Steve Mason

Steve Mason is the protagonist of the 1996 computer game, Harvester. Throughout the game, he attempts to remain a morally good character, though he is repeatedly made to do villainous acts by the Lodge Sergeant-At-Arms. Whether he slowly begins to enjoy said acts as the game goes on is entirely up to the player. Two dialogue options are always given, one which expresses disgust and regret at what had to be done, and one which suggests enjoyment in the misfortune being caused. However, while the player can choose how Steve reacts, they cannot do anything about what Steve must actually do, meaning that regardless of how one wants to go about playing the game, Steve will always end up indirectly causing the deaths of several townspeople, burning down DNA's Diner, scratching Mr. Johnson's Tucker sedan, and stealing Mr. Pastorelli's barber pole and indirectly being responsible for his death by electrocution. At the end of the game, Steve is given one final choice: To either live out the rest of his days in the virtual town of Harvest with Stephanie (who, besides Steve, is the only other real person) or kill Stephanie and return to the real world as a member of the Harvesters, a mysterious organization who kidnaps people in order to brainwash them into becoming serial killers. If Steve chooses to marry Stephanie, then he will die in the real world within minutes, but in his mind it will feel to him as though he and Stephanie lived a long and happy life together as a married couple. However, if he chooses to kill Stephanie, then he will awaken to two Harvesters welcoming him to their order, and then kill a random woman and eat her finger before returning to his home, presumably intending to kill again in the future.