Video Games to discover Peace

Hello, my name is GONÇALVES ARNAUD Brian, I am a student at the University of French Guiana and also an intern at Peace Museum Vienna. The reason why I decided to do an internship at Peace Museum Vienna is because I wanted to contribute to peace, I wanted to do something myself. When I was a teenager, I was very pessimistic and did not really believe that the world could change. I was almost a nihilist, hopeless and thought that nothing mattered because in the end we will all disappear one day. That was what I thought at the time, but I changed my mind, and that change was caused by one thing: video games.

I have always been a fan of video games, ever since I was a child. My first contact with peace in video games was probably The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, a game where you could save the world, but also help the citizens of the town in the game with their personal problems. And I loved helping those characters, but my mentality remained the same.

My mindset started to change around the time I entered high school. I was selected for the International Section of the OIB in English, and one of the tests to enter that section was to write a short essay about an inspirational figure in our lives, it could be real or fictional. At the time, I thought of a character from a video game I used to play, Prince Marth from Fire Emblem, a young man who brought together people from different countries and backgrounds to free his continent from oppression. I didn't realise it at the time, but this very personal essay would be the beginning of my more hopeful and positive side. Later, still in high school, in 2020, I discovered the Xenoblade Chronicles series with the definitive edition of the first game and fell in love with the story. A story that started with a misguided thirst for revenge, but ended with a beautiful message of peace and coexistence, it taught me that the future is not set in stone, that I have the power to change it through my actions, and if I can't do it alone, I can at least inspire others to do the same. Video games made me realise that instead of looking for a meaning to my life, I should create one for myself by helping and being kind to others, to never stop trying, because if I don't try, I will never know what lies ahead. 

From now on, I try to understand people better, to know more about them and to put aside any preconceived notions, because we all have our own stories, we are all complex beings full of emotions, regrets and dreams.

Xenoblade Chronicles (2010) Nintendo/Monolith Soft

Target audience : teenagers 

Xenoblade Chronicles is a 2010 Japanese role-playing video game created by Tetsuya Takahashi, developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo on the Nintendo Wii console. It was later remade for the Nintendo Switch in 2020 with the «definitive edition» sub-title.

The game's story is about breaking the cycles of violence, mutual understanding, free will and the willingness to create one’s own future and a better one for all life. 

The story takes place on the bodies of two titans, Bionis and Mechonis, two opposing worlds.

The protagonist, a young man from Bionis named Shulk, sets out on a quest for revenge after his hometown is attacked by the Mechon, autonomous weapons from Mechonis. Throughout the story, Shulk will question his goal, and after his meeting with the people of Mechonis that shattered his preconceived notions, he abandons revenge and chooses to seek answers to the conflict and eventually reach mutual understanding.

He succeeds and creates a world where both peoples live in peace.

By not perpetuating the cycle of violence, Shulk manages to forge his own path, a path towards peace where «all life will walk towards the future, hand in hand». 

The Legend Of Zelda : Majora’s Mask (2000) Nintendo

Target audience : everyone 

The Legend Of Zelda : Majora’s Mask is an action-adventure game created and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 console. 

The story follows the main character Link, a young boy who arrives in a mysterious land called Termina where very broken and very sad people live. Termina is threatened by Skull Kid, the antagonist possessed by Majora’s Mask, who will cause the moon to fall on the land in 3 days. 

During those 3 days, the player can focus on saving the world like any other game, or they can choose to help the people of Termina overcome their personal problems. Bringing peace to the land is literally a mechanic of the game, one of Link’s missions is to make these people happy, and every time he does it, he records it in his notebook, keeping track of all the happiness he has brought to the world.

Journey (2012) Thatgamecompany

Journey is an indie adventure game developed by Thatgamecompany and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, directed by Jenova Chen. 

The game is about a mysterious cloaked character that the player controls whose goal is to reach a light on a mountain in the background. The player character navigates through a large desert-like environment that appears to be in ruins, walking until they reach the light in the mountain. During the journey, the player can meet other players who are also exploring the land just like them, but they are anonymous and have no way of communicating except through a small musical sound, allowing them to help each other for example.

This aspect of the game was intentional as the developers said that they wanted the player to form a special connection with the strangers they met on their journey.

Xenogears  (1998) Square Soft

Target audience : young adults

Xenogears is a Japanese role-playing video game developed and published by Square Soft (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation in 1998. It was created by director Tetsuya Takahashi and writer Kaori Tanaka, a husband and wife team.

The game's story is about imperfect people who, despite their imperfections, try to live in a fragmented world. Instead of being ashamed of their imperfections, their weaknesses, the characters embrace this aspect of humanity. It is through these weaknesses that humanity can come together and form a whole. To support each other, to understand each other, and to find inner peace. Xenogears is a spiritual quest about "what it means to be human".

Final Fantasy XVI (2023) Square Enix 

Target audience : adults 

Final Fantasy XVI is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 5 in 2023 and produced by Naoki Yoshida.

The story is about the bonds that people form over the course of a lifetime, and how their strong will to carry on no matter what, emerges from all those bonds. Clive, the protagonist, is haunted by the death of his brother, which he believes he caused by not controlling his powers. Later in the story, he comes to accept himself and his powers and decides to use them for the greater good, freeing the continent of Valisthea from all its suffering. Along the way, he meets several people who join him in his quest. Some will stay and some will go, but it is his interactions with these people that drive his will. The very human connections he makes are his driving force. It shows that every corner of humanity has a role to play in shaping a better future.