Would you pick a cookie or a brownie? How about eating both or none? Whatever you choose, you will make a sacrifice. You may sacrifice weight loss for some scrumptious sugary sweetness, or you may sacrifice a satisfied sweet tooth for a slim stomach. Your choice and your sacrifice reveal your value. Mass Effect by Bioware illustrates the principle of opportunity costs through mechanics, plot, and visuals.
First, Mass Effect's mechanics teaches opportunity costs through mission rewards and character customization. The reward system forces the player to sacrifice one option for another. Many of the missions offer the player a choice of reward. Picking the renegade option may give more money and guns. Picking the paragon option rewards the player with good feelings but an empty wallet. The player determines what is most valuable. By making the choice, the player loses the other opportunity. The mechanics of character customization force the player to sacrifice strength in one set of attributes for strength in another—no character can be competent in all attributes. The benefit of gaining more skill in charisma comes at the cost of lower fitness. Opportunity costs present themselves in the Christian walk as well. Paul tells Christians in Ephesians 4:22-24, "in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (NASB). Christians should take the opportunity to put on the likeness of God (i.e., telling the truth, working to give, and encouraging others). By replacing the old habits with the new habits, Christians lose the opportunity to do what is evil, what the world calls "fun" or "normal".
Second, Mass Effect's plot highlights the principle opportunity costs through the choices on Virmire and the asteroid X-57. In the Virmire choice, spoiler alert, the player must choose who dies or who lives, Ashley or Kaiden, the two key companions. Either option comes with regret, but as in life, soldiers sacrifice themselves for their family, their comrades, and their nation. Any benefits gained from saving Kaiden are offset by the loss of Ashley. The player must make the choice of what benefits and costs are greater. On X-57, the player must determine if catching a terrorist or saving a few known hostages has greater value. In life, our choices come at the cost of unknown opportunities. For example, in the book of Jonah, instead of guiding the Ninevites, Jonah chose to wallow in his misery. The opportunity lost could have had major benefits to both Israel and the Ninevites. Even when the future is unknown, we need to trust God and make the Biblical choice that will result in the greatest benefit.
Third, Mass Effect's visuals support the principle of opportunity costs through the Mako vehicle animations and the Ilos environment. The Mako visuals help the player picture what they lost. When the player lets the Mako get damaged, whether from enemy attack or just bad driving, the Mako shows the battle damage and typically spouts flame. The visuals reinforce that the player sacrifices an undamaged Mako for quick surveys and driving. The Ilos environment reveals a sacrifice built on opportunity costs. The Protheans hid from the marauding Reapers and went into stasis until the Reapers left. The few that survived stasis later sacrificed their lives so that future civilizations could survive the next Reaper wave. The tomb-like quality of Ilos reinforces the consequences of the Prothean's decision. Dark and grey Prothean statues and flickering stasis pods fill the planet’s ruins. In life, parents make very similar sacrifices. "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NASB). Like the Protheans, good parents give their children a better future by losing opportunities and time for themselves.
Through mechanics, plot, and visuals, Mass Effect illustrates the opportunity costs present in choices. What is more valuable to you, a terrorist or five lives, Ashley or Kaiden, a cookie or a brownie? What are you willing to lose to do the right thing or to be a good parent, sibling, or friend?