History TheCorruption / VideoGames

* The Chimera in ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}: Fall of Man'' utilize TheVirus to transform humans into aliens and fight for your side. The protagonist of the game is also infected, but although he is mutated, he manages to retain his personality.

* ''VideoGame/MarySkelter'' has something literally called "corruption". It builds up within Blood Maidens as they continuously become covered in Marchen blood and undergo mental or emotional stress, and it can be easily recognized after a certain point, as the [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning pink eyes]] that usually manifest from contact with Marchen blood remain even without such contact. If the corruption is allowed to go too far, the Blood Maiden will go into [[TheBerserker Blood Skelter]], completely losing their mind and attacking every living creature in their vicinity. Thankfully, the fresh blood of a Blood Youth like Jack is able to purge corruption from a Blood Maiden, up to and including shutting down Blood Skelter, but it's safe to say that Blood Youths are rather rare.

* Seithr in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', a toxic substance spread over the world by the [[EldritchAbomination Black Beast]] when it attacked the world 100 years ago, renders most of the surface inimical to most life. Humans were forced to live in cities built at high altitudes to avoid succumbing to seithr poisoning. It's the Corruption since seithr is also the source of the setting's magic. The [[FunctionalMagic Ars Magus]] and [[ArtifactOfDoom Nox Nyctores]] used by most of the characters absorb seithr from their surroundings in order to use their abilities. The Kaka clan, including [[CatGirl Taokaka]], are able to tap into the seithr naturally with no apparent ill effects.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' opens with attacks on three planets by Leviathans. Bryyo and Elysia are impacted by the meteorites, while Norion is saved in the last moment by Samus and the other hunters. In the process, all four hunters become infected with Phazon, and their bodies develop a tumor-like Phazon-producing gland that slowly corrupts them. The Galactic Federation decides to take advantage of the hunters' corruption by adapting their body suits with a "Phazon Enhancement Device" weapons system. ''[=MP3=]'' partially averts the mook rule, as GF troopers can safely use phazon via tanks,[[note]]For the most part, anyway. While on the Valhalla, you can scan a dead P.E.D. Trooper whose suit malfunctioned. The results are quite disturbing.[[/note]] while Samus is under serious threat of [[NonstandardGameOver Terminal Corruption]] whenever she uses her P.E.D. for extended periods. Her fellow hunters all fall victim to it. Samus is later sent to investigate the other attacked planets as well as [[spoiler:the corrupted Space Pirate Homeworld and Phaaze, a seemingly [[GeniusLoci sentient planet]] entirely made of Phazon.]] With each main boss Samus beats, the resulting blast of Phazon energy further infects her, visualized by the tumor growing in her stomach. There are [[BodyHorror growing deformities on her face]], which can be seen reflecting in her visor, as well. By the end, one eye is completely black, the other is bright "Phazon blue," and there is a [[TaintedVeins Phazon vein]] down the middle of her face. [[spoiler:On Phaaze, her corruption grows so great that ''her ship stops recognizing her,'' and she's forced to continually vent energy however she can to prevent the corruption from consuming her.]] If at any point she becomes fully corrupted, the game ends [[spoiler:and she becomes a new Dark Samus]].

* Whereas in the [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception original course]] of events in ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' Raiden became DarkerAndEdgier because he reconstituted wrong, in the new timeline Raiden's actions in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' cause him to absorb the negative energy that was pumped into the Jinsei (Earth's life force) by Shinnok. While he saved Earth and the Jinsei from Shinnok's influence, he himself succumbed to it and has become much like his hardline counterpart in the original timeline.

* In ''VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery'', the BigBad are the forces of Chaos, very similar to ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', including the corruption. There are several sources of corruption, including background chaos radiation which grows stronger as you approach the source ([[spoiler:The Chaos Gate]]). Corrupted monsters may turn into writhing masses of primal chaos. A corrupted player will gain additional powers and be a writhing mass of BodyHorror. Corruption-removal methods are the most sought-after thing in the whole game, because getting the full set of corruptions means you're close to an unavoidable NonStandardGameOver. And because some of the corruption side effects are really, really bad for your character. For instance, you can be drastically slowed down, instantly drain every magic wand you touch, poison everything you handle (including your own food and potions), and worst of all is the "unholy aura" one; everyone you meet, including powerful [=NPCs=], will become hostile at the mere sight of you. However, some corruptions [[CursedWithAwesome grant you useful powers]], and for several of the special endings, you need to be corrupted almost to the point of dissolution.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' has "Malice", Ganon's malevolence, which takes the form of a a black-and-purple slime-like substance that is left behind by [[EldritchAbomination Calamity Ganon]]'s influence. The [[HumongousMecha Divine Beasts]] built to fight him have Malice inside, causing them to turn on Hyrule, along with the [[MechaMooks Guardians]], the automated {{Magitek}} soldiers created by the Sheikah to aid in Hyrule's defense. The grounds around Hyrule Castle, where Ganon is contained, are infested with Malice as well. The ancient dragon Naydra is first found covered in Malice, which Link needs to destroy to free it.

** The Dark Makers in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' were once [[spoiler: Precursors]], but they were twisted by their exposure to it.

* ''VideoGame/Ashes2063'': Some areas of the old world contain a phenomenon described by New Guard messages as "background despair". It's intimately tied to paranormal occurrences and [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Haunts]], and is only observed in [[CreepyCleanliness untouched locations]] with corpses present, in circumstances where it's implied they died alone and in despair, such as [[AteHisGun a sitting body with a revolver beside it]]. Concentrations bad enough [[EvilTaintedThePlace make the locations inhospitable]] and can even [[SpiritedAway make people disappear with no explanation]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': While the "corrupted" faction are more like techno-zombies cybernetically reanimated by the [[SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology ridiculously high-tech]] Orokin towers, the Void does work like this. Those exposed to it gain strange powers but also go violently insane ([[DemonicPossession or possibly are possessed by an eldritch entity from beyond time and space]]; it's unclear). Furthermore, since all existing Orokin towers are in the Void, the Corrupted faction are often heavily afflicted by the Void. The only ones known to use Void powers safely are the Tenno. [[spoiler:They were created when their colony ship, the ''Zariman 10-0'', was lost in the Void. The adults all went insane, but the children became nigh-immortal liminal beings with strange powers. When they were finally rescued, the Orokin crafted the warframes to channel their Void powers and fight the Sentients.]]

-->'''May 21 1998:''' Itchy itchy Scott came ugly face so killed him. Tasty. 4 / / Itchy. Tasty.

* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' has Malfestation, a condition caused by the [[EvilWeapon Soul Edge]]'s energy that can transform both humans and animals into monsters. The transformation can very from individual to individual: some may just be driven into a maddened, berserker state, others are altered into outright inhuman forms - Raphael becomes a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire-like being]], while Cervantes is turned into a {{ghost pirate}} - and there are those that appear to not have changed at all such as [[TheBaroness Isabella "Ivy" Valentine]], who was born from Cervantes while influenced by Soul Edge and her most notable traits are [[TheAgeless immortality]] and having MysticalWhiteHair and due to her cursed lineage, she [[[CelibateHero refuses to have children]] and pass it to someone else. This condition can be cured depending on the circumstances, as seen with [[TheHero Siegfried]] being taken over by the Soul Edge and turned into [[EnemyWithin Nightmare]], but he was able to break free from its control. Kilik and the Edge Master also known a purification art that can cure Malfested.