You're moving from evil hatchlings which are incapable of learning right from wrong to human children who clearly are capable of of learning right from wrong.
I think this is a question of alienation or dehumanization. In the real world, declaring someone "evil" (as you did in the example of the serial killer) is wrong. Dehumanizing the enemy is actually taught to soldiers because it makes them less reluctant to pull the trigger. I think that's very morally wrong. Dehumanizing children is even worse (Godwin's Law left as an exercise for the reader).
But in a game we're already OK with dehumanizing adult monsters. You can slay the dragon, or the orcs, or the salamanders, because they are Evil with a capital E and can't be redeemed. They're not human. Is it wrong to pretend that? Should we be offering the dragon a fair trial? Why is it OK to dehumanize adult creatures but not baby creatures?
I think this is a question of alienation or dehumanization. In the real world, declaring someone "evil" (as you did in the example of the serial killer) is wrong. Dehumanizing the enemy is actually taught to soldiers because it makes them less reluctant to pull the trigger. I think that's very morally wrong. Dehumanizing children is even worse (Godwin's Law left as an exercise for the reader).
But in a game we're already OK with dehumanizing adult monsters. You can slay the dragon, or the orcs, or the salamanders, because they are Evil with a capital E and can't be redeemed. They're not human. Is it wrong to pretend that? Should we be offering the dragon a fair trial? Why is it OK to dehumanize adult creatures but not baby creatures?