Video Games – we all enjoy it. Whether you’re young or old, a student or an employee looking to pass the time with a little fun; we all enjoy video games. It is a means for us, an outlet, to do the things we can not do in real life; to experience the things that are not readily accessible to most of us. Video games also help us understand different types of people by having diverse and – for some games – very realistic characters. But, not a lot of us see the underlying meanings behind the video games we play and enjoy. The implications are hidden behind the realistic graphics, the heart-warming soundtrack, and the innovative gameplay. Here is a list of some of the video games that tackle different social issues. Sit back and let us dwell deeper into the meaning of these well-known video games.
War – “This War of Mine”
Let’s start with a very well-known topic – war. We’ve all heard of different stories about the war. And war has been a choice of topic or genre by a lot of video games. But, the creators of This War Of Mine, 11 Bit Studios, approached this genre in an innovative and immersive way. In this game, you don’t play as a well-trained-muscle-torn super-soldier equipped with a planetary cannon. Here, you play as a civilian caught very deep in the war-devastated fictional city of Pogoren, Graznavia. You will struggle, because ‘gather’ is putting it lightly, for food. Scavenge for medicines or supplies and try your very best not to bump into soldiers or other hungry survivors.
The day and night cycle plays a significant role in the game mechanics. During the day, you’ll be managing your hideout in a very detailed manner; while keeping an eye on that sniper who’s not letting you out. When darkness falls, you’ll be sneaking into buildings and areas for supplies; while avoiding being killed by other people seeking means for survival. You will also be making a lot of moral decisions; whether you’ll kill that one annoying person to save the whole group or watch as everyone slowly suffers. Add to that, the beautifully-made charcoal-style aesthetics; and you have a game that will leave you thinking and reflecting about war and its effect on the human soul.
Privacy – “Watch Dogs 1 and 2″
Have you ever felt like being watched? Like Big Brother is always around you, lurking in the dark, studying and recording your every move? We are living in the age and time of information and the improvement in technology is far from slowing down. Also, the number of people uploading all of their information on the internet is increasing. This is why black hats are more eager to steal any sensitive information they can get their hands on.
Watch Dogs, is a video game about hackers waging war on the government for manipulating information and invading the privacy of their people. This video game does not really tackle or explain ‘hacking’ in detail; but it shows what hackers can do with the information that the people, themselves, gave out there on the internet. This game is a sweet reminder that internet privacy is sometimes just an illusion to make us feel safe. It also reminds us that the internet is a very dangerous place to be placing all of our information.
Social Difference – Multiple Video Games (Witcher Series, Life is Strange, The Last of Us, other video games)
So what if you have white hair, feline eyes, are sterile, and have high resistance, if not immune, to diseases? So what if you have pointy ears and live longer than humans? We are all living things and we can co-exist if given the chance and consideration.
The Witcher series, which is set in the world of Temeria, is flooded with racism and discrimination. Elves and Dwarves are discriminated against for not being human, despite the humans being the invaders of the land. Basically, humans are the foreigners and, yet, they are pushing away and abusing the original inhabitants of the land. Luckily, Geralt, despite being discriminated against himself, acts as the median between the two worlds. That of humans and of ‘non-humans’. Geralt does not make any rash decisions when doing a job. He investigates first and looks for a way for both parties to work together. With an exception, there is no consideration to be given for evil-tainted individuals, human or non-human.
Life is Strange is a video game that takes place in a small town called Arcadia Bay. A place where a lot of things happen. Including alcoholism, bullying, and child abuse. Child abuse is a social issue that’s very rampant nowadays; this video game shows the whole issue from a different perspective. You play the game and see the world through the eyes of a teenager with the ability to control time, Max Caulfield. The game also includes other issues like teenage pregnancy, social anxiety, and brats who think like they are on top of everyone. Max’s story is also a depiction of how it feels like to be bullied for being “not among the famous”. This is a game definitely worth checking out if you want a relaxing soundtrack and a story that is full of twists.
The Last of Us: Left Behind, sparked controversy when Ellie and Riley hinted quite a number of times about their feelings for each other. We all remember that photobooth scene, right? How about that scene where they dance to a tune and then unknowingly attract a horde of infected? All of these hints led to one conclusion and a lot of people were shocked. Some related and found themselves in the position of the protagonists in terms of personal identity; some accepted the fact and were happy for the pair; but, for some…they just do not approve of the whole charade. The relationship they have and the characters themselves don’t actually raise an issue; but the different ways people responded to the writing of the game, present an issue on sexual discrimination.
There you go. Here are just some of the video games that tackle some of the issues we are facing up to this day. There are still a lot of games that depict issues not mentioned here. If you have played a game with an interesting theme, comment them down below, and let’s have a talk. Looking forward to hearing from you!
1. Hack Citizens’ Bank Accounts
5. Carjacking
1. Defeat the Corrupt Guards
Who would say that hacking in the near future would be as fast and easy as one single click? In Watch Dogs hacking and phreaking have nothing to do with the real thing. Time boundaries are completely renounced, hacking techniques are basically inexistent and the very hacking tools resemble automated casual applications. If hacking would be as easy as in this 
Breaking all the rules of modern hacking wasn’t enough for Ubisoft, so they decided to prove that nothing is impossible in the world of Watch Dogs. Whether it’s an unintentional lapse or a leap of faith, the truth is that mechanical devices can be hacked in Watch Dogs. It might seem cool and rather convenient to hack a huge variety of things in the surrounding environments but how can a physical object with no electronic circuits be hacked? It’s beyond unrealistic, it’s quite pitiful. But it gets even worse with the hacking ability of mechanical devices that require pure strength to be lifted, which naturally challenges the laws of physics and evokes a sense of magic or supernatural.
As players progress in Watch Dogs, they’ll be able to unlock new and more powerful hacking abilities until the point that the whole Chicago city will be at its knees. With so much power in his hands, Pearce inevitably becomes a living god capable of performing all types of imaginable things. He can virtually get anywhere, anytime, anyplace. But let’s be honest, even elite hackers nowadays would be jealous of this virtual character. For someone who spent a good while in prison, Aiden is extremely paired with reality. In fact, he manages to outsmart everyone with his hack, showing that he’s either a god among the living or then it proves Chicago has close to zero defenses against cyber-crime.
The typical hacker on the run is perfectly portrayed by Aiden Pearce in Watch Dogs but the thing is, he is never caught, just as in the good old heroin mainstream movies. He does not only have flawless solutions for every unexpected incident, as he is able to hack any network without ever getting detected. No matter how many times he might hack the same networks or the same type of objects, he will just go on unnoticed. Once again, it’s the power of seeming divinity. Even in the worst-case scenarios, Aiden doesn’t need to panic because upon detection it’s extremely easy to run away through the countless weapons proportionated by the dynamic environment system.
One of the things that Watch Dogs show us is that the future will be amazing for cybercriminals but what’s confusing is the incredible level of unrealism. Aiden can hack all citizens and freely acquire their personal data. Isn’t there anyone at all who has a decent security system able to detect hacker attacks? How can governmental networks not notice all the strange anomalies happening all over the city? Worse, why can’t they do anything efficient about it? Doesn’t Chicago have an anti-cybercrime police department? After so many bizarre aspects regarding Watch Dogs’ hacking system, I can only conclude that cybercrime is prompt to be shameless and unstoppable in the future, at least according to Ubisoft.