Most Thought-Provoking Video Games

Summary

• Video games immerse players in fantastical worlds, making them feel like the protagonist and shaping their experiences with complex ideas.
• Games like Bioshock, and Papers, Please explore deep philosophical concepts through interactive gameplay.
• Others use storytelling to tackle profound themes of life, death, and existential questions.

Video games are a uniquely immersive and interactive experience. They’re often used to escape reality, plunging you into fantastical worlds of adventure and chivalry. Games teleport you to a new world, and great games make you feel as if you are the protagonist. You experience the world as your character and learn to interact with the world through your avatar.

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Those same qualities make gaming the perfect way to express complex ideas. While some games offer mind-bending puzzles, others pose intellectually stimulating questions. These games captivate you with their gameplay and use your interest to introduce existential, moral, and philosophical problems.

10 Bioshock

The Bioshock series is one of the most enduring examples of immersive games with hidden depths. Its run-and-gun tactics may seem like a strange choice for an art game, but they work perfectly. So, too, does the setting. The once-resplendent city of Rapture impeccably encapsulates the essence of unbridled hedonism, and its mutated citizens embody unfettered individualism.

Despite its age, the first entry of the Bioshock trilogy remains an enduring testament to the power of gaming. Its simple moral choices have long since been superseded, but they laid the groundwork for future generations of thought-provoking titles. Even so, the game’s message is as important now as it was then.

9 The Stanley Parable

Best known for its narrator’s snide remarks and unusual premise, The Stanley Parable may seem like little more than a gag game. You, as Stanley, are little more than an office worker. You press a button all day, every day — literally! When your daily routine is broken by Kevan Brighting’s omnipotent narration, you can absolutely choose to ignore everything and comply. And that is the genius of The Stanley Parable.

The game examines predestination, the concept that everyone’s life is dictated by a pre-written “script.” According to predestination’s doctrine, everything a person does has been planned and foreseen beforehand. The Stanley Parable refutes that notion, suggesting that desire and mischievous disobedience can break that supposedly concrete cycle.

8 Papers, Please

Sometimes described as a “stamping simulator,” Papers, Please has a simple premise. You are an immigration inspector in Arstotzka, a caricature of a slightly-more-than-a-bit authoritative country. You inspect applications for citizenship, seek out inconsistencies, and approve (or deny) requests.

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That simple gameplay loop feeds the philosophical beast of Papers, Please. Each application is a hopeful citizen, and their well-being often hinges on their acceptance into Arstotzka. You can take bribes, overlook errors, and permit otherwise “undesirable” applicants. More importantly, you quickly realize that you — a single person — are responsible for the welfare and survival of countless hopeful citizens. Will you deny them the right to safety, citing legal absolutism? Or will you grant them leniency, citing human ethics?

7 Spec Ops: The Line

2012 Spec Ops: The Line marketed itself as the average shooter experience. You, as Captain Martin Walker, will single-handedly save the overwhelmed city of Dubai. You will mow down enemies and conquer the “bad guys,” just as you do in every other FPS of the early 2010s.

In truth, Spec Ops: The Line is a masterful subversion of the period’s militaristic titles. The deeper you progress in the story, the more desperate the situation becomes. Eventually, you’re placed on a moral precipice, although you have no say in the outcome; you can only fire your weapon, as you have for the entire game.

6 Indika

A drab, snow-bound Russian convent is the perfect place for thought-provoking discussion, and Indika takes full advantage of its premise. You are the titular Indika, and your job is simple: You must live the pious life of a nun. Of course, things aren’t so simple. You are plagued by the voice of Satan, and you’re infrequently bombarded by surrealist puzzle game sequences.

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Despite its minimalist setting, Indika boasts a meticulously detailed world and stellar vocal cast. These elements perfectly capture the game’s dark, foreboding turn-of-the-century setting. More importantly, they bring to life a unique tale of moral obligations, self-imposed atonement, and the implications of misguided belief.

5 To the Moon

To the Moon may seem like a straightforward puzzle game, but its simple premise delivers a powerful message. The game casts you as Johnny, a dying man who wants to explore the lush world of his memories one last time. Through each level, you collect important mementos, which strengthen those memories and reveal more of Johnny’s story.

While one of the game’s most significant debates revolves around end-of-life ethics, To the Moon also addresses the poignancy of lifetime experiences. It fleshes out a full life filled with joys and sorrows and emphasizes the importance of every experience. More importantly, it notes the power of chance encounters and how a single person can change a life without realizing it.

4 Spiritfarer

Don’t be fooled by the cartoony graphics. Spiritfarer is a moving, heartfelt tribute to death. Its calm gameplay and relaxed pace lure you in, while its lovable characters keep you engaged. You play as Stella, a bright-eyed young woman with a passion for helping others.

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The warmth and love of Spiritfarer’s development team are palpable throughout the game. Its vivid colors and charming world invite exploration, while its simple gameplay makes it accessible to everyone. That accessibility is Spiritfarer’s greatest strength. Anyone can play, and anyone can explore the unique human experience of grief and loss.

3 The Talos Principle

The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game with a rich philosophical core. Each puzzle brings you closer to the conclusion, and the final ending depends on your interpretation of the game’s core argument.

The game’s name is itself a philosophical reference. In Greek myth, Talos was a bronze colossus. Later, the mechanical man was used to demonstrate the idea that humanity is akin to machines, as both are capable of having thoughts and feelings. Whether or not you ascribe to the idea is irrelevant; The Talos Principle is built to expand your boundaries and challenge your ideals.

2 Soma

Horror has always been a vessel for intellectual discussion. Its inherent tension captivates audiences, giving autuers unprecedented access to the human psyche. Soma is no different. You are Simon Jarrett, an optimistic young man plunged headlong into an unfamiliar world. You awaken in a decaying, abandoned underwater research facility, and things only go downhill from there.

Beneath its rusted veneer and heart-stopping monster encounters, Soma presents a bevy of existential questions. Chief among these is an enduring inquiry throughout human history: What defines the self? The answer is never clearly defined; the ambiguity is part of Soma’s impeccable artistic merit. You — as Simon Jarrett — must find the answer.

1 Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium is a unique experience. It’s part puzzle game, part point-and-click, and part adventure game. You are immediately cast as Harrier “Harry” Du Bois, an amnesic detective with a passion for alcohol, drugs, and debauchery. Your (mostly) straight-laced sidekick, the lovable Kim Kitsuragi, is the only thing binding you to your latest case.

The surrealist experience takes place in a subversive medium between reality and Harry’s mind. You are constantly hounded by manifestations of Harry’s inner motivations, and you can choose his ultimate fate. Disco Elysium’s unique approach to gameplay lets it explore many concepts, including addiction, free will, destiny, and morality.

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