History MuggingTheMonster / Videogames

** Early in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', you come across some bandits trying to extort "tolls" from refugees. When they try to pull this on your group (typically at that point consisting of a mage, a mage-hunter, a war dog, and whatever the player character rolled as), one of your possible responses is basically "[[YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe Are you serious?]] [[LampshadeHanging Look at us!]]" You can actually turn the situation on its head, and demand that the bandits pay up. You can, alternately, reveal to them that you're a Grey Warden. The Grey Wardens are, by the way, wanted for treason and apparently murdering the king, which you can point out to the bandits, at which point the leader will immediately crap himself, stand aside, and bid you a good day and to "continue on with your king-killing ways." And, if you're playing a mage, you can make this known to them. Cue the whimpers of "[[ForcedTransformation I don't wanna be a toad!]]"
** Much later on in ''Dragon Age'', when you've leveled up a lot more and your personal reputation has been well established, you can talk to a city guardsman named Sgt. Kylon in Denerim. Although there's still a bounty on your head for your supposed treason, he explains that even if he believed the claims of treason, which he doesn't, he still would have no interest in attempting to arrest you. "If I asked my men to apprehend you, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere they'd all run]] and [[TearsOfFear cry big, sobby tears]] in their courtesan's bosoms and leave me all alone [[CurbStompBattle to be skewered]]." You can then discuss helping out the guards, at which point he asks you about chasing some mercenaries out of a brothel. "I said beat down, not kill. Let me make that really clear. Not on fire, or exploded, or Maker knows whatever type of grisly death you can dream up... Sorry, used to giving orders to my boys." After you successfully complete this task, he meets you halfway back to the city market area to give you your pay, only to have the leader of the mercenaries come after you in a towering rage. Upon seeing you in action, Sgt. Kylon's only response is "[[SuicidalOverconfidence And people actually voluntarily attack you? Are they just stupid]]?"

* ''{{VideoGame/Yakuza}}'':
** The protagonists will constantly be attacked by low-level thugs on the streets. In some cases, like the rather small and unassuming Akiyama, PrettyBoy Tanimura, or scruffy homeless guy Ichiban, this is justified. In the case of one-eyed Majima, built-like-a-bear-on-bearoids Kiryu or makes-Kiryu-look-like-a-beanpole Saejima… not so much.
** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', it's revealed that this is how Tachibana and Oda met. Oda and the street gang he led picked a fight with Tachibana, who [[CurbStompBattle thoroughly]] trounced them all. Oda was so impressed, he begged Tachibana to take over the gang as their new leader. A former member of the gang says that Oda [[LoveAtFirstPunch "fell in love with the guy's badassery]] on the spot".

* In ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest II'', when Bonds is pursuing Bains in Steelton Park, you encounter a mugger who will mug you with his bare hands. Radioing your partner will scare him away and get him arrested.

* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', the climax of Primrose's Chapter 3 has her confronting the Right Hand of the Crow in revenge for murdering her father Geoffrey ten years ago. This Crow Man in particular is revealed to be Albus, the former captain of the city watch and a friend of her father's who [[FallenHero eventually]] [[EvilFormerFriend betrayed him]] for [[ItsAllAboutMe his own]] [[EvilIsPetty petty]] financial and political gain. For no good reason, Albus decides it would be a great idea to [[SpeakIllOfTheDead insult Primrose's deceased father]] [[MockingTheMourner in front of her]], claiming that Geoffrey spoke of how having faith was in itself enough to protect Noblecourt from any danger, and that his murder "goes to show you what the faith of a fool is worth". Not only is Albus twisting Geoffrey's stance on faith (i.e. that it protects people from internal despair and lets them continue on the path they have chosen) into something [[BlatantLies completely untrue]], but he says this in front of the woman -- a skilled [[DeviousDaggers knife combatant]] and a powerful [[CastingAShadow dark magic]] user -- who killed one of his accomplices. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong?

* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', the climax of Primrose's Chapter 3 has her confronting the Right Hand of the Crow in revenge for murdering her father Geoffrey ten years ago. This Crow Man in particular is revealed to be Albus, the former captain of the city watch and a friend of her father's who [[FallenHero eventually]] [[EvilFormerFriend betrayed him]] for [[ItsAllAboutMe his own]] [[EvilIsPetty petty]] financial and political gain. For no good reason, Albus decides it would be a great idea to [[SpeakIllOfTheDead insult Primrose's deceased father]] [[MockingTheMourner in front of her]], claiming that Geoffrey spoke of how having faith was in itself enough to protect Noblecourt from any danger, and that his murder "goes to show you what the faith of a fool is worth". Not only is Albus twisting Geoffrey's stance on faith (i.e. that it protects people from internal despair and lets them continue on the path they have chosen) into something [[BlatantLies completely untrue]], but he says this in front of the woman -- a skilled [[DeviousDaggers knife combatant]] and a powerful [[CastingAShadow dark magic]] user -- who killed one of his accomplices. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong

* Featured in trailers to ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'', in which the representatives of each faction are attacked by minor demons and easily fight them off. Arguably the best example of this crops up in TheIlluminati trailer: in this case, Alex McCall is attacked in a pub bathroom by a tentacled monster; despite being less than three feet away from the creature, [=McCall=] doesn't even step away from the urinal, distracting the monster with an illusion before obliterating it with a blast of chaos magic. Cut to black, as [=McCall=] ''finally'' zips up his fly and leaves.

* This trope combined with SelfFulfillingProphecy sets the stage for the conflict of VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous. The ancient nation of Sarkoris was surprisingly egalitarian in most regards, but [[AntiMagicalFaction brutally persecuted all users of arcane magic]] out of the belief that it was far too dangerous to be allowed. This would eventually lead them to [[BigBad Areelu Vorlesh]]... who eventually responded to their attacks with an EarthShatteringKaboom that spelled the end of Sarkoris.

* Notably averted in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', where enemies will actually run away from you instead of engaging you in combat if you're powerful enough. Furthermore, random encounters inside dungeons will automatically do this [[GenreSavvy after the area boss is defeated]], regardless of level.