I’ve played a lot of games in my life but only a few really changed my life by showing me new perspectives on certain things, teaching me life lessons (I sometimes tend to search for relations with real life in the things a game “teaches“ you) or making me feel a certain way or think deeper about life. To name a few: Super Mario Galaxy, Astroneer, Night in the Woods, …
I was wondering if anyone else has had these experiences, and if so, what games did this for you?
P.S. I think this would also be a very interesting topic to see discussed on an episode of Party Chat, and then maybe more specifically about the relation between games and life lessons
I think there’s a lot of different ways games can show new perspectives and change your outlook— so I’ve definitely had a number of games (especially in the past few years) that have changed my life. In no particular order:
Final Fantasy XIV
Red Dead Redemption 2
Outer Wilds
Final Fantasy VII
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Dark Souls
Some the story had a real big impact, others the mechanical & social aspects.
This is a really fun question! Theres plenty of games I love that stick around in my mind but I would have to say Harvest Moon Back to Nature had the biggest effect on me! I was maybe 7 when I played it for the first time and it’s been over 20 years and it’s still my dream. The idea of finding your partner, raising a bubby, taking care of animals, building your house/homestead and living in a tight knit community with all sorts of lovely people just sounds like a dream and I feel like it kind of taught me to be more thoughtful and empathetic. It was the OG cozy game for me, still play some iteration of it (story of seasons friends of mineral town) whenever I get overwhelmed.
On a side note whenever I get stressed out and start day dreaming theres a few specific video game locations that pop into my head and I think “man I wish I could be somewhere that looked like that right now”. The entirety of Mineral Town in the Harvest Moon game, the path leading along the river to the waterfall in Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life, and the beach when Kiryu emerges with the fish at the beginning of Yakuza 3 are always spots I catch myself daydreaming about
Thanks for the response! RDR2 was one for me as well and Outer Wilds is still on my list. Would you say these changed your life in a positive or a negative way? Most of my life-changing games were positive but I remember some games, for example Night in the Woods (great game btw), which made me think real hard and made me a bit sad for a while because of the thoughts and questions the game gave me (if that makes any sense lol).
So negative is an overstatement maybe, but still I’ve only looked at those positively after a long period. When I played Night in the Woods for example, my life was not great. I was eating bad, not moving and constantly on social media. This game made me question things in my life I was usually avoiding and so in that moment made me feel bad about who I am, but thinking bad now makes me feel good about the person I’ve become.
Ah yeah nice, heard some great things about Harvest Moon! I think this is some great thought process to make you escape for a while and forget about your problems. I sometimes dream about living in Stardew Valley as well and about living at the “rhythm of the wind” to say so.
I also think that it is fantastic that you can actually look at a game (which is “just some pixels“ essentially) and actually find comfort in it. To me that says a lot about the game and the industry in a whole and makes it feel like way more than just a hobby or a waste of time as some people think gaming is. The best memories from my childhood are gaming memories (playing the Wii in the summer, goofing around with my buddies on TF2, …)
I think both good and bad changes can coexist. For the most part, the vast majority I would say have positively impacted my life by bringing about new perspectives. Definitely some games have left me in a state of sorrow or melancholy— but I think those emotions and moments of introspection are catalysts for personal change which is typically a positive outcome.
Really the only negative I could draw from these is the time invested. FFXIV in particular was a pandemic comfort game for me, and with it being an MMO I’ve already sunk a large amount of time into it. It’s easy for me to sit here and think “man, if I put all that energy into anything else, I could be really good at that thing.” Really that can be applied to any of the games I play though, maybe it’s just a sense of FOMO or my self-desire to be polished with everything I do. But even then, with all these games and the time spent playing them, I still can find some way they positively improved my life despite the hours spent. I wouldn’t have nearly as strong social & leadership skills that have arguably been helpful navigating my career development over the past 5 years if it wasn’t thanks to my time spent on FFXIV and making connections, for example.
You should really give Outer Wilds a play though. It’s an incredible experience that really you’ll only get once (unless you’re like my friend who bought the game for me just so I would stream it to him for a fresh players perspective again.)
I totally agree with you. These melancholic thoughts those games bring you usually turn into positive changes and turn your life around for the better. I also get your thought about the game feeling a waste of time. I’ve had the same thoughts while playing games, but over time I’ve realized that you can’t be working or productive all the time. Sometimes you just have to unwind and just have fun reading, watching a movie, gaming, …
In my opinion that is also a part of any learning process. If you always try to learn and try to be productive, it’s gonna get you sooner or later. As long as you make sure that all your necessary tasks are done and gaming is sort of a reward (the principle of fun stuff after non-fun stuff so you don’t overdose on dopamine), I think there is nothing wrong with gaming (as with basically everything in life tbh: moderation).
I first played Celeste shortly after figuring out I was trans. So it’s message of accepting and loving yourself as you are really hit me at the best possible time.
This may sound like a strange one: Daytona USA. I was probably 9 when a standup cabinet first appeared at local Walmarts. I had played games like OutRun and Chase HQ, but Daytona was the first truly 3D racing game I got to experience. I put a lot of quarters into that game and was excited for the future of home console racing games.
In hind sight, Daytona USA may had set the bar too high for the incoming console generation. The game was released for Saturn/PC, but those versions were not the same as the arcade. Several good games did make it home to the N64/PS1/Saturn (F1/Indy Car/NASCAR, Top Gear Rally/Overdrive, Beatle Adventure Racing, Gran Turismo, Kart Racing, Colin McRae Rally, etc.) and I played through most of them. But I don’t think any of them got me as excited as hearing “DAAAAAAAAAAAAAYTONA!!!” After inserting two quarters in those arcade cabinets.
This was a tough one to answer at first, but after thinking about it for a bit I came to an easy conclusion: CounterStrike
The OG CounterStrike Mod for Half-Life changed my life by being my first real introduction to server management, website building (PHP and MySQL) and building some friendships that helped pave the way to who I am today.
I don’t think I’d be in my current job had I not volunteered to host and manage my clan’s Assault 24/7 server back in the day.
That’s an interesting one, especially your reason why. Fascinating to hear that you made your job out of something that someone had to do to be able to play a game. Thinking about it, if someone else had volunteered themselves to set up a server, you probably wouldn’t have that job or interest. Nice perspective, thanks for sharing!
The nostalgia is, and has always been, a big factor for me as well. I remember playing Go Vacation or Mario Kart on my Wii as a kid and hearing or seeing something about the console and its games now always brings me back. It’s something good, but also something that should stay where it is if you know what I mean.
Looking back is good, but trying to recreate those memories could also become sad since those highs won’t be easy to reach again. In my experience, if I think of my gaming sessions like “oh I’m going to play this game I played in the past to experience nostalgia again“ I know I’m gonna end up not liking it since I expect a high but only get a mid. That’s something I struggle with sometimes. I have to learn to accept that the past can be beautiful, but that you can’t always look back. You have to make sure that you can look back at the present in 5 years like you look at the past now (if that makes any sense).
It always feels arbitrary to pick at these, because often it’s just the time of life (usually a transitional/liminal time) that I played the game more than the game itself, but….
Halo: CE - my first love for shooters. Introduced to it a little after release time, first time discovering high refresh rates on a CRT, first online multiplayer experience, first clan, first PC game video clip recordings - a lot came from it.
Pokemon Gold - my first game at the start of my Pokemania. Pokemon has stuck with me for my entire life, giving (and taking) so much across the entire time. At the root of much of my imagination, nostalgia, socialization, competition, collecting habits, etc. Similarly, Pokemon Ruby as I played it just as much and got to go to NYC to the Pokemon Center and Toys R Us when gen 3 marketing was at its peak.
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy / Gauntlet arcade games - used to play 4-player splitscreen on my PS2 with my dad and cousin all the time, deep lore for my fantasy interests
RuneScape 2 - HUGE in my social gaming in middle school, taught me grinding and MMO play
Halo 3 - monumentous release, co-op with my best bud, my entry into true competitive/semi-pro FPS play
Guild Wars 2 - first long-term play game with my then-GF-now-wife. Tons of memories and love there
more than I can name. Every memorable game changed my life in some way and lives with me.
Thanks for sharing! It’s indeed sometimes just the memories that can change your life and not a lesson or perspective or deep thought. The nostalgia factor is a big one as well.
Currently playing Pokemon Gold for the first time on my DS and I’m having a blast. As a kid, I never really was into Pokemon but a few years back I started getting in to Pokemon cards and I thought it was time to try some games as well
