Last week saw players of Helldivers 2 face their own version of the trolley problem, as the major order for that week presented players with one of two choices: liberate one planet to save trapped children or liberate another in order to get access to a new anti-tank mine strategem. In a possibly surprising turn of events, players chose to save fictional kids instead of earn free loot, which has had some similarly surprising but no less welcome real-world consequences.
Within a few days’ time, players surged to Vernen Wells in order to answer the distress call from Super Citizen Anne’s Hospital for Very Sick Children, which prompted Arrowhead’s chief creative officer Johan Pilestedt to make a charitable donation of $4,311 to Save the Children. The devs also shared a special message from the in-game children, which included a thank-you drawing.
This does, of course, mean that the promised anti-tank mines won’t be on offer ahead of time, but something that deploys mines clearly can’t beat something so heartwarming. As for this week’s major order, that’s less of a moral quandry, as players are being tasked with liberating five different Terminid planets at once.
Since the @helldivers2 community chose to save the children, @arrowheadgs does the same. We have made a donation to, well, Save the Children.
Great job Divers!https://t.co/080PL27Y1u pic.twitter.com/yNhpiFWMlz
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) June 14, 2024
