10 Times Video Games FORCED You To Lose (And Punished You For It)

The plot of the combat flight simulator Ace Combat 7 puts you in the shoes of an up-and-coming pilot called Trigger. The game spends a good part of its first half reminding you how you’re a rookie, only to send you on your first solo mission, force you to lose, and then blame you for it.

Yes, the game gaslights you into thinking you’re incompetent by making it impossible to complete your task, and it still somehow uses this to make you feel bad about yourself.

In mission 4 of Ace Combat 7, Trigger is tasked with rescuing the president of his country from a group of terrorists. The mission is set up in such a way that it makes you feel as though every single action you take has an impact on what’s going to happen to your rescue target.

In reality, however... the president dies no matter what. The game is programmed to trigger a failure, regardless of how close you get or how many enemies you shoot down.

And yet, it will still chastise you for your mistake, as if you had a say in what was going to happen.

Who knew games could be so manipulative?