and has no one to blame but himself.

** Amita and Sabal, the [[LaResistance Golden Path's]] two co-leaders, are of this opinion towards Dr. Noore Najjar, one of Pagan's {{Dragon}}s. Noore runs the [[GladiatorGames Shannath Arena]] and is responsible for distributing Pagan's drugs and sex slaves, but she only works for Pagan because [[IHaveYourWife he's holding her husband and two sons captive]] and she's trying to earn their freedom. [[note]] And then Ajay learns that [[spoiler:Pagan had Noore's family killed years ago and had his other {{Dragon}}, [[TortureTechnician Paul Harmon]], trick her into thinking they were still alive]]. [[/note]] Neither Amita nor Sabal show any sympathy towards Noore for this: as far as they're concerned, she's just another obstacle for the Golden Path to remove to get rid of Pagan Min. ([[HeadbuttingHeroes And Amita and Sabal rarely agree with one another]].) For what it's worth, Noore seems to agree with them: [[spoiler:if Ajay refuses to shoot her the last time he meets up with her at Shannath, but tells her that her family are dead, she realizes that the atrocities she carried out were AllForNothing, rejects Ajay's offer for her to escape punishment for it, and [[DrivenToSuicide kills herself then and there]].]]

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' (a time-altered SoftReboot of the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise) features a new incarnation of former BigBad Shang Tsung -- rather than being a mighty, godly SorcerousOverlord who [[YourSoulIsMine stole souls]], this version is [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen a mortal born into destitution]] who made his living as a SnakeOilSalesman before learning about his past incarnation and [[FromNobodyToNightmare given an opportunity to reclaim his past glory]]. Despite having a marginally more sympathetic backstory, Shang Tsung is ''still'' a [[FauxAffablyEvil faux-charming]], [[SmugSnake insufferably smug]], and [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] monster, so nobody buys his backstory as a justification for his behavior at all. [[BigGood Liu Kang]] -- the guy who was responsible for rewriting Shang Tsung's origin -- deliberately gave him an unremarkable life in an effort to humble him and sway him into a path for an honest and fulfilled life, and Shang Tsung's new beggared existence was entirely his own fault as he simply couldn't help being a swindling conman who enjoys the suffering of others.

** Rather than face off against a Palace Ruler that's an unredeemable HateSink, the Monarchs in ''Strikers'' are each presented as a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds for one reason or another. While many of the Kings have had a truly bad lot in life, the Thieves call them out on their behavior after defeating their Shadows by saying a bad life doesn't justify making the world a worse place, and especially not when several of the Monarchs are robbing the dreams of innocent people, most of whom had nothing to do with whatever hurt them. The Thieves even [[NotSoDifferentRemark point out]] that such behavior has made the Monarchs no better than the people who ruined their lives.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'': [[BigBad Carla Radames's]] actions are motivated by the fact that [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Simmons]] turned her into a [[CloneByConversion clone]] of Ada Wong and essentially [[DeathOfPersonality destroyed her original self]], all for his own RetargetedLust. However, it's made clear that this doesn't come close to justifying her [[KickTheDog numerous heinous acts]] throughout the game, which result in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people and the destruction of at least three major cities across the world, all for the sake of what amounts to [[EvilIsPetty petty]] {{revenge}} against [[DisproportionateRetribution one person]]; Ada herself states outright that while she can understand why Carla did what she did, she does ''not'' condone her actions.

** In the expansion ''Shadowbringers'', [[spoiler: [[GreaterScopeVillain the Ascians]] are revealed to be the last survivors of a highly advanced race known only as the Ancients, which wielded creation magic that was limited only by their imagination. Eventually, something caused the Ancients to lose control of this magic, turning their fears and nightmares into reality, and half their race sacrificed themselves to create the first primal, Zodiark, who saved them from annihilation. Half of the surviving Ancients feared his power, however, so ''they'' sacrificed themselves to create Hydaelyn. In the ensuing struggle, she wounded Zodiark so badly that it literally broke reality; this created the Source (where ''XIV'' primarily takes place) and its thirteen "Shards" (alternate versions of the Source, like the First where ''Shadowbringers'' takes place). Everything the Ascians have done-- every manipulation, every death, every Calamity, every Rejoining-- has all been so that they can ''[[WellIntentionedExtremist rebuild their world]]''. During the final confrontation with Emet-Selch, he rants at length about all the pain and suffering he and his people endured, how much he's sacrificed for the Ascians' survival, how Hydaelyn is a hypocrite that stole everything from them, and how everyone does nothing but demonize the Ascians as pure evil when the only thing they've ever wanted is to '''''go home'''''. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn [[VillainHasAPoint understand where Emet-Selch is coming from and agree that he has every right to be angry and bitter about his own losses]], but they point out that it will never justify murdering entire worlds just to get his own back and that even if those untold numbers of people on the Source and Shards are inferior beings in the eyes of the Ascians, they're still fully sentient beings with the right to live.]]
** In the expansion ''Endwalker'', Alphinaud and Alisaie understand that Quintus van Cinna, Legatus of the Ist Legion of the Garlean Empire, has a reason to be upset at the idea of getting help from one's enemies, especially after past misdeeds on the Garlean people years in the past. They also call him out on his stubborn refusal to accept help, and that he's basically making things worse for those he swore to protect. [[spoiler: This stubbornness winds up being his FatalFlaw, as well. Quintus uses what little supplies he has left on a last desperate gamble, despite the Eorzeans not only being willing to give the Garleans supplies, but outright telling him so. Instead, it's revealed that the reinforcements he wants simply aren't coming, his troops have been basically wiped out, and he turned down an offer that would do nothing but benefit him out of misplaced pride. The guilt and anguish over this decision causes Quintus to be DrivenToSuicide. All of this is done while the narrative makes it clear that Alphinaud and Alisaie's initial assessment of Quintus was correct; the characters argue that while his situation is sympathetic, Quintus was actively making things worse through a fatal case of HonorBeforeReason, and that it doesn't justify letting people freeze or starve to death.]]

* It's revealed in ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction'' that Takehaya-Susano'o-no-Mikoto, known in the present as [[spoiler: Yuuki Terumi]], was created to serve as a lifeless tool of Master Unit: Amaterasu before realizing that he had no free will. He escaped and plans to achieve "true freedom" by destroying the current world and replacing it with one of his own. Because of all the hell he put them through and the fact that the world he wants would be a {{dystopia}}, the heroes have no sympathy for him. Then again, it's not like he ''wants'' their sympathy, [[spoiler:as their hatred for him is what keeps him alive and anchored to the world.]]

* This is a recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' series. Many of the {{Big Bad}}s in the games, including the Snow Queen, Amelia and Geppetto, the Sky King, and Belladonna, who tend to be {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s that seek to transform, punish, or otherwise destroy as many people as possible, are revealed to be fueled by the grief and anger caused by some incident or mistreatment in the past. It's mostly commonly a [[TheLostLenore beloved spouse]] or [[MamaBear hurt]] [[PapaWolf child]] that sparks their rage, although a few (like [[spoiler: the Wolf Queen]] also [[IJustWantToBeSpecial long to be special]] and feel envious regarding other people's good luck. The Fairytale Detective is often sympathetic to their problems, but is equally quick to point out that the villains don't have the right to punish countles innocents to soothe their own pain.

* This is a recurring theme in the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' series. Many of the {{BigBad}}s in the games, including the Snow Queen, Amelia and Geppetto, the Sky King, and Belladonna, who tend to be {{OmnicidalManiac}}s that seek to transform, punish, or otherwise destroy as many people as possible, are revealed to be fueled by the grief and anger caused by some incident or mistreatment in the past. It's mostly commonly a [[TheLostLenore beloved spouse]] or [[MamaBear hurt]] [[PapaWolf child]] that sparks their rage, although a few (like [[spoiler: the Wolf Queen]] also [[IJustWantToBeSpecial long to be special]] and feel envious regarding other people's good luck. The Fairytale Detective is often sympathetic to their problems, but is equally quick to point out that the villains don't have the right to punish countles innocents to soothe their own pain.

** PlayedWith regarding Mephisto - roughly halfway through the Reunion arc of the story, Amiya (who doesn't know his backstory) tells him to his face that whatever he must have suffered, it does not justify him committing the crimes he did, namely [[CruelAndUnusualDeath crucifying and immolating several innocent civilians out of blind hatred]]. This fits the trope ''at the time'', [[spoiler:but it later becomes apparent that Mephisto is a CosmicPlaything who literally ''cannot'' catch a break and whom every single good deed he has done [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished has backfired spectacularly on]] - him showing sympathy to Sasha (known in-story as Faust) only lead to further beatings from his [[AbusiveParents abusive father]], while his attempt to help the fledgling [[LaResistance Reunion Movement]] ended up twisting him into the monster he is now when he outsourced his morality to Talulah, who is revealed to have undergone DemonicPossession by the GreaterScopeVillain of the Reunion arc, Duke Kashchei]]. So while Amiya has a point of how unacceptable Mephisto's actions are, his Freudian excuse is more valid than it initially appears to be.

* ''VideoGame/Destiny2'': [[TheEmperor Enperor Calus]], {{the Hedonist}}ic emperor of [[SpaceRomans The Cabal]], initially comes off as being a greedy pleasure seeker, but otherwise appears harmless. ''Season of the Haunted'', however, has him JumpingOfTheSlipperySlope and striving to become a Disciple of [[BugBad the Witness]]. Said season also finally elaborates in detail on his backstory, and reveals that he was PuppetRuler in the previous Cabal regime that had virtually no freedom of his own l, with his negative traits being forged from a desire to never face that situation again. His daughter, Caiatl, does not see that as an excuse for what he is done, particularly after it is revealed that he viewed her as a MoralityPet ''before she was born''. When this is brought up, she points out that while Calus may regret the consequences of his actions, he doesn't try to change for the better to fix them.

* ''VideoGame/CelestialHearts'': Lilith explains that [[spoiler:she spent nearly a century with no will of her own and was forced to watch as she couldn't control her own body. Even after gaining full control of herself, she absorbs the lifeforce of many people and threatens to crash the continent of Belume, all because she's jealous that Helen was born free. The party calls her out on how petty her motivation is. Even Sylvie, who despises humans, considers this an action of MisplacedRetribution against the people of Belume]].

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'': Your ChaoticEvil[[invoked]] ranger companion Bishop pulls this on ''himself''. As an ex-ChildSoldier who was ordered to burn his own village as a rite of passage into Luskan's special forces, he'd be in the perfect position to claim his upbringing made him who he is. However, he firmly believes that everyone is responsible for their own actions and consequences, and freely admits he just hates people in general.

* ''VideoGame/FugaMelodiesOfSteel'' has an example in Doktor Blutwurst, the Berman Army's resident MadScientist with a seething hatred for Felineko [[BoomerangBigot despite being one himself]]. A report unlocked after his boss battle expresses rumors that he grew up under a Caninu father with a prestigious lineage, while his mother was a Felineko from a family with such a poor reputation that she was [[DomesticAbuse shunned within their own home]]. Combined with how Felineko are second-class citizens in the Berman Empire to begin with, it's easy to assume that Blutwurst personalized these experiences, resulting in his crippling inferiority complex. In-game, however, his experiments have involved [[LifeDrain horrifically draining the captured Felineko of their very life energy]] with often fatal results, and he's shown to take [[{{Sadist}} sadistic pleasure]] in such. To quote [[https://twitter.com/shimipan/status/1431866381935394820 the game's lead character designer]], "You can safely [[HateSink hate him]]."