11 Video Games That Taught You Valuable Life Lessons

11. Fallout - Causality

Video games have come a long way from the linear storylines of early RPG design. No longer is the path of the protagonist as determinative as the traditional zero to hero, and Fallout exemplifies the issue of causality like no other. With hundreds of choices and paths to follow, Fallout 2 in particular has forty-seven variable endings built in. 

The player must quickly come to terms with the consequences of every decision, action and death and the overall direction this takes them in. 

Players soon begin to question the wisdom of their decisions when the desired effect remains unrealised, and the consequences of a seemingly harmless act pull the protagonist slowly, but inextricably, away from the desired outcome. This has the effect of provoking careful thought and planning as to the cause and effect of every little action - so as to restrain capricious actions and sometimes act against the player's own wishes in order to achieve an outcome. This resonates deeply with the player, who can translate the issue of causality and the potential repercussions of a minor action upon the wider world.

For more games centred around the themes of causality and the butterfly effect, gamers can try Mass Effect, Fable or Telltale's many franchises.