Parenthood is rife in most genres of fiction. Casting the protagonist as a parent is an easy way to create a relatable emotional connection between the protagonist and their child, and draws the audience's sympathy almost immediately. From there, it can also serve as ripe fodder for dramatic, tense, tragic, or heartwarming moments.
As such, plenty of video games deal with parenthood as well. Whether it's a central part of the game or simply another aspect of the character, there are several games in various genres where the protagonist is a parent, with often at least some focus paid to their relationship with their children.
10 Joel Miller Is A Father Twice Over In The Last Of Us
Parenthood is a central theme in The Last of Us, exemplified by its main character, Joel Miller. Joel was a father before the game's events, with the game's prologue taking him through the moments before the military execute his daughter. By the time of the game proper, Joel is a bitter misanthrope who has never truly gotten over Sarah's death.
The main thrust of the game is the emotional relationship between Joel and Ellie Williams, the girl he has been hired to escort. Over a year, they get into various scrapes with one another and form an undeniable bond. By the end of the game, Joel truly is a father once more, murdering his way through a hospital to save Ellie's life and jeopardizing attempts to create a cure.
9 Heavy Rain Is All About Saving Ethan's Son
In video games about parents, it is highly likely for the plot to be about saving the protagonist's child from a perilous situation. This holds true in Heavy Rain. After the game's prologue, protagonist Ethan Mars has a severely strained relationship with his son Shaun following an accident that led to his other son's death and the breakdown of his marriage.
Shaun is kidnapped by the murderer known as the Origami Killer. The theme of parenthood is emphasized, as the Origami Killer deliberately targets sons in an attempt to find a father more dedicated than his own. Compared to the more investigative gameplay of the other protagonists, Ethan's segments involve him doing twisted and sadistic challenges left by the Origami Killer to prove he is willing to do anything to save Shaun.
8 Any Of The Heroes Can Become Parents In Fire Emblem: Awakening
After a fairly typical first act for a Fire Emblem game, Awakening has a twist with the reveal of the other half of its roster of playable characters, who are the future incarnations of the children of the player's current party. Due to complex, world-threatening events, the children have traveled to the past to try and avert the threat of Grima, the Fell Dragon.
The game has a somewhat complex system for determining the stats and the appearance of the children, based on the pairings in the first generation. The player is capable of pairing each of their characters with several potential partners, meaning each member of their party can become a parent throughout the game.
7 Chuck Greene Saves His Daughter From The Zombie Virus In Dead Rising 2
In contrast to other games which feature the protagonist trying to save their child from zombies, Chuck Greene's daughter Katey in Dead Rising 2 has already been bitten and has a dormant zombie infection. Chuck has to travel to take on dangerous and demeaning work in zombie-killing reality shows to afford Zombrex, a medication that suppresses the virus.
In the game's story, acquiring Zombrex is a major plot point. Chuck has only a few days to investigate the Fortune City Outbreak and clear his name but has to return to Katey every 12 hours with Zombrex – which has become scarce. Failing to do so automatically leads to one of the game's worst endings.
6 Ethan Winters Comes Into His Own As A Father
Unlike other Resident Evil protagonists, Ethan Winters isn't a police officer or professional zombie fighter. Instead, he is a regular, everyday man who only becomes involved in the horror of the games' events when his family is threatened. In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, he goes to the Baker Plantation to save Mia, his wife, and in Village, he battles to save his daughter, Rosemary.
Alongside Village's great praise, many found that it made Ethan a far less bland character. After being something of a generic figure in Biohazard, many reviewers and fans found his increased intensity and emotion in protecting his daughter to make him far more interesting and likable.
5 Nier Is A Father In One Version Of The Game
The action-RPG NieR, the predecessor to NieR: Automata, has two different versions, Replicant, and Gestalt. In Replicant, the main character Nier is actually the brother of major character Yonah. In Gestalt, however, a much older Nier is Yonah's father, trying to keep her safe in a post-apocalyptic world.
Yonah suffers from a terminal illness, and much of the game is spent trying to save her from it, and rescue her after the villainous 'Shades' kidnap her. The leader of the shades, however, is another version of Nier, motivated by the same love for Yonah and a desire to save his daughter.
4 Kiryu Is A Father To Many, Many Children
Despite being a member of the titular criminal organization in the Yakuza series, protagonist Kazima Kiryu remains a sympathetic character due to his many, many noble qualities, not least of which is his love of children. This goes to the extent that he actually runs an orphanage, serving as a protective father figure to its many orphans.
In addition to this, however, he has an adoptive daughter in the form of Haruka. The two are incredibly close, and Kiryu serves as a protective figure over her, with her factoring into the plot of several games in the series.
3 Silent Hill Begins With A Father Protecting His Daughter
The Silent Hill series is well-known for its tortured, flawed, protagonists being tortured by their inner demons made manifest by the titular town. The first game in the series, however, takes a different tack. Protagonist Harry Mason spends the game searching for his daughter, Cheryl, after she disappears following a car crash.
The game follows Harry as he attempts to save Cheryl from the cult inhabiting Silent Hill, who desire to use her in a sinister reincarnation ritual. The game is acclaimed for its atmosphere, scares, and genuine emotional stakes, many of which draw on the paternal connection between Harry and Cheryl.
2 John Marston Eventually Becomes A Good Father In Red Dead Redemption
Fatherhood has always been a theme in the Red Dead Redemption games, as one of the many reasons John Marston wants to wipe his slate clean is so he can provide a better life for his son, Jack than he has had. The prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, shows that John was not always a good father, but improves by the time of the first game.
Red Dead Redemption is acclaimed for its story and the character of John, no small bit of which is him as a father. In the game's epilogue, the player even controls Jack following John's death, first avenging his father and then exploring the open world and completing any unfinished business.
1 Kratos Has Always Been A Father
His genuinely paternal nature is one of Kratos' few consistent redeeming points in the God of War series. In the early games, Kratos fights at least partially to avenge his family after Ares tricked him into murdering them in a warrior rage. Even as he approaches outright villainy, his love for them and father-like nature to Pandora keeps him at least slightly sympathetic.
In the latest game, God of War (2018), Kratos' fatherhood is far and away the central theme of the game. Much of its emotional journey is about the distant Kratos reconnecting with his son, Atreus, and realizing his mistakes, and the theme is hammered home in their battles with Balder and eventually Freya, a parent, and child whose relationship has broken down fully.