History Anvilicious / VideoGames

* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', Rockstar Games reminds the player that American conservatives are absolutely evil at just about every opportunity possible. It's best summed up by the in-game TV show "Republican Space Rangers". They also give Liberals a going over, portraying them as paranoid conspiracy theorists. All humour in later ''GTA'' games is based on campy exaggeration of typical (usually negative) traits of portrayed groups. Most characters in these games are walking, talking caricatures. Of course, this ends up with the side effect of most of the characters being one-dimensional and poorly written, all in some vain ham-fisted attempt at "[[ShallowParody satire]]".

* VideoGame/{{Gylt}}: Bullying is bad, and being a bystander who does nothing to help is also bad. The game hammers this point home in many ways, through diary entries representing the thoughts of the victim, monsters that represent bullying fears (such as an invisible monster that stalks the player and makes the sound of children whispering and laughing), and imagery such as mannequins arranged in ways that represent bullying (e.g. a mannequin with a bucket on its head with "PATHETIC" written on it while other mannequins appear to point and laugh), and the bully victim being the subject of a play representing her life. It's very overt, which has resulted in some players appreciating the message, while some others were like, "I get it, it represents bullying."

** ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'' really shoves the ThePowerOfFriendship down your throat in the cutscene in the Last Story preceding the fight with the Eggmen.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very deconstruction to themselves beforehand, defeating the game's narrative altogether) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime (put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons). Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters... [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]]. All in all, there's so much horrific hypocrisy in the game going on all over its so-called aesops that the developers basically come off as a bunch of vindictive, spiteful sociopaths who hate everyone.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very deconstruction to themselves beforehand, thus defeating the game's narrative altogether) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime (put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons). Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters... [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]]. All in all, there's so much horrific hypocrisy in the game going on all over its so-called aesops that the developers basically come off as a bunch of vindictive, spiteful sociopaths who hate everyone.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very destruction to themselves beforehand, thus defeating the game's narrative altogether) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime (put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons). Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters... [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]]. All in all, there's so much horrific hypocrisy in the game going on all over its so-called aesops that the developers basically come off as a bunch of vindictive, spiteful sociopaths who hate everyone.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very destruction to themselves beforehand, thus defeating the game's narrative altogether) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime[[note]]put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons[[/note]]. Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters... [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]]. All in all, there's so much hypocrisy in the game going on all over its so-called aesops that the developers basically come off as a bunch of vindictive, spiteful sociopaths who hate everyone.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very destruction to themselves beforehand, thus defeating the game's narrative altogether) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime[[note]]put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons[[/note]]. Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters... [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]]. All in all, there's so much hypocrisy in the game going on all over its so-called aesops that the developers basically come off as being vindictive, spiteful sociopaths who hate everyone.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done this very destruction to themselves beforehand) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime[[note]]put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons[[/note]]. Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters… [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]].

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles:

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' is often depicted as this, mostly depending on whether or not one buys into the AlternateCharacterInterpretation.
** To explain, the game tells you rather often that you shouldn't run away from reality. However, the world they're running away to is a world that grants the desires of all the kids, including one character being treated well and having his parents care for him, with another ''finally'' being able to walk after being disabled from the legs down in the "real" world, and the other having her hair naturally be pink (as she was bullied in the "real" world because her natural hair colour is white). In addition, the world is very much real and full of real people, with the only (known, as the main character doesn't really make an attempt to go back any other way) solution being to destroy the world.

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics (not to mention that the very genre the game critiques has done the very destruction to themselves beforehand) makes it a ''very'' CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime[[note]]put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons[[/note]]. Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters… [[{{Hypocrite}} while being a generic army shooter itself]].

* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': War is bad! [[YouBastard Players who like war games are also bad!]] [[TakeThat Games like Call of Duty are racist and EVIL!]] ''The New York Times'' specifically criticized the game for its lack of subtlety and borderline-gratuitous content. The fact that it totally misses that FPS games are popular for their multiplayer content rather than their singleplayer politics makes it something of a CluelessAesop, more so for the war stuff since it fails to understand that an accident, no matter how tragic, is not a war crime[[note]]put simply, the infamous WP Bombing in the game is actually ''impossible'' for a long list of reasons[[/note]]. Then there's the fact that it mocks generic army shooters… while being a generic army shooter itself.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': Its message could not be any more obvious: stand up to corrupt authority instead of blindly following it. Nearly all of the party members are recruited to fight against a horrible boss or abusive mentor of some sort that mistreated them in some form or fashion. Even the lyrics of the most notable and popular songs in the soundtrack highlight individuality and standing up for yourself or the downtrodden. It should be noted, however, that there's some ([[Values Dissonance]]) at play here as these values are directed at Japanese youth. Japanese culture has respect for authority figures hard-wired into the very language it uses, and many people in power get away with the horrible things they do specifically because of both that and the fact that the culture discourages individuality as a whole (even if these traditional values are disappearing bit by bit). A popular Japanese proverb even says as much: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." People who discover these horrible crimes taking place might not make so much of a whisper of it simply to save their own skins. The point is that, while it's obvious in the west, it must be said in the east.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'':
** To recruit party members, they must confront their Shadows. A person's Shadow is the physical manifestation of his/her Id and all of his/her dark and hidden thoughts. Party member in question listens to his/her Shadow spill all their secrets, party member says, "You're not me", and then the boss fight ensues. Then, the party member gains his/her Persona once they accept that the Shadow is a part of himself/herself. So don't lie to yourself, kids.
** While it never outright says it, the game also has the message to be what society expects of you in its actions. Aside from a couple instances, such as Naoto [[spoiler:not giving up on being a detective]], the majority of actions characters take when presented with a crossroads are the ones that go towards what society expects of them, rather than doing something else. One character says it's ''selfish'' to even consider going against what's expected of them instead of doing what they want.

* ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow]]'' are pretty much screaming "Fate can be altered", with Soma fighting with the whole idea he is the reincarnation of the "Dark Lord Dracula". Bonus points to the good end of ''Dawn of Sorrow'' where Arikado (Alucard) blatantly states "Don't worry, Soma, if the world needs a Dark Lord, they'll come; you needn't be the one" speech…

* ''VideoGame/FantasyStrike''[='=]s story mode makes Sirlin's political views clear. The most heavy-handed is Grave's ending, which consists of him being [[WhatTheHellHero chewed out]] by [[BigGood DeGrey]] for [[NeutralityBacklash not caring about politics]] despite having the strength to change things, which is presented as unacceptable given the amount of injustices in the world ([[NeutralNoLonger Grave is successfully convinced to join DeGrey's cause]]). Meanwhile, Rook's ending has him deliver a speech to a crowd about why Sirus Quince and the Flagstone government are evil, and most of the reasons he gives — their [[HeteronormativeCrusader homophobia]], [[FantasticRacism racism]], and [[GreenAesop poor environmental practices]] — are topics of heated discussion in real life. Finally, when Sirus Quince was made playable, he was given a special attack called "Alternative Facts", a reference to [[Memes/USPoliticsTrumpEra a meme]] about UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's inauguration, which, when combined with the other points mentioned, strongly implies that he is meant to be seen as a {{strawman}} of American right-wing politicians.

* ''[[VideoGame/Area512005 Blacksite: Area 51]]'' has a very obvious “US military bad” message, a message that is so heavy handed that literally only ''one'' soldier is portrayed as unambiguously good and the BigBad turns out to be [[spoiler:a former soldier undergoing a FaceHeelTurn]] who spends the entire final boss fight railing against you for stopping [[spoiler:his plan to infect the USA out of revenge for the military experimenting on him]].

** Also in general: ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne. Not only is having the weight of the world on your shoulders going to mess you up mentally, but everyone's constant worry about you is only going to make things worse. Whether TheChosenOne goes through with it or not, the series is not at all subtle about how much it can mss with your head with having to constantly play the hero.

* The ''VideoGame/BioShock'' games aren't very subtle in their imagery, and this means that when the game ''is'' trying to present a message subtly, it's hard to tell. [[VideoGame/{{Bioshock 1}} The first game]] seems to say "UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} is bad", the [[VideoGame/{{Bioshock 2}} second game]] goes the other way and seems to say "Collectivism is bad", and the [[VideoGame/BioshockInfinite third game]] goes with both "Nationalism is bad" and "Anarchism is bad". The main overarching message of the whole series seems to be "''any'' kind of extremism in any human endeavour or ideology is bad", an interpretation supported by WordOfGod.

* Unsurprisingly, most of PETA's parody video games are about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. ''VideoGame/SuperChickSisters'' preaches the evils of KFC and UsefulNotes/McDonalds, ''VideoGame/CookingMamaMamaKillsAnimals'' wants you to become vegan, ''VideoGame/SuperTanookiSkin2D'' makes its point about how skinning animals is wrong ([[SpaceWhaleAesop even if the skin isn't even from a real animal]]), and ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndBlue'' hates on animal cagefighting (also running into [[CriticalResearchFailure issues with canon]], much like ''Skin''). ''Super Tofu Boy'' became a victim of this when the creators of ''Super Meat Boy'' created an Anvilicious patch introducing Tofu Boy as an extremely weak JokeCharacter.