History MyGodWhatHaveIDone / VideoGames

* ''Videogame/SpecOpsTheLine'' has both [[BigBad John Konrad]] and [[PlayerCharacter Captain Walker]] haunted [[KillItWithFire by]] [[ColdBloodedTorture their]] [[ShootTheDog actions]]. In the case of [[spoiler: Konrad, [[DeadAllAlong he killed himself long before Walker even arrived in Dubai]]]]. [[spoiler: Walker is [[SanitySlippage driven insane]] from the realization that he killed 47 civilians with [[KillItWithFire white phosphorus]]]]. The ending [[spoiler: drives the point home, where it's revealed the Walker has been [[{{Hallucinations}} hallucinating every conversation with the dead Konrad]], because he cannot accept what he has done.]] In one of the endings, [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide Walker kills himself]], or is driven so insane that [[AxCrazy he slaughters the U.S. squad sent to rescue him.]]]]

* A pretty common tradition in the Tales series it seems, as ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has [[spoiler:Estelle do this after driving [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Belius]] mad by healing her]]. It takes another character's self-muliation to drive [[spoiler:her]] back into reality.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', if you can make [[spoiler:the Illusive Man]] realize that he's being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy indoctrinated]] by the Reapers, [[spoiler:he'll shoot himself in the head.]] Actually a ContinuityNod to the first game, where you can invoke the same on [[spoiler:Saren]].

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Mordin Solus was left guilt-ridden by his work in [[spoiler:updating the Genophage to ensure that the Krogans maintain the same rate of reproduction]]. While he felt that what he did was necessary, it didn't mean he had to like it and forced himself to make anual trips to check on it since he felt that simply walking away would be wrong. In order to better [[TheAtoner atone]], he became a doctor/borderline vigilante in the [[WretchedHive Omega space station]].

*** Can also happen with the Paragon Branka, who led everyone in her house to horrible deaths in the Deep Roads on her mad quest for the Anvil of the Void, and [[FateWorseThanDeath allowed the Darkspawn to rape some of the women and turn them into Broodmothers.]] If the Warden sides with her during the initial dialogue with Caridin, which leads to being forced to kill him, in the conversation with her after the fight she can be persuaded to see the Anvil for the abomination it is, and to see all of the pain, suffering, and damage her maniacal desire for it has caused. If successful, it will cause her being so overcome with guilt that it drives her to commit suicide by leaping into the lava.

** And the worst part? He did that to maintain his guise. He did that to gain the trust of the BigBad. He did that [[spoiler:''for nothing'', as said BigBad knew about the infiltration long before, and just wanted to see how down the rabbit hole you'd go to keep a supposed advantage over himself.]] Like other moments in the game, the whole thing served to show how dehumanized Jason Brody became.

* At the end of Etna Mode in ''[[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Disgaea: Afternoon Of Darkness]]'', [[spoiler:Etna recovers the memories that Maederas stole from her, and the very first one that returns is her promise to King Kricheveskoy, the only person she's ever trusted and looked up to, to protect his son Laharl. This being Etna Mode, Etna's already ''killed'' Laharl. A Not-So-HeroicBSOD ensues]].

* Siegfried of the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' was a knight who sought Soul Edge and his father's murderer. He succeeded in finding it and the sword possessed him, turning him into [[BigBad Knightmare]]. In truth, Siegfried [[SelfMadeOrphan murdered his own father]] and went insane hunting a man who didn't exist in denial of what he did. When he is freed from the cursed sword's control in ''III'', all the memories come flooding back and he is summarily horrified and becomes TheAtoner.

* Seen using body language in ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'' if, during the first episode, you saved Doug over Carley; [[spoiler: come episode three, Lily is consumed with suspicion over which member of the group was secretly giving the bandits outside of the motor inn supplies, which led to them eventually storming the inn and causing everyone to flee and Duck to get bit by a walker. The group's RV stops by the road for a second, and in the middle of an argument, while his back is turned, Lily raises her pistol to Ben's head, but Doug notices in the nick of time and pushes Ben out of the way, TakingTheBullet and dying in his place. After the shot, Lily completely freezes, eyes wide, and can only stare at Doug's body and slowly shake her head.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', girlfriend Katherine suffers from this after the incident on day 8, frozen in place screaming.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Hal "Otacon" Emmerich was initially led to believe that Metal Gear REX, the mecha he was working on with [=ArmsTech=], was a mobile defense platform. When Snake explains that he had been duped into developing a walking nuclear tank, he takes it very poorly.

* [[spoiler:Taro Namatame]] in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' goes through this after being told that he was endangering lives by throwing people into the [=TVs=] rather than saving them as he thought. Of course that is if you didn't choose to throw HIM into the TV as an unfair version of the KarmicDeath.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': After seeing the StarterVillain confess to all his crimes in front of their entire school and then ''beg'' to be arrested following their HeelFaceBrainwashing, the protagonists are actually somewhat terrified of the implications of their actions, and wonder for several days if what they've done can really be called "right".
** The goal of the Phantom Thieves as a whole is to invoke this trope on the scum of society by stealing their desires and forcing a change of heart, at which point the villain's heart won't be able to handle the weight of their sins and confess.

* Cecil and Kain, after unintentionally helping to destroy the village of Mist, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', Lightning doesn't believe her sister Serah when she claims to be cursed with the brand of a Pulse l'Cie, assuming it's some lame excuse to justify her marrying Snow Villers (of whom Lightning had a LOW opinion). She responded with an angry reminder that she, as a Sanctum soldier, would be charged with hunting Pulse elements down. Later, when she hears new reports that there actually WAS a Pulse fal'Cie in Bodhum's neighborhood, she puts two and two together and proceeds to beat herself up over this particular screw-up.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', [[spoiler:when the Unseen Chaos bursts from Etro's Gate and begins twisting the mortal world into a screwed-up place of doom, Noel realizes a few things. One, the goddess Etro is no longer among the living, and this is how the Chaos was able to burst out. Two, Caius held the Heart of Chaos, a manifestation of Etro herself. Three, however unintentional, Noel's own weapon was what pierced that heart. By the time ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' rolls around, Noel has spent the last five centuries convinced that he destroyed the world.]]
* [[BigBad Gaius]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has this realization at the end of the 2.0 story where [[TheManBehindTheMan Lahabrea]] forces Ultima Weapon cast Ultima, which completely obliterates the castrum everyone was standing in. Gaius, seeing the raw destruction of Ultima firsthand, realizes that he shouldn't have unearthed the ancient weapon since it can easily destroy the very land he was trying to conquer. Lahabrea has Ultima Weapon ready Ultima a second time when its HP is low and if the players fail to stop him in time, [[TotalPartyWipe the entire party is killed instantly.]]
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', [[spoiler: Doned has this reaction after realizing that his brother Marche was neglected back in the real world because Doned required more attention due to his illness. Doned didn't recognize that every sacrifice his family made, namely the move to St. Ivalice, their parents' divorce, and Marche's ongoing neglect, was either for his sake or a negative consequence of his illness on the rest of the family, instead choosing to resent Marche for being healthy and having friends, and thinking that he himself had nothing to be thankful for while Marche had a perfect life. Marche then finally reveals his resentment towards Doned for the ongoing neglect and the divorce, which he couldn't express before [[BecauseYouCanCope because Marche is the older brother and Doned is just a sick little boy]]. This segues into Doned's realization that he's been extremely cruel and selfish to his brother in his attempts to stay in fantasy!Ivalice.]]

* [[spoiler:Ryoji]] does this [[spoiler:while explaining [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Fall]] to S.E.E.S.]] in ''VideoGame/Persona3'', although in his case it's less "My God What Have I Done" than [[spoiler:"My God What Am I ''[[TragicMonster Going]]'' To Do?"]]

* Neku Sakuraba from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', when he realizes that not only was [[spoiler:Megumi Kitaniji trying to redeem Shibuya from the fate of Sodom and Gemorrah, defeating him has effectively doomed everyone to die]].

* [[spoiler: Terra]] from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' has this reaction after [[spoiler: trying to [[KickTheMoralityPet stop Master Eraqus killing Ven, and taking it too far. Eraqus does it too when he calms down.]]. Then Xehanort finishes him off.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', girlfriend Katherine suffers from this after the incident on day 8, frozen in place screaming.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', [[spoiler: Doned has this reaction after realizing that his brother Marche was neglected back in the real world because Doned required more attention due to his illness. Doned didn't recognize that every sacrifice his family made, namely the move to St. Ivalice, their parents' divorce, and Marche's ongoing neglect, was either for his sake or a negative consequence of his illness on the rest of the family, instead choosing to resent Marche for being healthy and having friends, and thinking that he himself had nothing to be thankful for while Marche had a perfect life. Marche then finally reveals his resentment towards Doned for the ongoing neglect and the divorce, which he couldn't express before [[BecauseYouCanCope because Marche is the older brother and Doned is just a sick little boy]]. This segues into Doned's realization that he's been extremely cruel and selfish to his brother in his attempts to stay in fantasy!Ivalice.]]
* [[BigBad Gaius]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has this realization at the end of the 2.0 story where [[TheManBehindTheMan Lahabrea]] forces Ultima Weapon cast Ultima, which completely obliterates the castrum everyone was standing in. Gaius, seeing the raw destruction of Ultima firsthand, realizes that he shouldn't have unearthed the ancient weapon since it can easily destroy the very land he was trying to conquer. Lahabrea has Ultima Weapon ready Ultima a second time when its HP is low and if the players fail to stop him in time, [[TotalPartyWipe the entire party is killed instantly.]]

* In ''VideoGame/NiNoKuniIIRevenantKingdom,'' this happens with [[spoiler: the [[GoodAllAlong not-really evil]] Mausinger]]. When they realize that they were manipulated and lied to in order to make them [[spoiler: murder King Leonhard,]] and they are confronted by [[spoiler: no less than King Leonhard's spirit]] about it, they [[HeroicBSOD break down sobbing in unmitigated remorse,]] realizing that they [[spoiler: murdered their dearest and closest friend]] on false pretenses.

* Part of TheReveal in the ''VideoGame/DarkTales'' installment ''The Bells.'' One character has been slowly going mad from guilt because [[spoiler:his seemingly harmless prank with a friend - dressing up as ghosts and going around scaring people - directly led to the death of a teenage girl.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'', Dominico is said to be a descendant of one of the seven sages that sealed Rhapthorne away, and indeed, he appears to be a target of the possessed [[spoiler:Jessica]]. However, it turns out that [[spoiler:the ACTUAL descendant is Dominico's assistant David (who was Rhapthorne's real target), who Dominico had treated like absolute crap for no reason at all, and Dominico himself was a descendant of the sage's servant]]. When [[spoiler:David is killed by Rhapthorne, who has now possessed Dominico's dog, Sir Leopold]], Dominico discovered it had been his duty to protect David, and pulls this trope when he realized he failed that duty miserably.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', Lightning doesn't believe her sister Serah when she claims to be cursed with the brand of a Pulse l'Cie, assuming it's some lame excuse to justify her marrying Snow Villers (who Lightning had a LOW opinion of). She responded with an angry reminder that she, as a Sanctum soldier, would be charged with hunting Pulse elements down. Later, when she hears new reports that there actually WAS a Pulse fal'Cie in Bodhum's neighborhood, she puts two and two together and proceeds to beat herself up over this particular screw-up.

* A frighteningly effective one in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': protagonist Jason is undercover in the crew of pirates, murderers and mercenaries of the BigBad, and he gets a mission to torture the crap out of a prisoner. He goes to do so and finds out that it's [[spoiler: his brother Riley, who he previously thought dead]]. After a very brief attempt at explanation, he then beats the crap out of the prisoner, and shoves his thumb into a gunshot wound, causing excruciating pain. After the fact, Jason looks at his hands, covered in [[spoiler: his brother's]] blood, and says "What have I become?" After spending most of the game on a revenge-fueled murder spree, it's almost disturbingly sobering.

** Miranda Lawson is an interesting variation as her's is more, "My god, what did I ALMOST do?" Her hatred of her father comes from the fact that he tried to control her and her sister, make them slaves to do whatever he wanted them to do. She almost did this to Shepard, when she attempted to plant a control chip into his/her brain while bringing him/her back to life. By ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', she realizes this and feels unbearable guilt, telling Shepard how sorry she is for even considering it.

* In ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'', some of the leaders' death quotes might invoke this to the player. You kill a person who seems to just be a named Mook...then an optional battle (If you wanna recruit one of the characters) has a woman who wants revenge because you killed her husband. After you beat her, she reveals she's ''pregnant''. Another person laments that he won't be able to get medicine for his sick daughter.
** The PSP version also has a wizard who fights you in chapter two who wants revenge on Denam. What for? A boss you fought in chapter one was his twin brother.

** Link from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. He pulls the Master Sword out of its pedestal, not knowing Ganondorf was using him to get into the Sacred Realm. Especially hits home when you visit what used to be Hyrule Castle. Link's expression can only be, "Oh my God, I did this." What makes this moment especially heartwrenching is that ''Link is technically still a 10 year old boy''.

* Happens at the very first event of VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}, the main character, after coming to his sense, realized that he is holding a knife, blood dripping from his clothes, and a dead man lying right next to his feet, stabbed many wounds to the chest.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Shadowverse}}'', [[spoiler:when Rowen found out that he has a curse where he can turn into a black dragon, he realizes that ''he'' was the one that killed Kyle.]]

* A frighteningly effective one in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': protagonist Jason is undercover in the crew of pirates, murderers and mercenaries of the BigBad, and he gets a mission to torture the crap out of a prisoner. He goes to do so and finds out that it's [[spoiler: his brother Riley, who he previously thought dead]]. After a very brief attempt at explanation, he then beats the crap out of the prisoner, and shoves his thumb into a gunshot wound, causing excrutiating pain. After the fact, Jason looks at his hands, covered in [[spoiler: his brother's]] blood, and says "What have I become?" After spending most of the game on a revenge-fueled murder spree, it's almost disturbingly sobering.

** The PLAYER has many of these moments. Such as [[spoiler: helping Garrosh free the heart of Y'shaarj, corrupting Pandaria's holy land, and almost killing a young man.]] It almost makes you wish you could choose to NOT participate in some of the quests.

* The Paragon Caridin in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' [[spoiler: sacrificed Dwarves to create Golems on the Anvil of the Void]]. He initially justified this with the increasingly desperate war against the Darkspawn [[spoiler: and that he only used volunteers (who were unaware of the sheer agony involved)]]. But when the King (the only one in Dwarven society whose opinion trumps a Paragon's) JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope [[spoiler: and sent casteless, criminals, and his ''political rivals'' to the Anvil]] and Caridin protested, the King [[spoiler: had Caridin turned into a Golem by his own apprentices on the very Anvil he created]]. After [[spoiler: experiencing the "hammer's blow" himself]] Caridin realized he had done something unforgivable and dedicated himself to [[spoiler: ensuring that the Anvil could never be used again]].
** Can also happen with the Paragon Branka, who led everyone in her house to horrible deaths in the Deep Roads on her mad quest for the Anvil of the Void, and [[FateWorseThanDeath allowed the Darkspawn to rape some of the women and turn them into Broodmothers.]] If the Warden sides with her during the initial dialogue with Caridin, which leads to being forced to kill him, in the conversation with her after the fight she can be persuaded to see the Anvil for the abomination it is, and to see all of the pain, suffering, and damage her maniacal desire for it has caused. If successful, it will cause her being so overcome with guilt that it drives her to commit suicide by leaping into the lava.

* [[spoiler:Anders]] has this reaction in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' right after [[spoiler:he blows up the Chantry and sparks open conflict between Mages and Templars]] if he is a full rival. After the most recent patch, he can even be convinced to [[spoiler:''side with the Templars'' after realizing that he has pretty much become a true abomination]] to help mitigate the damage to Kirkwall.
** He also shows considerable guilt if [[spoiler:Vengeance kills an innocent during "Dissent"]], planning to attend the funeral as a kind of apology gesture, although Aveline tells him to just leave the family alone.

* The ending of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''. So close to achieving their goal, Ori and Sein are snatched out of the sky by Kuro, who prepares to snuff out Sein while letting Ori burn alive. Naru, Ori's mother, comes climbing out of the burning woods and takes the unconscious Ori in her hands, looking solemly up at Kuro. With that, Kuro realizes that she has been hurting someone else's child in an attempt to save her own, and she sacrifices herself to return Sein to the spirit tree.
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* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Tails responds with jaw-dropping, wide-eyed shock after he accidentally tells Eggman [[spoiler:that the chaos emerald Sonic gave him is a fake]]. Sonic is blast into space shortly after, and it's obvious that the fox feels somewhat responsible for it.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', this is what you're bound to feel like after an EldritchAbomination named "[[MeaningfulName Mephiles]] [[MagnificentBastard the Dark]]" reveals to you that [[spoiler:[[EtTuBrute you've captured and imprisoned one of your]] [[TrueCompanions best friends]] in the BadFuture and it's all but confirmed that [[AndIMustScream you were literally]] [[FaceMonsterTurn forced to do so against your will]]]]. Their future self may have been DrivenToSuicide after the event via [[spoiler:self-deactivation]]. [[TokenEvilTeammate Despite their rather villainous traits]], one must feel really sorry for [[spoiler:[[KillerRobot E-123 Omega]]]] and what happened to [[spoiler:[[StoicWoobie Shadow the Hedgehog]]]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': This is what you're bound to feel like after an EldritchAbomination named "[[MeaningfulName Mephiles]] [[MagnificentBastard the Dark]]" reveals to you that [[spoiler:[[EtTuBrute you've captured and imprisoned one of your]] [[TrueCompanions best friends]] in the BadFuture and it's all but confirmed that [[AndIMustScream you were literally]] [[FaceMonsterTurn forced to do so against your will]]]]. Their future self may have been DrivenToSuicide after the event via [[spoiler:self-deactivation]]. [[TokenEvilTeammate Despite their rather villainous traits]], one must feel really sorry for [[spoiler:[[KillerRobot E-123 Omega]]]] and what happened to [[spoiler:[[StoicWoobie Shadow the Hedgehog]]]].
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' Tails responds with jaw-dropping, wide-eyed shock after he accidentally tells Eggman [[spoiler: that the chaos emerald Sonic gave him is a fake.]] Sonic is blast into space shortly after, and it's obvious that the fox feels somewhat responsible for it.

* Raiden has a massive MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', [[spoiler:after he accidentally fries Liu Kang to death in self defense]].
** Scorpion has one in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' after learning that he was tricked into killing Bi Han.

** And the worst part? He did that to maintain his guise. He did that to gain the trust of the BigBad. He did that [[spoiler:''for nothing'', as said BigBad knew about the infiltration long before, and just wanted to see how down the rabbit hole you'd go to keep a supposed advantage over himself.]] Like other moments in the game, the whole thing served to show how dehumanized Jason Brody became.

** Princess Hilda, Zelda's alternate universe counterpart in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', when she is confronted with the fact that [[spoiler:she started exactly the chaos that her ancestors were trying to prevent]].

** Funnily enough Dracula himself has a mild one. Following his defeat at the hands of Alucard, he is unable to respond when his son accuses him of sacrificing all he held dear in a bid for power. When he finally ask Alucard what Lisa's last words were all he can do once he hears them is quietly beg for her forgiveness, bid his son farewell, and finally succumb as he's banished yet again.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', you get this if [[spoiler:Toriel]] kills you. [[spoiler:During her boss fight, her attacks deliberately become easy to dodge if you are at low health. However, it is possible to leave yourself with enough HP to kill yourself during her attack phase.]]
** Conversely, the PLAYER will invoke this trope on themselves if they attempt to [[spoiler:beat down Toriel until she surrenders: although many monsters can be spared if you [[TechnicalPacifist deal enough damage without killing them]], making this seem like a valid tactic, Toriel will suddenly take massively fatal damage once her HP drops low enough.]] And the worst part? [[spoiler:The game will not let you off even if you try to save-scum...]]