10 Gaming Cliches You Couldn't Live Without
9. Saving The Princess
The Cliche: It's a trope as old as video games themselves (well, almost): you're primarily motivated to rescue a damsel-in-distress who has been kidnapped by the bad guy for...ambiguous reasons.
It all began with Princess Peach in the Mario series, of course, then there's the Zelda franchise (though Princess Zelda has a little more agency than Peach), and Resident Evil 4 memorably (and insufferably) paired players with the President's daughter for most of the game.
Why It's Awesome: Yes, it's extremely old-school and arguably more than a little bit sexist, but it's a cliche that's persisted for so long because it appeals to the most basic facets of masculine heroism: the awesome, determined hero sets off on a journey of enormous peril to rescue the long-suffering (normally beautiful) female.
There's a reason it continues to be a successful trope for Nintendo and others, because that power fantasy of saving the day and getting the girl is something every guy wants.