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Fathers seem to be a focal point of countless video games, fromGod of WartoThe Last of Us. It makes sense, in a way: fathers have historically symbolized the head of the household, the leaders of their respective families, and are therefore well-suited to the archetypal hero role. Butnot all video game fathersare paragons of virtue—some of them are actually quite terrible.
Some games are more about fatherhood than others, positioning family drama as the central conflict, while others seemingly feature fatherhood as a plot contrivance; there’s no shortage of games that introduce a bog-standard male lead, but kill off his family to give him a pre-baked motivation. Naturally, those fathers that actually spend on-screen time with their kids tend to be the best, as they are given opportunities to grow and demonstrate their maturity. Indeed, it’s easy to be a ruthless machine of vengeance, but harder to be an emotionally intelligent parent, as exemplified by iconic heroes like Joel fromThe Last of Usand Kratos fromGod of War.
Spoilers ahead for the following games:Red Dead Redemption,Resident Evil Village,Max Payne,Final Fantasy 7,Assassin’s Creed Origins,Fallout 3,Heavy Rain,BioShock Infinite,Hades,The Last of Us.
S-Tier: Fathers of the Year
The very best video game dads tend to be the ones who are active parental figures, rather than killing machines using their dead children as a justification for their destructive behavior. Someone like Kratos fits this description quite well, as he is defined by the evolution of his parental role, specifically in the twomost recentGod of Wargames: he learns to trust Atreus while still guiding him as an authority figure, making him both a hero and an emotionally mature, strong-but-gentle family man. John Marston is in a similar boat, although his story is obviously far more grounded. He wants the best life possible for his son Jack, and doesn’t wish for an endless parade of violence, even if fate has other plans in mind.
On the more traditional action-hero end of the spectrum are Geralt of Rivia and Chuck Greene, who fight tooth and nail to save their daughters. In these games, Ciri and Katey are in the midst of danger, not fighting alongside their fathers or relatively out of harms way, like inGod of WarandRed Dead Redemption, respectively. Nevertheless, these fathers put themselves through unimaginable horrors for the sake of their children, never complaining or softening their resolve. They are motivated by love and the dream of a better life for their kids, not anger or revenge.
A-Tier: Great Game Dads
Fatherhood can be tough, and these dads prove that beyond a doubt. TakeFinal Fantasy 7’s Barrett Wallace: he spends a lot of time away from home, which isn’t ideal, but he’s traveling to secure a better world for his daughter Marlene. Though he initially joined Avalanche to enact revenge on Shinra, he eventually learns to focus on positive growth, which likely wouldn’t have happened if not for his daughter inspiring him. A more tragic alternative to Barrett is Bayek of Siwa, who is galvanized in his mission to protect everyday people by the death of his son. His mission culminates in the creation of the Hidden Ones, a precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood; a lot of video game dads set out on paths of vengeance, but Bayek’s vengeance is productive and motivated by love as much as anger.
Sam Fisher and Ethan Winters are similar in the sense that they are willing to do anything to ensure the safety of their children, but different in just about every other way. Sam Fisher, after learning that his daughter is alive, uses his advanced training and special ops gear to reconnect with her, going through hell and back in the process. When Ethan’s child is captured inResident EvilVillage, he does the same, but without such training and resources, which makes him even more impressive.Silent Hill’s Harry Masonis of a kind with these leading men, facing unimaginable horrors for the sake of his daughter.
B-Tier: Tortured Paternal Figures
Max Payne and Joel Miller are connected by their respective tragedies: Joel’s daughter is killed during the early stages of the cordyceps outbreak, while Max Payne’s daughter is tragically murdered by the Aesir Corporation as an infant. Understandably, neither of them handles these events particularly well, and they both devolve into violent killers over the course of so many years. Max mostly moves on from his fatherly identity, whileJoel finds a surrogate daughter in Ellie. He is often a good role model to her, but their relationship is ultimately more about him trying to replace the daughter that he lost, lending it a dimension of selfishness and dishonesty.
C-Tier: Dysfunctional Family Leaders
These dads are quite complex, with both good and bad traits, but mostly bad. On the one hand,James fromFallout 3is an undeniable hero: he risks life and limb in an attempt to provide fresh drinking water to the Capital Wasteland, which is a purely altruistic act. But as a father, he leaves a lot to be desired, leaving his child behind in a nest of treacherous, fanatical, and violent vault-dwellers without so much as a note of explanation. He’s eventually happy to reconnect with his child, but he never makes much of an effort to bring about their reunion himself.
Then there’s the titular Hades from Supergiant’s mythological roguelike. He’s very clearly an abusive father, trapping his son in the underworld and never offering any clear reason why, allowing him to endure countless deaths rather than tell him the truth. His redemption atthe end ofHadesis the only thing keeping him from being in the lowest tier, as it proves that he’s capable of growth.
D-Tier: Deadbeat Video Game Dads
Finally, there are the leading men ofHeavy RainandBioShock Infinite—two fathers with abysmal parenting styles, to put it lightly.Ethan Mars suffers from some misfortune, yes, but it would be disingenuous to say that he couldn’t have prevented it. For instance, the pivotal moment of his life, the death of his son Jason, comes about mostly as a result of Ethan’s gross incompetence: he allows Jason to wander off into a crowd while he casually searches for cash to pay a mall clown—his priorities simply aren’t well-managed. Then, his second son is kidnapped following an incredibly depressing day at a playground. This occurs because of an uncontrollable blackout on Ethan’s part, but that’s no excuse: he was aware of these blackouts beforehand, so he should have sought help or not been alone with his son until they were sorted out.
Booker Dewitt is certainly more competent than Ethan Mars, but he’s also far more prone to immoral, selfish actions that harm his one and only daughter. The Booker that players control inBioShock Infinitesells his daughter to loan collectors to wipe out his gambling debt—not exactly father of the year material. Thanks toBioShock Infinite’s multiverse premise, players can see another version of Booker Dewitt in the form of Zachary Comstock, who exists in a world where he never sold his daughter. But even in this alternate timeline, Comstock/Dewitt imprisons his daughter for her entire life, grooming her for leadership in one of the most toxic ways imaginable.
God of War Ragnarok
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Embark on an epic and heartfelt journey as Kratos and Atreus struggle with holding on and letting goFrom Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018). Fimbulwinter is well underway. Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. The threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer. Kratos and Atreus must choose between their own safety and the safety of the realms.
