Rome: Total War rewards exterminating the captured Greek settlement because a smaller population is easier to keep content as it regrows. The mechanic turns conquest and demographic violence into a settlement-happiness calculation. The choice is confined to the game, and the warning against accepting the same conduct in real life is explicit. The aside also notes that governments can still move toward such policies.
Notable Point · 26:06-27:11
Settlement extermination as a game abstraction
The game's extermination option reduces unrest by shrinking a conquered population, but that mechanical incentive is separated from conduct anyone should accept in real life.