Games with a moral message

We all play games for fun, but some games have a story to tell, a moral message which makes us think sometimes. What games had such an impact on you?

For me: Grand theft auto 4

 

Super Mario Sunshine taught me pollution is bad.


In all seriousness though, I am unable to think of a game at the moment. Maybe my memory is bad or maybe I haven't played many games with such a message. This is a good topic though. Not many have messages beyond "good triumphs over evil" or "power corrupts all"

 

I recently watched a playthrough of Heavy Rain, and despite the player's drama-ruining comedy I still found it morally questioning.

 

http://armorgames.com/play/7327/the-infinite-ocean

I really wish there were more games like this.

 

I haven't played many games with morals, mostly because I've been playing retro games for about 75% of my life.
So let's see here...
Epic Mickey: A game about brotherly love, regret, and forgiveness
Doom (and possibly any other game): Good will always prevail over evil, no matter how evil or demonic
I guess VVVVVV could go over separation and determination...
But other than the above, even as vague as they are, I have no clue.

 

FFVI taught me that If you ever go on a meglomaniacal rampage, you should be sure to kill all the heros before they reunite and overlevel.

Also, killing people is okay as long as you can gain their powers in the process.

 

Little Big Planet taught me that even if you're the biggest thief in the universe, everyone is still your friend!

 

Legend of Zelda taught me that it's okay to walk into someone's house, look through all their stuff, break their pots, and take whatever valuables they keep in the family chest.

 

You know, this thread started as a serious question on the way games present morals. There really aren't enough big-selling games out there that will make you think long and hard, because anything risky or controversial doesn't get a green light. It's too much of an investment to gamble with. Haze, a shitty game that none of you have probably played, tried to make a point about drugs and/or war and/or something but as I said, it's pretty shitty and it failed to do so. If you want to play something with a purpose, a theme, a message, you have to look into independent games. That's really the only place you can find what we're looking for without hours and hours of gameplay padding. I've even played a few Flash games that had me thinking over their content long after I finished them.
But of course I can't remember any. Hopefully I will before this thread dies.

 

I got rather upset seeing this thread, actually, because I can't say I've played a game recently with strong morals or messages.
Besides Katawa Shoujo, but come on, that's kind of a given.

 

Terranigma. That game had no objection to showing off the negative consequences of human advancement.

 

I get uneasy about games with overt messages. One persons 'morally uplifting' is another person's 'hateful bigotry'... Or maybe I'm overthinking things. Look at Bethesda's work. Was Skyrim REALLY teaching us that it's totally okay to be a cannibal? Or slay endangered dragons? Or to possess dead bodies?

I suppose games like GTA 4, or DE:Human Revolution can claim some credence as moralistic fables. Stories of good men who become entangled in the schemes of evil men, but overcome the challenges by either violence or cunning; but most of all, moral fortitude. In the depths of Nico Bellic's personal hell, he is still trying to live by the moral code he brought with him from Russia. True, he fails for the most part. But he tries nonetheless.

Or... maybe it's all just mind-warping videogames which are destroying the youth of today. Yea, that's a much better explaination.

 

I had a hard time thinking of anything... most games I play don't have an agenda, or I ignore it
Then I remembered this.

 

Just because a game lets you do something, doesn't mean it's saying that thing is a good thing to do in real life. Pokemon didn't teach us to enslave animals and have them attack each other.

 

But Pokemon also teaches us about friendship

 

Every game on the Virtual Boy taught us seizures are bad.

 

Cave story because it teaches you that too much power can be a bad thing . (or too much magic considering Ballos)

 

A good majority of games teach us that. Villains are usually power hungry and then it somehow backfires on them.

 

I think Cave Story's defining moral would be the way it depict that some people will believe anything no matter how ridiculous it is.
"These flowers will help us win the human. if that is so, they better grow fast!"

 

They "will help us win the human"?
What is this, a carnival game for Mimigas where they have stuffed humans?