DAILY MANIFESTO

My Most Patriotic Video Game

Posted on Thursday, July 5 @ 09:40:29 Eastern by Nicholas Tan

Yesterday, with the sound of fireworks roaring behind the hill in my backyard, over a hearty meal comprised of a homemade oxtail stew, an oven-baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and a humble apple pie, I unequivocally thought about Independence Day, about patriotism and video games.

I don't naturally consider myself a patriotic person. I don't particularly care for overt displays of American loyalty, like putting a flag on a gas-guzzler or telling Canadians and Europeans that America is the greatest country in the world. Though living in America is better than living in many other countries, I support world citizenship and the idea that being born in one country doesn't necessarily make that country better than any other.

For me, a picture of Captain America punching Hitler in the face is more satisfying in a visceral way than an American way—the same goes for video games. When I happen to play as the Marines in any of the Call of Duty titles, Guile in Street Fighter II, or Captain America himself in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Captain America: Super Soldier, I am more engaged by the gameplay and what I need to do to win at that very moment than by whatever nationalistic themes are overlaid upon the core design. It's not that I don't embrace the appeal of defending the American homeland from foreign invaders as in, say, Homefront. It's just that sadistic pleasure normally trumps American pride.

So it took me longer, though not by much, to discover what game made me feel the most patriotic: Fallout 3. Certainly, all of the Ink Spots songs on the radio and the WWI-styled posters give off the good ol'-fashioned American vibe, as do the numerous Nuka-Cola bottles and boxes of Dandy Boy Apples. Of a more serious tone, the Washington DC ruins place the state of America right in the face of the player. The setting immediately delivers both a sense of desperation and of nationalism.

But it wasn't until the quest "Stealing Independence" that I felt true patriotism. Perhaps it was the obvious significance of The Declaration of Independence, despite being a document that might as well be a piece of parchment with faded words and ink in the Capitol Wasteland. The quest giver, Abraham Washington, in Rivet City is an American exaggeration just by name, but it does show that in a post-apocalyptic time like this, that in a post-apocalyptic time it takes an extreme desire in a post-apocalyptic time just to think of historical preservation.

I can't deny that I finished Stealing Independence in part out of completing all the major side quests in the game, as earning experience points and extra caps can be done merely through careful exploration. At the same time, I couldn't help but feel like I was doing something much more important than gaining digital loot and numerical achievement.

Retrieving the Declaration of Independence was believing in it—its existence and its value. Sure, it is given a value in caps, but it's the concept of keeping American ideals alive, that "all men are created equal" and that they are endowed with the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", that's far more valuable. In a world full of violence and chaos, that was something worth fighting for. I felt thoroughly American.

Has there been a game that made you feel American?

Related Games: Captain America: Super Soldier, Fallout 3, Homefront

Comments

Lien
Joined: Feb 2008

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Age of empire 3, there' s something about fighting side by side with George Washington that give this feeling deep in your heart, like you've help him made a difference. First in the original game during the french-Indian war, then in the Warchief expansion during the war of independence on the native american side.

And i find it funny you mention fallout 3 cause... huh... the enclave IS the U.S government. At least they are the government the U.S was being ruled by before the bombs drop.

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Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 11:07 am
Spec Ops the Line, Because there's nothing more patriotic then working the CIA operatives. :)

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Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 11:08 am
Main Characters are American Soldiers who end up interacting with CIA to clarify

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the_mighty_toast
Joined: Jul 2006

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Id like to be saying Bioshock Infinite, if the freakin' game would ever release

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oblivion437
Joined: Nov 2006

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Lonesome Road
"America sleeps. And until it's dead I carry it."
Ulysses is a patriot with no country. I know how that feels.

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Herb211
Joined: May 2009

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Freedom Fighters. Anyone remember that one?

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sliverstorm
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
MGS3 comes to mind. The level with the white flowers might be one of my most reflective moments in gaming. And then the ending... patriotism definitely comes to mind, for better or for worse.

HD collection came out recently. If you haven't played it, you'd be crazy not to.

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Falx
Joined: Jul 2011

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
I don't plan on naming a "Most Patriotic Game" until "CoD: 1776" comes out. Could you imagine crossing the Delaware with Washington? That game will be amazing!!

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Herb211
Joined: May 2009

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Damn man. Thats not a half bad idea. Have to figure out the whole "reload" thing but hey, I could see it.

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OdiousLupous
Joined: Jul 2011

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Reload will take 90 seconds standing still, now lets see who the elite shots are.

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Jobin_Wendy
Joined: Mar 2012

Posted: Jul 5th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
Bad Dudes. Hands down.

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Ranim
Joined: Nov 2005

Posted: Jul 7th, 2012 at 3:56 am
There are three series that come to mind. The first one is an ancient and truly forgotten game called America by Data Becker, and the other one is American Conquest and its expansion by GSC Gameworld. The last one is of course World in Conflict by Massive Entertainment.

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