While the majority of people still view video games as a form of childish entertainment, some developers are slowly changing that mindset by creating thought-provoking games. Like other forms of media such as films or TV shows, games can discuss important societal issues and influence a player's world view.
Sometimes video games are even more impactful than other types of media since games require the audience to be an active participant, which can make the player more invested than if they simply watched things unfold. With these games, the themes stick in the player's head long after it's over.
The Forgotten City
The Forgotten City is a 2021 mystery adventure game that is a remade and expanded version of the award-winning 2015 Skyrim mod of the same name. Shortly after entering some ancient ruins, the player is sent back in time to the era of the Roman Empire when the ruins were a bustling city. If the residents of the city commit a sin, then everyone will be punished by the gods and turned into golden statues, which is known as the Golden Rule.
Eventually, it's revealed that somebody does break the rule and dooms the entire civilization, and the player finds themself stuck in a time loop that can only be fixed by preventing the catastrophe. Underneath all the magic, however, the game is an in-depth philosophical discussion about morality and contradicting belief systems.
God of War (2018)
Created as a soft reboot for the franchise, the action-adventure God of War (2018) changed many core aspects of the series to create a fresh experience after the series became stale. Some of the most obvious changes included focusing on Norse mythology rather than Greek mythology and changing Kratos' weapon. But, the most significant change was the focus on Kratos' character development caused by his son, Atreus.
Within previous God of War titles, Kratos' extreme violence and anger were considered important traits that defined both his character and the series. After the director, Cory Barlog, had his own son, he was inspired to develop Kratos differently by having Atreus teach Kratos how to let go of some of his toxic masculinity and become a better parent.
Beholder
Beholder is a series of adventure games that take place within a dystopian totalitarian police state, and the player must make tough moral choices in order to survive. In the first game, the player is a state-installed landlord that is supposed to spy on the tenants and report anyone who breaks the law to the government. Then, in the sequel, the player works at the central ministry and tries to develop their career.
Despite the slightly different premises, both games allow the player to choose to follow the unjust laws, fight against the corruption, or simply do anything to survive. A third game in the series is scheduled to release early this year.
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
Out of the many great visual novels that exist, some of them use the gameplay format as a part of the story. For example, Doki Doki Literature Club uses the fact that it's a visual novel to tell a story about an in-game character who gains sentience. The 2020 game Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk also does a similar thing because the main in-game protagonist is pretending that she is in a visual novel.
Because of a traumatic event, the main character struggles with her mental health, which makes simple tasks like going to the store a tough challenge. As her medication, the player must help her complete the journey. On Dec. 16 2021, a sequel was released called Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk.
Blackhaven
Released in the summer of last year, Blackhaven is a free first-person mystery adventure game that focuses on racism, slavery, and the whitewashing of history. The game follows an HBCU sophomore named Kendra Turner who is interning at the Blackhaven Hall Historical Society so that she can gain enough money to travel to Greece for her studies. For this job, Kendra must complete various tasks at the historical site of a mansion burned during the American Revolution.
But, while exploring the area, she slowly uncovers that the museum is hiding the true history of the location. Now, she must decide whether to keep quiet about the whitewashing so that she can keep her job or expose the real story.
Papers, Please
One of the games that directly inspired the Beholder series is the 2013 puzzle simulation game Papers, Please, which is a game where the player is an immigration officer in a fictional dystopian country called Arstotzka. Each day, the player must decide who is allowed to enter the country by talking to the immigrants and reviewing their documents.
As the game continues, more rules are added and the player has a limited amount of time each day to process the arrivals, which means they will likely struggle to get enough money to pay for necessities such as food and rent. Depending on the player's actions, they will get one of many different endings.
The World Ends With You
Originally released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, The World Ends With You is an action JRPG that focuses on the importance of learning about other people's ideas, beliefs, and perspectives. The players follow a teenage boy named Neku Sakuraba who is forced to team up with several other characters to beat Shibuya's Reapers' Game, which is a deadly game that select individuals get to play after they die that determines whether they are reborn, become reapers, or cease to exist.
Because of a traumatic event, Neku has decided that he will no longer connect with others, but the game slowly teaches him how to trust people. The main message of the narrative is that people need to consider other perspectives in order to grow as individuals. Years later, a sequel was released titled which is one of the best RPGs of 2021.
Adventures With Anxiety!
In recent years, many developers have started making great games that discuss mental health. One of these games is the 2019 free Itch.io game called Adventures With Anxiety!, which is an interactive story where the player controls an anthropomorphic wolf that is the manifestation of the main character's anxiety. As the anxiety, the player must choose options that will make the main character feel anxious.
Based on the creator's own experience, the game accurately portrays what it's like to have an anxiety disorder. While showing the dangers of excessive anxiety, it also conveys the importance of having some anxiety in order to stay safe.
LISA
After one of Yume Nikki, was released, many amazing games have been directly inspired by it. One of these games is the 2012 RPG Maker surreal horror game LISA: The First, which has the player explore the mind of a young girl named Lisa Armstrong who is being abused by her father, Marty. While Lisa doesn't survive after this first game in the LISA trilogy, she remains a strong presence in the sequels.
The second game, LISA: The Painful, is a more standard RPG that follows Lisa's brother, Brad, as he tries to save his adopted daughter Buddy. For the final game, LISA: The Joyful, the player controls Buddy directly after the events of the previous game. Each game focuses on trauma and how it influences our perspective and choices.
An Outcry
Released on Jan. 5, An Outcry is an RPG Maker horror game that follows a 25-year-old non-binary character, the Unnamed, who lives in a poor apartment in Vienna, Austria. After getting accidentally locked out of their apartment and hearing a strange outcry, the Unnamed embarks on a multi-route narrative that involves various neighbors, smoking, and talking birds.
While choosing to either fight or run away from killer birds, the player is immersed in a strong story that tackles anxiety, politics, addiction, social justice, discrimination, LGBTQ+ issues, and more. By the end, the Unnamed will have to decide whether they will fight for their right to exist or surrender to their oppressors.