monchi-kun
Member
I know there are games like BG&E that have a socially concious theme (not spoiling anything for those who haven't played yet). Anyone else know or recommend games of this nature?
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Socially concious/Political videogames - are there any?
- Thread starter monchi-kun
- Start date
AltogetherAndrews
Member
monchi-kun said:
Not sure about current games... maybe it's a profitability issue, and maybe it's just not worth dabbling with political issues at this point. I see some quasi-political stuff on the horizon, like HAZE which seems highly satirical, but I'm not sure if the industry or the market is ready for deeper political content.
a Master Ninja
Member
Kojima always tries with the Metal Gear games.
jaundicejuice
Member
The Oddworld Inhabitant games had an undertone to them...but that's all that leaps to mind.
Zombie James
Banned
The Metal Gear series.
â Narayan
Member
I was just going to say this.Brak said:
Killer7 is loaded with it.
speculawyer
Member
Army of Two looks like it might contain a message (hidden in all the ultra-violence):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfeCsbTgPas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfeCsbTgPas
Brak said:
Indeed, killer7 is asstastic!
I know, SNL beat me.
Uh, Metal Gear is cool, although I don't think any of the issues in the last few games are particularly relevant to any current political issues. A lot of 2 is very melodramatic humanitarian stuff on being your own individual and blah blah blah.
Dark Summit had an anti-pollution message or something. So did Greendog... I think?
Streets of Rage 2 had a message about equality. Whether you were a cool little black kid on skates, a run of the mill white guy, a hot chick, or a musclebound bruiser, you could still beat some ass and have fun doing it.
Streets of Rage 2 had a message about equality. Whether you were a cool little black kid on skates, a run of the mill white guy, a hot chick, or a musclebound bruiser, you could still beat some ass and have fun doing it.
Hitler Stole My Potato
Banned
The most socially conscious video game ever concieved by Jesus himself!
The Bush Game (from the makers of the Emo Game)
buckfutter
Member
Trinity and A Mind Forever Voyaging leap to mind as specifically political / "socially" conscious. I haven't really played either of them but there you have it. Killer 7 and the Metal Gears are the only other ones I remember off the top of my head that tackle politics with any specificity.
EDIT: Damn, Deus Ex. How could I miss that.
EDIT: Damn, Deus Ex. How could I miss that.
Civilization series and Sim City
Both were product of the late 80s/early 90s and promoted a lot of things we expect today (pro mass transit, anti pollution)
The Civilization games, although quite possibly being one of the most genocidal games in all of videogame-dom was one of the very first games I played which was marketly anti-nuclear. Most of the Civ games allow players to wield nuclear weapons but the downsides to using them often far outweigh the positives, unless of course the player is playing the Hitler/Attila warmongering strategy, in which case, nothing mattered.
Civilization III also introduced the concept of global warming if pollution on the map isn't cleaned up on time.
What I appreciate about both these titles is neither are preachy, they simply build in their social consciousness as part of the game's cause/effect gameplay mechanism/.
Both were product of the late 80s/early 90s and promoted a lot of things we expect today (pro mass transit, anti pollution)
The Civilization games, although quite possibly being one of the most genocidal games in all of videogame-dom was one of the very first games I played which was marketly anti-nuclear. Most of the Civ games allow players to wield nuclear weapons but the downsides to using them often far outweigh the positives, unless of course the player is playing the Hitler/Attila warmongering strategy, in which case, nothing mattered.
Civilization III also introduced the concept of global warming if pollution on the map isn't cleaned up on time.
What I appreciate about both these titles is neither are preachy, they simply build in their social consciousness as part of the game's cause/effect gameplay mechanism/.
Callo Merlose
Banned
Y2Kevbug11 said:Indeed, killer7 is asstastic!
I know, SNL beat me.
Uh, Metal Gear is cool, although I don't think any of the issues in the last few games are particularly relevant to any current political issues. A lot of 2 is very melodramatic humanitarian stuff on being your own individual and blah blah blah.
MGS4's commentary on the US exporting a vast amount of its soldiers/power and having to pay the price for it is pretty current, I think. And even if they're not current issues, they're warnings on the danger of forgetting the past and ignoring the future.
:lolmalek4980 said:
The GTA, games have a clear message half-assedly buried (beneath the violence) in the radio stations. Burt Reynold's character in Vice City comes to mind.
StopMakingSense
Member
I think Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure counts.
monchi-kun
Member
nice list! oddly enough i have a few of the games already mentioned....i need to replay em. how about games that contain really OVERT in-your-face themes?
I have:
Dead Rising
Deus Ex
BG&E
MGS3 (still need to finish this)
I have:
Dead Rising
Deus Ex
BG&E
MGS3 (still need to finish this)
Oldschoolgamer
The physical form of blasphemy
Killer7
buckfutter
Member
I forgot these, too. They're large-scale satires of American pop culture movements - basically what America would look like if you pieced it together from it's films and music.Verboten said:
Vice City was probably the closest to politically motivated - took a big, sloppy, obvious dump on the Reagan era.
Phobophile
A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
Terrorism in every single goddamn Tom Clancy game.
monchi-kun
Member
have any of these games affected you or someone else you know? did you/they stop and "think" or just keep playing
could games be used to promote political issues? we're a captive audience but in ways that are not replicated in other media because of our interaction with this form of entertainment.
could games be used to promote political issues? we're a captive audience but in ways that are not replicated in other media because of our interaction with this form of entertainment.
Dead Rising is a fun game, but the story is utter trash. I mean, they intentionally choose a theme like that to mock b-movies. It's funny, but anyone thinking it's "serious" or "deep" needs to check themselves.
And my pick is Star Control 2. Great game, good themes.
And my pick is Star Control 2. Great game, good themes.
Phobophile
A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
Nerevar said:
It's satire through camp.
I thought Gears had a kinda Iraq war undertone to it. The planet isn't the humans native world, it's the locusts so the COG are the invaders. Their primary goal there is to harvest the imulsion(oil) and the natives are trying to take their territory back.
Yea that is kinda thin, but it was apparant enough when I was playing. :lol
Yea that is kinda thin, but it was apparant enough when I was playing. :lol
grenadeguru
Member
DEFCON
a Master Ninja
Member
I've heard the "blind faith" followers of the Covenant in the Halo games may actually represent a certain religious group popular in many "red states".
Apharmd Battler
Member
Deus Ex!
a Master Ninja
Member
David Jaffe likes to think God of War made a strong political statement, but I think he is giving the game's plot a little too much credit.
Systems_id
Banned
Yep although the shit storytelling sort of ruins it imho.MegaTen said:
monchi-kun
Member
What kinds of themes coule be or should be covered in games?
How about the plight/victim of the genocide in Darfur? or maybe you are the hero that saves the day for all these people being slaughtered left and right.
Should themes like these be left out of games in general or be covert/read-between-the-lines kind of things.
How about the plight/victim of the genocide in Darfur? or maybe you are the hero that saves the day for all these people being slaughtered left and right.
Should themes like these be left out of games in general or be covert/read-between-the-lines kind of things.
