11 Video Games That Taught You Valuable Life Lessons

Life lessons come from the strangest of places - sometimes we read a book and resonate with the characters, we watch a movie and relate to the plot and often we learn from our own experiences, triumphs and mistakes. One of the neglected sources of important life lessons, however, is contained within the world of gaming. 

Although it may seem unlikely, even inappropriate to some to have real life translations interfering with the virtual experience, video games are becoming exponentially relatable. Characters are given more depth and personality than ever thanks to appropriate voice acting to bring their game to life, alongside relationships and personal struggles that take centre stage as they are woven delicately into the plot, all while a concerted effort on storytelling compels the player like never before.

This has resulted in some incredibly thought-provoking situations and questionable ideals interlaced within the most successful games of any era. Games regularly play upon themes of love and loss, heroism and sacrifice, beauty and destruction, or depict the narrative with allegorical passion, painting modern and historic institutions with corruption and betrayals in a completely different light.

Everything from relatable real life dilemmas, thought-provoking problems and the transferrable wisdom of video games will be presented as we journey through the games of old and new. As a forewarning, however, evaluating the final implications of these titles does come with the occasional spoiler.

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.