History StepfordSmiler / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'': Type B. Koishi Komeiji is a cheerful child outside, but she's as hollow as it's possible inside-- she's close to the state of "no-mind" according to Buddhism. Confirmed by the local Buddhist nun Byakuren.

* Henry from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. It's readily apparent that he's not quite right in the head due to the fact that he's ''always'' smiling, even when talking about morbid subjects like torture. [[spoiler: If he forms a bond with Olivia, he reveals it's because he was abandoned at an orphanage by his parents, where he suffered horrible abuse at hands of the "caretakers" there. Ever since, he's been hiding the lingering pain of those experiences behind a fake smile, but [[HeartwarmingMoments Olivia manages to break through and get him to smile for real, though]].]] Interestingly, the English version defies this: He claims that he's always been cheerful and that's just who he is.
** [[spoiler:Inigo]] is a straighter example. His father wonders how he could be such a [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]] when he came from a BadFuture. [[spoiler:This prompts Inigo to snap at him that he's that way to keep the others' spirits up.]]

* In ''MassEffect'', due to all the crap they've been through, either gender of Commander Shepard is this by the third game.

* [[spoiler: Forde]] from ''FireEmblemTheSacredStones''. He states in one of his supports that he acts cheerful and relaxed mostly to keep his friends and companions happy in the middle of the war.

* ''{{Touhou}}'': Type B. Koishi Komeiji is a cheerful child outside, but she's as hollow as it's possible inside-- she's close to the state of "no-mind" according to Buddhism. Confirmed by the local Buddhist nun Byakuren.

* Nearly the entire population of the world in ''FinalFantasyX'' is this way due to the CrapsackWorld setting. Sin, a whale monster that is size of a city, roams around the world and destroys everything in its path. The populace is lead to believe from the Church of Yevon that if everyone atones for their sins, then the Sin monster will go away for good. Despite people trying to do this for 1000 years, Sin still exists and you can see people trying not to crack as they keep insisting that things will be ok if they keep atoning for their sins, despite the fact that they know things have not changed for so long. You eventually find people that finally break out of their stepford smiler state and wonder if things are just hopeless.

** Speaking of which, Hazama makes himself come across as a jovial, mild mannered and polite official to cover up the fact that he's actually an AxCrazy lunatic, which cements him pretty firmly as a Type C. He's of questionable success, though; everyone can tell that [[ObviouslyEvil there's something off with him]], they just have ''[[CompleteMonster no idea]]'' [[OmnicidalManiac how bad]] [[{{Troll}} it really is]].

* The humanoid [[TheSoulless Nobodies]] from ''KingdomHearts'' are the EmptyShell variation of Type B; their supposed emotions are an act, based on their human memories. Behind this facade, however, they're this trope. Supposedly. [[spoiler: Really, they were effectively brainwashed into this trope by their leader Xemnas as a way of trying to separate them from their sense of self. They ''can'' feel emotion and form connections with people, and in doing so, can regain their hearts. However, Xemnas, and Xehanort's, plan requires them to remain empty shells that he can use for living SoulJars.]]

* Litchi Faye-Ling from ''BlazBlue'' is Type A. On the outside and towards the people of Orient Town, she is highly sociable, kind, compassionate and caring doctor who is idolized by pretty much everyone, and it might not be a lie at all, she's deep down kind hearted. However, she never told anyone about her own problems, that being a desperate lover with GuiltComplex, especially for letting her lover turn into an EldritchAbomination, injects herself with the same corruption which granted her power and looking for a cure and in the same time rotting her body away, and she'd rather bear the burden herself than worrying those she cared about with it. [[spoiler:Hazama managed to find out her face behind her smiler face and used that to manipulate her to get her ForcedIntoEvil under the guise of eventual survival from the escalating corruption and the chance to cure that lover.]] Which in turn, made her pull a new mask in front of Rachel: She pretends that only her lover needs help and she's the only one who can, while in truth, she also needs help as well when the other source of help (Kokonoe) flat out refused to help. Unfortunately, Rachel bought that mask and dismisses her as an obsessed idiot who chose the wrong side.

* Hazama/[[spoiler:Terumi Yuuki]] of ''BlazBlue'' has a mask of being a very polite intelligence officer who is inept at combat and as such hates it in the first game but is really a sick sadist who is [[MagnificentBastard either personally behind, directly involved in or can be linked to]] [[{{Troll}} EVERYTHING bad]] in the ''BlazBlue'' universe. His reason? [[ForTheEvulz Just because he can and it amuses him]]. He gave up the pretense in the second game as it was clear he's the BigBad and [[PaperThinDisguise it wasn't fooling anyone anyway]].

* Henry from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. It's readily apparent that he's not quite right in the head due to the fact that he's ''always'' smiling, even when talking about morbid subjects like torture. [[spoiler: If he forms a bond with Olivia, he reveals it's because he was abandoned at an orphanage by his parents, where he suffered horrible abuse at hands of the "caretakers" there. Ever since, he's been hiding the lingering pain of those experiences behind a fake smile, but [[HeartwarmingMoments Olivia manages to break through and get him to smile for real, though]].]]

* Zevran from ''VideoGame/DragonAge'' appears to be cheerful and easygoing, despite [[spoiler: being a DeathSeeker]]

* Another example is Jade Curtiss from ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''. He does it due to being TheStoic, and to mask the fact that he [[spoiler:Accidentally [[DeadLittleSister killed his teacher]]]]. Plus, it helps a DeadpanSnarker to keep a straight face.

* [=GLaDOS=] from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''. At first, she seems to be just a rogue AI gone insane, but the sequel develops the character further when you get to see the history of Aperture Science. [[spoiler: [=GLaDOS=] used to be a human being that worked as a secretary named Caroline for scientist Cave Johnson. Johnson made it where after he passed on, he wanted the facility to be maintained under Caroline's control via uploading her mind to a computer. This made Caroline become [=GLaDOS=] where she would be forced to run tests in the name of science. Forever. It's understandable why [=GLaDOS=] would snap and start to actually ''like'' testing subjects just for the sake of testing because it was all she was made for and nothing else. When [=GLaDOS] learns of her past, she actually becomes afraid of herself knowing that she used to be a person with emotions and feelings and that she can hear her own thoughts instead of ones programmed into her. In the ending of the game, [=GLaDOS=] seems happier knowing she saved Chell's life, but she then reverts back to her cynical and somewhat unstable self because it's all she is used to.]]

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' has Laughing Octopus. She's got a * really* good reason, though.

* Henry from ''FireEmblemAwakening''. It's readily apparent that he's not quite right in the head due to the fact that he's ''always'' smiling, even when talking about morbid subjects like torture. [[spoiler: If he forms a bond with Olivia, he reveals it's because he was abandoned at an orphanage by his parents, where he suffered horrible abuse at hands of the "caretakers" there. Ever since, he's been hiding the lingering pain of those experiences behind a fake smile, but [[HeartwarmingMoments Olivia manages to break through and get him to smile for real, though]].]]

* The humanoid [[TheSoulless Nobodies]] from ''KingdomHearts'' are the EmptyShell variation of Type B; their supposed emotions are an act, based on their human memories. Behind this facade, however, they're this trope. [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Supposedly]].

** There's a whole town of Stepford Smilers, well-groomed but down-to-earth, assured Andale is the best little town, that their blessed country will protect them from the commies, and that all is right with the world. This being Fallout, of course, ItGetsWorse.

* Hazama/[[spoiler:Terumi Yuuki]] of ''BlazBlue'' has a mask of being a very polite intelligence officer who is inept at combat and as such hates it in the first game but is really [[CompleteMonster a sick, sadistic bastard]] who is [[MagnificentBastard either personally behind, directly involved in or can be linked to]] [[{{Troll}} EVERYTHING bad]] in the ''BlazBlue'' universe. His reason? [[ForTheEvulz Just because he can and it amuses him]]. He gave up the pretense in the second game as it was clear he's the BigBad and [[PaperThinDisguise it wasn't fooling anyone anyway]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' plays this trope straight with just about everyone except Tidus.
** Nope, even Tidus. His IdiotHero persona is mostly just an act to deal with his angst over his DisappearedDad. And he has a more traditional StepfordSmiler moment later on, after discovering that [[spoiler:defeating Yu Yevon will end his own existence.]]

* In ''MassEffect'', due to all the crap they've been through, either gender of Commander Shepard is this by the third game.

* [=GLaDOS=] from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''. At first, she seems to be just a rouge AI gone insane, but the sequel develops the character further when you get to see the history of Aperture Science. [[spoiler: [=GLaDOS=] used to be a human being that worked as a secretary named Caroline for scientist Cave Johnson. Johnson made it where after he passed on, he wanted the facility to be maintained under Caroline's control via uploading her mind to a computer. This made Caroline become [=GLaDOS=] where she would be forced to run tests in the name of science. Forever. It's understandable why [=GLaDOS=] would snap and start to actually ''like'' testing subjects just for the sake of testing because it was all she was made for and nothing else. When [=GLaDOS] learns of her past, she actually becomes afraid of herself knowing that she used to be a person with emotions and feelings and that she can hear her own thoughts instead of ones programmed into her. In the ending of the game, [=GLaDOS=] seems happier knowing she saved Chell's life, but she then reverts back to her cynical and somewhat unstable self because it's all she is used to.]]

* [=GLaDOS=] from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''.

* Louis from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' display type B. In the events of The Sacrifice comic, Louis had to kill a person who attacked him in a bathroom stall (the person became an infected or "zombie") and saw the destruction of his workplace and the city from the viral outbreak, testing his will since he always had a positive outlook in life. Louis still holds the "everything will get better" attitude, even after he and the other survivors had to endure 2-3 weeks of fighting zombies and escaping from an overzealous military force.

* Any game from Zynga. In ''Cityville'', it's just getting scary with how everyone always smiles and looks so cutesy. A few of my contacts have named their cities Stepford for this very reason.

* [[spoiler: Shorty]] in VideoGame/NancyDrew and the Secret of Shadow Ranch acts like a pleasant, cheery person right up until the end, where it turns out that [[spoiler: he's the ringleader of a gang of criminals responsible for several acts of robbery and sabotage, and is perfectly willing to kill and deceive to get what he wants.]]

* Daniella/The Maid from ''VideoGame/HauntingGround'' certainly qualifies; for her first few appearances in the game, she is polite and courteous to Fiona, only to reveal her truly AxCrazy nature during the game's second act.