Games have progressed far beyond simple shoot-’em-up scenarios and platforming antics with which we grew up.
Today, games tackle complex human experiences. Parenthood happens to be one relationship loaded with vast storytelling avenues.
Exploring father-mother notions through zombie apocalypse scenarios or fantastic worlds might seem somewhat strange, yet some of gaming’s greatest moments happen when characters try to be good parents – or simply try to survive with their children in extraordinary situations.
Games targeted toward parents are engaging because they draw from basic protection and nurturing instincts. From Joel escorting Ellie across post-apocalyptic America in The Last of Us to Kratos trying to build a connection with his son while fending off Norse gods in God of War, these games tug at that primal chord.
The Last of Us Part I
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Genres: Shooter, Adventure
The Last of Us Part II: Remastered
Release Date: April 03, 2025
Genres: Shooter, Adventure
God of War
Release Date: January 14, 2022
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Heavy Rain
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Genres: Adventure
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Release Date: January 30, 2014
Genres: Platform, Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Dead Rising 2
Release Date: September 27, 2010
Genres: Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
NieR: Automata
Release Date: March 17, 2017
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Yakuza 0 Digital Deluxe Edition
Release Date: August 01, 2018
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Yakuza Kiwami
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Fighting
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Release Date: May 09, 2019
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Yakuza 3 Remastered
Release Date: January 28, 2021
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Quiz/Trivia, Adventure
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Release Date: May 18, 2015
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Silent Hill 2
Release Date: October 08, 2024
Genres: Puzzle, Adventure
God of War Ragnarök
Release Date: September 19, 2024
Genres: Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Role-playing (RPG)
Detroit: Become Human
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Genres: Puzzle, Adventure
Hazelight Bundle - A Way Out + It Takes Two
Release Date: March 25, 2021
Genres: Platform, Puzzle, Adventure
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Release Date: January 23, 2017
Genres: Shooter, Puzzle, Adventure
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Release Date: March 25, 2021
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Red Dead Redemption
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Genres: Shooter
Even more grounded stories like Heavy Rain, in which a father is desperately looking for his kidnapped son, or jocular ones, such as Octodad: Dadliest Catch, where a literal octopus strives to keep up his human-dad charade, embody the fundamental problem – they need to protect, teach, and connect with their child while addressing their own limitations and fears.
Games turn something players might relate to in real life as an entirely different gameplay mechanic and a storytelling tool that ushers in some of the greatest stories that video gaming offers.
Conclusion
Parenthood in video games offers such an uncommon power: the chance to choose between what is arguably the most important relationship in all of life.
From parenting Ellie through loads of fungal madness, teaching little Atreus to become a warrior with a good heart, making tough choices to save your son, to just trying to flip those pancakes with tentacles without gaining suspicion, these games show how parent-child relationships translate naturally into tension, motivation, and emotional depth.
What stands across the numerous titles is that parenthood is not only used as a backdrop within the story but affects the core of gameplay experience itself.
The stakes feel higher when a child is involved. The decisions carry more consequence when they impact not only the player but the one depending on him. By turning the player into a parent, these games force us to go beyond ourselves and, at times, ask the uncomfortable questions of what we would be willing to sacrifice or compromise for those we love.
As the art of storytelling through games continues to grow, we can surely expect to see more heavyweight explorations of parenthood-unmistakably, one of the very few life arenas that can provide the most beautiful contrast ever seen between vulnerability, strength, and impossible decisions: being Mom or Dad to somebody.