Over the years, video games have had many different fathers, from the tops of Kratos from God of War to the bottoms of Jackt from Final Fantasy X. Some dads simply use their children as a source of motivation, while others connect with the child during the game. In any case, the dads are a well—represented group in video games, both in a good and bad way.
In early video games, when stories were less developed, fathers were usually only present as the main characters, and their children were sometimes mentioned as a reason to take action in what they do in the game. In many role-playing games, such as Pokemon, the location of the fathers often remains unexplained, as a result of which they are clearly absent. However, as video game technology developed and video game plots became more complex, fathers became more prominent figures, many of whom had a deep enough character to deserve attention.
The best and worst fathers in video games belong to different genres, from role-playing games to bagels. The best fathers show that they care about their children, whether it’s taking care of them, sacrificing for them, teaching them new things, or just good jokes about dads and the ability to tell stories well. On the other hand, the worst fathers are harsh at their best and dismissive at their worst.
Kratos is the father of the fantastic video game God Of War
God of War 2018 was the beginning of a serious change in the character of the antihero Kratos: he became a father. In his new story, which will be continued sometime in the future after the release date of God of War: Ragnarok, Kratos became the father of Atreus’ son. At the beginning of God of War, Kratos is easily disappointed in his son. Teaching Atreus to hunt, Kratos quickly gets angry and becomes a reluctant teacher.
However, as Kratos’ journey continues, he becomes closer to Atreus as they grieve for Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother. It was then that the players felt what kind of father Kratos could be. His storytelling ability is shown in his boat trips with Atreus when he tells tall tales, as well as some additional stories from Mimir later in the game. He even turns out to be a fantastic teacher for Atreus, as Kratos’ son turns into a capable warrior by the end of the game. Finally, he gives one of the most iconic tips at the beginning of the game: “Don’t regret it. Be better.” Good advice is a great quality from a father, and while he can be a bit domineering, Kratos gives it in abundance.
Hades is a worse Pious father than Kratos
From one of the best games released in 2020, Hades from the game bearing his name is not a very good dad. Hades is a popular indie bagel developed by Supergiant Games. Unlike God of War, Hades focuses on the son of god, Zagreus, who spends the game trying to escape from the underworld belonging to his father.
Throughout Zagreus’ journey from the Underworld, Hades does nothing but interfere with his son. Hades sends all his forces after Zagreus and even tries to force other gods hired by him, such as Hypnos and Nyx, to stop interacting with his son. If Zagreus gets close enough to the surface, Hades will even send his dog Cerberus and personally intervene to prevent Zagreus from escaping from home. Parents are scared when their children are constantly leaving, but Hades goes too far.
Joel is a caring and caring father in The Last of Us
From the very beginning of The Last of Us and its upcoming remake, Joel is shown as a great father. He takes care of his daughter Sarah, and after her death takes care of his new surrogate daughter Ellie. Their relationship begins as a necessary business exchange to help fight the ongoing infection, but while traveling around the country, they develop a much deeper relationship. From Joel teaching Ellie to whistle, to his decision to save her life, possibly at the expense of many others. a more complex sentence.
Ethan Mars from Heavy Rain is One of the Worst Fathers of Video Games
Ethan Mars from the interactive drama Heavy Rain by Quantic Dream is one of the worst fathers in video games. From the very beginning of the game, it seems that Ethan is a great father. He plays with his sons and always seems to be looking out for them. However, soon after, he goes to a crowded mall and loses his son Jason (twice!). He even allocates an entire button on the player’s controller to shout “Jason!” to help find his son, a silly clue that will hopefully return in the upcoming Quantic Dream Star Wars game. This leads to Jason ending up on a busy street and crossing said street to try to reunite with his father. Although Ethan does try to save Jason, it doesn’t work, and Jason is killed in a car accident, and Ethan ends up in a six-month coma.
