Typically, a main way that people tend to learn about other countries and their culture is through the media that they consume, giving an overall impression of a group of people in this set time. The same, of course, applies to Non-Americans learning about the United States.
However, as an American, I should preface that each state is basically its own independent country, with the only thing really connecting the country together is currency and a constitution. This isn’t even considering how our culture varied throughout history.
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That said, there are some video games that do a fantastic job of depicting life in America, from all eras of history and walks of life. There’s a lot that can be learned about this country through games like this, even if it’s set in fiction or history.
Either way, these games absolutely ooze Americana and are a great insight into the American people’s mentalities and societal norms.
10Cyberpunk 2077
A Dark Mirror into Where Cities Are Headed
Mafia (2002)
WhileCyberpunk 2077is obviously set in the future, that hasn’t stopped many uncanny similarities showing up in our daily lives. As technology evolves, our society does with it, and as we turn into a country of surveillance ruled by capitalism, many are left thinking:since when did I move toNight City?
While some details of the game feel like they came straight from an episode ofBlack Mirror,others make it clearly fiction. Regardless, walking through Night City feels almost one-to-one with walking through L.A., complete with palm trees and a devastating homeless population. Seriously, there’s so much commentary on how the homeless are treated through this game.
Unlike other games set in the United States,Cyberpunkmakes its messaging incredibly clear, holding up a mirror to modern American city life and the devastation that can come from it.
Tackling themes of corruption, crime, suicide, and other heavy topics, Night City is an eye-opening dystopia, a warning to our citizens of where we may very well end up.
9Life is Strange
A Pacific Northwestern Coming of Age
Life is Strange
America is vast, so massive in fact that many often identify themselves from their region as well as their state, especially as each region provides such a different experience growing up.
From climate to food to the very dialect of English spoken, each region has its own way of living in the United States.
One region in particular stands out inLife is Strange,and that’s the Pacific Northwest, which consists of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, alongside parts of surrounding states and even Canada.Arcadia Bay, one ofgaming’s most iconic small towns, is set in Oregon in particular.
While Arcadia Bay has become more known forthe infamous choice that surrounds it(as well as your best friend, Chloe), it’s also an excellent representation of a small town in this region.
Surrounded by mountains and fish, the pacific northwest is absolutely picturesque through its beautiful simplicity, and that’s somethingLife is Strangewonderfully captures.
Plus, the game is set through the eyes ofMax Caulfield, a teenage girl, and her coming of age in the 2010s – which should be glaringly obvious by the amount of times these kids say “hella.”
It feels like peeking into someone else’s life (granted, a rather supernatural one), and as someone from the Midwest who always dreamed of the mountains, it also feels like an escape.
8Far Cry 5
Soak in the Vast Mountains of Montana
The mountains and hills in America are genuinely stunning all around, but theRocky Mountains in Montanaare just outright iconic. This just so happens to be the setting forFar Cry 5,and it actually captures the state well.
The wilderness, thefishing, the hunting, even theMontanans, are all fairly represented, inFar Cryfashion, of course.
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Really, the only fantastical part of the game is thebad (and canon) endingthat leads toFar Cry: New Dawn, which showcases a post-nuclear Montana instead. It’s about as wild as it sounds.
Even then, the game is still notoriously fun, all the way down to itsarchery mechanics, and feels distinct in its portrayal of Western America.
7BioShock Infinite
Steampunk Commentary on American Exceptionalism
BioShock Infinite
WhenBioShock Infinitecame out, it led to decades-long debates (even in the DualShockers team, as two pieces ended up being publishedforandagainstthe game, hilariously enough).
Needless to say, a lot of players can’t make up their minds about the game.
However, many players,Bioshockfans or not, have a very similar consensus on one thing: the game isintenselyAmerican. It’s in-your-face about it, unashamed, boasting in its own unique flair, to where some might miss the commentary lurking underneath.
Hidden under the grandiose steampunk aesthetics is a story that critiques the very Exceptionalism it uses in its storytelling. It’s a very well-crafted example of this, disguised under Betsy Ross-esque flags andElizabeth’sfree spirit.
While it’s a bit more of an artistic portrayal of the United States, it’s also a solid commentary on a centuries-long hot topic. Don’t play the game trying to determine if it’s a goodBioshockgame (or good game for that matter), but rather with the understanding of what it’s truly trying to do.
6Grand Theft Auto V
1-1 With the Modern Day West Coast
Grand Theft Auto 5
TheGrand Theft Autoseries has always shown the more intriguing, outright hilarious side of chaos, playing as different criminals throughout various points in the United States.
InGrand Theft Auto Vin particular, players are thrown into a fictional version of L.A. inLos Santos, San Andreas. Specifically, it was set in the modern day (at least modern at the time it came out, being September 2013).
Anyone who has been to L.A. can attest to the clear inspiration for Los Santos, ranging from the architecture, the palm tree-lined countryside, and yes, even with the (at times on the nose) accents. Walking through the streets of Los Santos feels 1-to-1 with walking through the streets of L.A., simply put.
It makesGrand Theft Auto VI’sreturn toLeonida(Florida) all the more exciting. Just imagine this same attention to detail forVice City, even if that means upping the ante of NPCs to get the authentic Florida Man experience.
5Assassin’s Creed III
The Colonies' Rocky Beginnings
Assassin’s Creed III
This may be a controversial opinion since, for some reason, the game is divisive, but I absolutely loveAssassin’s Creed IIIand its portrayal ofColonial America.
TheAssassin’s Creedfranchise always likes to shine light on what history tries to forget, and the way that colonists treated the indigenous people here should never be forgotten.
Growing up in the United States, our history is taught very methodically, packed to the brim with propaganda and half-truths that make it digestible.
The truth of the matter people don’t want to acknowledge:the founding of America was as messy as it was ugly.Assassin’s Creed IIIdoesn’t shy from that fact.
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When this game came out, I was quick to play it after high (secondary) school, and the experience was eye-opening. Sure,the intro is long, sure, it’s not wholly historically accurate in details, butRatonhnhaké:ton’s narrative was simply ahead of its time.
Plus, the visuals are spot-on, and the open sounds of nature while out in the forest are nothing short of nostalgic for Americans at this point. It’s an excellent lens into history that deserves more love as a whole.
4The Last of Us
A Roadtrip of Ruins
The Last of Us Part I
While yes,The Last of Usis full-onpost-apocalyptic, that doesn’t mean that everything in the United States is suddenly gone.
In fact, asEllieandJoelmake their way across the country on the worst road trip ever, they often find hidden fragments of average human life, suspended in time in someone’s bedroom.
There’s even a heartbreaking scene of this, as Ellie reads a girl’s diary. She asks, “Is this really all they had to worry about? Boys. Movies. Deciding which shirt goes with which skirt? It’s bizarre.”
The Last of Us(also referred to asThe Last of Us: Part 1) is a take on what the United States would be like as nature takes back over and as civilization falls into ruin. And as you make your way throughyour escort mission, there’s this unmistakable sense of Americana that permeates the game.
It could also just be everyone’s wardrobe. Seriously, the outfits inThe Last of Usare nearly identical to things I have seen while out and about, and that’s the power of good costume design.
3Fallout Franchise
1950s Atompunk and Retrofuturism
It’s hard to pinpoint just whichFalloutgame oozes the most Americana, because simply put: all of them do. Combining 1950s atompunk with their visions of retrofuturism, it creates a distinctly unique and distinctly old-American aesthetic.
This doesn’t even consider the actual in-game content itself, as there are many references to history or actual locations on our map.
The Minutemenwere a real group during the Revolutionary War, for example, andGoodspringsis a legitimate small town (that boomed in tourism after these games, of course).
Not one game does it more than the others, and that’s no exaggeration; while it may be tempting to say a game likeNew Vegas,for example, genuinely all of them provide a unique portrayal of Americana as well as a commentary to prevent similar hubris.
2Alan Wake
(Accurately) Stunning Washington Scenery
The Pacific Northwest is genuinely one of the more gorgeous areas in the United States, withWashingtonstate in particular being one of the most stunning, with some of the greenest and most lush forests that anyone could see. So, naturally,Alan Wakesettled there for its setting, in the fictional town ofBright Falls.
It’s more surprising that the games don’t take place in Maine, considering the clear inspiration it takes from Stephen King. It seems that they left that to the endless fog thatSilent Hilloffers instead.
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Alan Wake’sstory isgenuinely unique, but it feels grounded in its own setting, withthe horror mechanics being just as interestingas the story. The game is done in an episodic style, as if players were watching an episode ofTwin Peaksback in the early 90s.
The only unfortunate thing about this game is that it has one inaccuracy regarding Washington’s weather. Players don’t see any precipitation, and that’s just unrealistic – in Washington,it rains essentially all the time.
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Red Dead Redemption 2
There is no game that has perfectly captured the realism and culture of Americana as magnificently as theRed Dead Redemptiongames have. Personally,Red Dead Redemption IIin particular does it better.
Taking place during turn-of-the-century,Wild West America, new players go in with stereotypes in their heads about rootin' tootin' cowboys, complete with horses and bank robberies and offensive caricatures of indigenous people. However, you don’t get any of that inRed Dead Redemption– well, you get thehorsesandbank robberies.
And yet, by the end of the games, you’re in tears.
The American Dreamis something that is instilled into us from a very early age in the United States, but often it neglects to show the endless struggle and misery that goes into obtaining it (if you even can, that’s another hot debate).
Yet this game captures the crushing weight of this dream, especially ashistory starts to move onand leave the age of outlaws behind.
Not just that, but theRed Dead Redemptiongames end up having so much heart at their core, not just showing the stereotypes of cowboys that we’re all used to seeing. It shows real people, real struggle, and the reality behind the endless pursuit of the American Dream.
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