Video games, an art form of interactive media that utilizes user interface, possesses an enormous impact on culture. While some may only dismiss gaming as a mere hobby, it is evident that, video games have the capacity to convey powerful narratives with real life world themes.

There is quite a wide array of titles across various genres that possess thought-provoking experiences for players in addition to philosophical themes, blending gameplay and storylines together. From the broad selection and popular hero shooters, to the more underrated Metrobania category, with franchises that are a main staple to the genre such as Castlevania, and Metroid–video games pursue to evolve as vehicles for narrative depth. Many of these works have been able to linger rent free within people’s minds, not merely only for their gameplay, but on the account of their exploration of complex characters, emotional journeys, and social commentary that resonates with the average person experiences.

One particularly compelling example, that I personally reckon fits perfectly with acquiring such a reflection is Metal Gear Rising; Revengeance, that commentates on the destructive path of following through with revenge, and the economic as well as mental consequences aspects of war. Throughout a play through of the game, you as the protagonist, Raiden, constantly battle against a private military manufacturing company, called the Desperado Enforcement LLC, which, similar to our reality, destabilizes nations for the sake of their own profit.

Then there’s also the storyline with Raiden’s own psychological state, struggling to come to peace with his past. There are way more examples out there, that follow this redirect, like Nier Automata, that focuses on the concept of finding meaning within a meaningless existence, or the earlier mentioned Castlevania series, with Symphony of the Night, where if humankind should be judged as an entity or individually. For this reason, people all over the globe have a personal interest in video games, as they could relate to the stories and character development within these fictional characters.