Video games have always been a big part of people’s lives with all of their different and captivating narratives that go from playing football or racing a car to surviving a zombie apocalypse in an alternate reality. Those stories can have a variety of plots but, as humans, we love to see the growth of relationships throughout gameplays, whether they are romantic, platonic or even a new found a family, where our favorite characters can find a “home” in difficult times.
Thinking of that, here are top 5 games that perfectly capture the “found family” trope:
1. The Last Of Us (2013)
A loved classic, a personal favorite and named IGN’s Game of The Year 2013, The Last of Us narrates the story of Ellie Williams and Joel Miller, a duo that finds each other in the middle of a parasitic fungal infection apocalypse. Their relationship starts in a messed up context where Ellie, an immune 14 year-old, has to be taken by Joel to the other side of the country to be studied and try to make a vaccine against Cordyceps – the fungus that caused it all.
Throughout the game we see their relationship develop slowly. From total strangers to an admirable father and daughter dynamic while they cross the USA together to complete the dangerous mission of “delivering Ellie”, Joel’s cargo.
It’s seemingly confusing for them to understand what is going on, especially because they are not a biological family and shouldn’t really have a justification to act like father and daughter, yet both of them know it all comes from a place of support and care that was developed in their journey.
2. Detroit Become Human (2018)
Detroit Become Human is based on a machine revolution, where androids start to get consciousness to develop their own feelings and ideas against the treatment humans give them. In the DBH gameplay, there are three narratives happening at the same time, Connor’s, Kara’s and Markus’, they all happen in the same city but each character has different goals and missions to complete.
The highlight of the family trope is in Kara and Alice’s journey, an android nanny and a little girl that are running away from a toxic and violent father. Their goal is to cross the borders to Canada, a safe place where they can live a normal life, but they face a lot of challenges since humans are trying to stop androids from having their free will. As Alice’s android caretaker, Kara definitely already had some kind of affection for the girl, but throughout their adventure this feeling grows and really starts turning into a maternal spirit of “protecting her child at all costs.”
They are later joined by Luther, an android which is a key character in their family relationship and helps them on their way to try and save their lives.
3. Red Dead Redemption II (2018)
Red Dead Redemption II shows the found a family trope through a big group, the Van der Linde gang that is made along the way of their adventure of trying to survive during the decline of the Wild West as outlaws. Arthur Morgan, the protagonist, takes you on a journey where we see the growth of not only relationships between the characters, but also some sort of character development of the main character.
The found family is composed by their leader Dutch Van der Linde; Arthur Morgan, Van Der Linde’s most trusted associate; John Marston, a conflicted outlaw seeking redemption; Hosea Matthews, the mastermind behind the robberies; Sadie Adler, the feared cowgirl, and many others.
With different contexts and backgrounds, the characters find each other to be a safe welcoming space to get comfort, support and help to survive in difficult times, whereas everyone has their role in the “family.” One of the closest relationships in the group is Arthur and Dutch’s, since the protagonist has been basically “adopted” by the leader in his teenage years, developing a very strong father and son-like bond.
We also see the traces of their endearing respect and family treatment with the nicknames such as the gang calling John Marston “Golden boy” or when the kid Jack Marston – John’s son – calls Morgan as “Uncle Arthur”.
4. The Walking Dead (2012)
Another chaotic story, The Walking Dead happens in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and it’s lead by Lee Everett, a prisoner that runs away from cops after a cop car hits a walker. After this event, the character finds shelter in Clementine’s home, a little girl that is alone because her parents travelled to Savannah. Three months after being rescued, some deaths and tragedy in the narrative, the duo gets closer and turns into a group joined by Kenny, Katjaa, Duck and Lilly, dealing with other impasses on their way.
Clementine’s and Lee’s relationship is developed on their adventures while they are trying to get to Savannah and find the little girl’s parents. The duo’s dynamic is very father and daughter coded, with Lee being protective and trying to make sure “his child” is safe and doing well until they get to their final destination.
5. Life is Strange 2 (2018)
The second game of the Life is Strange franchise addresses the journey of two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz, after the tragic death of their father in their hometown Seattle. In order to not get in trouble for something they don’t know how happened, the two of them leave and have to cross the country to go to Puerto Lobos in Mexico, the town where their dad grew up, and escape from the police.
Throughout their adventure crossing The USA, the Diaz brothers make friends along the way that helps them to stay safe such as Brody, a traveler that gives them a ride in the first episode and is the only person that treats the brothers in a nicely and friendly way.
When Sean and Daniel get to Beaver Creek, Colorado, they get to meet new mates: Finn, Cassidy and their crew that are also traveling around the country. The boys bond with their group and later on they join them to work at a community of drifters and runaways in Humboldt County, California for a while.
In that place they all develop a stronger relationship and live as a family of friends in the middle of a farm, treating Daniel like the little brother of the group and collaborating on every mundane activity to keep it all working. Depending on the choices you make during the gameplay, Sean and other characters can even have a love story going on and extend their participation in more scenes of the story.
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The article above was edited by Isabela Theodoro.
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