Summary
For years now, video games have been perfecting their narratives and honing their storytelling to match that of other mediums and art forms. Thanks to this, the video game industry is packed full of wonderful narratives and mechanics that draw players' attention toward various philosophical dilemmas.
The wonderful thing is that this is often achieved across wildly different genres and styles, so there’s something to get any player thinking, from vast open-world RPGs to branching narrative ‘choose-your-own-adventures’ to comedy and to horror games. From Westernsto science fiction, to fantasy, and even coming-of-age tales, there’s a philosophical beauty in certain games that challenge players' perspectives and actions.
As its name suggests, this open-world western game focuses heavily on the theme of redemption. But there is a lot of philosophical depth to this old-west narrative. Players control the cowboy, Arthur Morgan, and team up with his ragtag band of outlaws as they navigate a changing wild west that no longer seems to have a place for them.
With incredible depth to each of the characters,Red Dead Redemption 2explores a narrative of freedom and the lengths one will go to achieve it, what gets lost for the sake of progression, and ultimately, morality and the mark that one leaves on the world around them.
From the Wild West tothe vast expanse of space,Outer Wildsis a puzzle-solving exploration game with a unique twist. The player character is caught in a time loop. After every 22 minutes of play, the sun at the center of this solar system will go supernova and reset the day.
As players explore, they begin to unravel a philosophical and existential narrative about the finite nature of civilization. Without spoiling the climax of the narrative, as it is well worth experiencing firsthand, players must make a philosophically devastating decision at the apex of the game.
The Stanley Parableis a surreal comedy game about a man called Stanley who works in an office but finds that all of his coworkers have vanished. Guided by a narrator, he sets out to investigate.The Stanley Parablehas many vastly different outcomes that players can get each time they play.
Players may not expectThe Stanley Parableto be as philosophical as it is, but it succinctly covers themes like free will and autonomy, the monotony of corporate life, and everyday things people should really hold dear. For such an amusing game, it can get existential pretty quickly.
Anyonefamiliar with theWitcherseries, either books, video games, or TV shows, will be aware that it takes place in quite a dark fantasy world. This lends itself to a more philosophical and conflicted approach to narrative themes and player decision-making. Arguably, the game that best demonstrates this isThe Witcher 3.
Many of the quests within this game have some semblance of a moral quandary for the player and Geralt to work through. These can drastically alter the fate of Geralt and those around him as well as the state of the overall world and can be exceedingly dark for players who aren’t cautious with their approach.
Speaking of dark games with branching choices, that happens to be the modus operandi of Telltale Games. Of all of them, though, their adaptation ofThe Walking Deadis perhaps the most infamous, with the most profound impact on its players. This is in part thanks to the deeply philosophical and challenging decisions that players have to make while progressing the narrative.
Thanks to its zombie apocalypse setting, this primarily centers on the lengths that people will go to survive and protect the ones that they love. It is no surprise that the firstTelltale’s The Walking Deadseries drastically boosted the popularity of the company and genre.
TheBioShockseries has gained much love and infamy, primarily because of its unique take on dystopia and philosophical quandaries. Of all of them, the most well-known is probably the fate of the Little Sisters and whether players save these unfortunate characters or use them for their own gain.
ButBioShockisn’t often so black and white, and the intricacies of moralitywithin the serieshighlights its dystopian take on philosophy. It is a must-play for those interested in philosophical dilemmas.
Following on from the topics of dystopia,Cyberpunk 2077craftsa dark and dismal world clad in neon.Cyberpunk 2077paints an often bleak picture of the future, delving into the complexities of humanity’s relationship with technology, corporations, and class divisions.
Already philosophically challenging, the game also takes a profound stance on the topic of personal freedom and the balance between making a name for one’s self or being satisfied with a quiet and somber life. Paired with the ability to dictate the outcome of quests and the overall storyline, the player has a lot of control over the way that their story develops philosophically, but it will always be profound.
Each of theLife is Strangegames tend to tackle some element of philosophical dilemmas. The original, however,left a hugely profound impacton its players. At its heart, it is a coming-of-age story about a young wallflower girl who gains the strange and unpredictable ability to rewind time.
As the game progresses, it quickly becomes a tale of love and friendship that focuses on the struggles of growing up and the challenges of living with certain actions despite how much people may wish things were different. It culminates with what is possibly one of the most challenging choices philosophically in video games.
Once again,The Last of Usgames prove that the zombie apocalypse is a perfect setting for demonstrating some of the most challenging philosophical quandaries players can encounter.The Last of Usgames are linear, but their depiction of philosophical dilemmas is some of the most powerful in video games.
Dealing with similar topics of survival,The Last of Us, particularly the sequel, also covers the dilemma of revenge. The most memorable philosophical dilemma comes towards the end of the first game. It deals with the lengths one will go to protect a loved one.
Thescience fiction horror game,SOMA, deals with one of the most unique philosophical dilemmas in gaming, and a particularly relevant one currently.SOMAdeals with the horror that surrounds artificial intelligence, debating at what point they can be considered sentient and how profoundly disturbing it is that intelligence and memories could be cloned.
While the narrative is mostly linear, players do get some pivotal moments when they can decide what actions to take, usually surrounding the sentience of artificial intelligence and their relationship with death. It is a unique horror game that is terrifying, primarily in its deep depiction of a profound philosophical dilemma.
