Captain Martin Walker and Jimmy: The Dangers of Playing Hero

We play video games for a variety of reasons. One popular reason is to feel like a hero. In our ordinary lives there isn't a lot of room to be a hero. In The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim, though, you can help save the world from a world ending dragon. In Alan Wake 1 and 2 you can help slow down an eldritch horror from gaining its full power.

And who can blame people for wanting to feel loved and knowing they have a big impact on the world around them?

No one.

However, there are games that lure players into a false sense of security by the fact we tend to be the hero of the story. Then they turn around and painfully prove how wrong we were.

Mouthwashing and Spec Ops: The Line are two such cases.