Why I hate Kids in Video Games

►WATCH LIVE ON TWITCH   / frankyasherjr   (The link is correct, old user name yada yada) ►FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER   / frankyasherjr   ►JOIN THE DISCORD   / discord   ►WANNA COLAB? https://forms.gle/eGz4t5KGBcZicEUU7 0:00 Intro 2:44 The Last of Us 10:23 Yakuza Series 14:56 God of War 2018 20:43 GTA 4 25:55 Conclusion Why do so many video games give the protagonist a kid to take care of? From Atreus in God of War to Ellie in The Last of Us, Haruka in Yakuza, and even Roman in GTA 4. This trope (TV Tropes calls it a "Morality Pet") shows up everywhere in modern gaming, and I have a lot of opinions about it. In this video, I break down why these child companion/sidekick characters exist, which ones actually work, and which ones feel like a cheap shortcut to make you like the main character. Inspired by the recent release of Pragmata and the discussion around Hugh and Diana, I take a deep dive into: God of War (2018) — Kratos and Atreus The Last of Us — Joel and Ellie Yakuza / Yakuza Kiwami — Kiryu and Haruka GTA IV — Niko and Roman This isn't a hate video I like most of these games. But I think the "morality pet" trope gets a pass it doesn't always deserve, and I wanted to actually talk about why it works when it works, and why it falls flat when it doesn't. If you're into video game character analysis, story breakdowns, or just enjoy a deadpan rant about gaming tropes, you'll probably enjoy this one. Games mentioned: God of War, The Last of Us, Yakuza, Yakuza Kiwami, Grand Theft Auto IV, Pragmata