'Life Is Strange' Is More Than Entertainment Or Just A Video Game, It's About Real Life
The realization that video games cover topics people are not willing to talk about.
A couple of days ago I started playing "Life is Strange 2" and realize that this game purpose is more than entertainment. "Life is Strange 2" is the fourth game of the "Life is Strange" series, that follows one of the main characters with superpowers and having to deal with the consequences of their actions as well as dealing with social pressure. On the first game "Life Is Strange", we follow Max, a time traveler, and Chloe, Max old friend, as they try to capture a serial killer. Along with their journey, Max had to prevent suicide, stop bullying and learn that drugs are messed up. All of that was happening while a massive tornado/hurricane was heading to their hometown.
In "Life is Strange: Before the Storm", none of the characters have powers, however, Chloe the protagonists was dealing with the loss of her father and trying to figure out her sexuality while the second protagonist, Rachel is dealing with the knowledge that her mother is not her mother. Although, at first Rachel and we assume that her father is cheating on her mother, but then we learn the truth.
In the third game of "Life is Strange Series", "The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit", we follow a little boy (who I suspect became neighbors with Sean and Daniel). The entire time we, the player, are thinking that nothing can go wrong until you learn that her mother passed away and his dad is an alcoholic that hits his son.
Those three games are covering tough topics you would not expect to talk about on a video game, right? I felt so too until I started playing "Life is Strange 2". From the get-go, we know racism is a huge factor in this game; the main characters (Sean and Daniel) are Mexican Americans. I have only played the first chapter so far, and it's hard as a non-American to see the aggression towards Sean and Daniel because their father is Mexican. Even though the game takes place in the year 2016, the creation of it is more recent, 2018 making the current political situation in the United States massively influential in the game.
I am not going to get into politics, the game, however, does not either. What the game does is show two sides of the spectrum: the extreme racism towards Mexicans (in this case, because the characters are Mexican Americans) and those that disagree with the extremists. What I have noticed is the game goes from 0 to 100 real fast, and no one stops to think that their actions were unnecessary. The probable reason for exaggerating the events is to make us realize the consequences of our decisions and question if this would indeed happen in real life. "Life is Strange" is a game based on your decisions.
I would recommend playing "LIfe is Strange" for an eye-opening in morality, not only of your own but also of others.
Sean Diaz- Age 16
Life is Strange has won many awards for its amazing gameplay.
Chloe and Max take on the world.
The Prequel: Before The Storm details the events leading up to the original adventure.
The Sequel comes out September 27, 2018.
