Ask HN: What video games got you thinking about society this year?

by epiphanitus on 12/24/2020, 7:03:30 AM with 11 comments
I recently played through the original Deus Ex. The game had a storyline that was so good it felt at times like it wasn't a computer game but a novel that you happened to be able to play.

The authors don't shy away from the big questions, like: are humans really capable of governing themselves in a world of computers? Is technological progress worth sacrificing for social stability?

Though there are plenty of outlandish elements to it (secret societies, conspiracies etc) some parts of the game even seem oddly prescient today. There was civil strife, powerful AIs, income inequality - there was even a plague called the Grey Death and a limited supply of medicine that people were fighting over.

What video games got you thinking about society this year?

  • by Nekorosu on 12/24/2020, 4:50:10 PM

    Just got Death Stranding on sale. Got hooked immediately. It fits very well into a social isolation theme.

  • by qlk1123 on 12/24/2020, 10:19:21 AM

    Hollow Knight ... Spoilers

    Although the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is not as severe as Hallownest, the whole atmosphere does make me feel similar.

    Also I wonder what was it like in the last few years of Pale King and his bugs who slowly losing their social functions, technology and cognition.

  • by meowzero on 12/24/2020, 4:41:50 PM

    Last of Us 2. It has your standard zombie tropes. But playing it this year and experiencing the politics of Covid-19, the conflicts among the different groups felt more realistic to me.

  • by alashley on 12/24/2020, 11:55:41 PM

    Death Stranding (themes of loneliness/isolation/virtual connection), Persona 5 (themes of evil/corruption/abuse), The Last of Us 2 and Coffee Talk.

  • by anotheryou on 12/24/2020, 12:19:19 PM

    Genital Jousting

    Subversively about toxic masculinity: https://youtu.be/8_GzJ4sCSo0?t=301

    some gameplay (single player is more interesting for the story though): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6VDIrnmi50&feature=youtu.be... (nsfw)

  • by Melchizedek on 12/24/2020, 1:26:03 PM

    Cobra Kai

    Surprisingly good series that got me thinking about how cynical the world seems today compared to the 80's as the show is very faithful to the feel of the original Karate Kid.

  • by pouta on 12/25/2020, 8:56:26 PM

    Metal gear solid 2. More relevant now than ever. The game is practically a movie critiquing our social media society before it became one.

  • by MeinBlutIstBlau on 12/24/2020, 1:41:49 PM

    Fall Guys in that we all work as a team because its required for us to achieve our individual goals.

  • by randfish on 12/24/2020, 8:20:23 AM

    Disco Elysium really nails late stage capitalism.