It wasn't exactly profound so much as it was a sudden appreciation for just how deep the game had gotten its hooks in me.

The end of Persona 5.

I was sad because it was over, but not just because I liked the game, I've experienced that before with plenty of others. What I felt at the end of that game was something I'd never felt playing a video game before, and that was a sense of loss. I didn't just want to play more of the game, I wanted to spend more time with these characters. I'd gotten so attached to them, and so into the life sim aspect, that when the credits rolled, it felt a little like I lost my friends.

Now granted this was during covid, and I was quarantined alone, having not been able to see my actual friends in months. Burning through Persona 5 became my primary unwinding activity for a few months, and as I got deeper into it, I spent solid days with it. So it's fair to say I was in a very susceptible state of mind to attach myself to some characters.

But even without that, I think that game really hit something special for me that made me temporarily forget these weren't real people, and for a fleeting moment, I felt a profound sadness at their absence

"I need sleep and should stop mining"

I killed an ODST for his sniper. Then I realized he probably had a family and reloaded the checkpoint. Never hurt a human npc in Halo ever again.

The final ending of Nier: Automata.

That game was all about a lonely world and then turned it around at very end. It’s not exactly hard to ask for help, but sometimes someone turns to you to ask if you need it. And even in a lonely time, it’s very nice, touching even, to think about someone reaching out to help.

Of course then, after accepting the help, I made the choice to offer myself to someone’s aid.

Stray. Honestly the entire game.

I am a cat dad to 3 cats and I rescue anywhere from 1 - 5 alley cats every year. I take them in, clean them up, get them spay/neuter and their vaccines and find them homes.

That game captures cats so incredibly well. The entire game was a pleasure, but there are a few moments that stick out to me.

Spoilers

At the beginning when he falls and is separated from his friends.

The way that the guardians react to him.

The desperation of being so incredibly close to freeing them and so nearly being thwarted.

But most of all, when his friend dies and when the ceiling opens.

And last but not least, at the very end he sniffs the air and smells his friends.

So some god amongst men on YouTube did the painstaking work of figuring out where stray fell, and where he exited and found that stray exited only a 20 second walk from where his home was, and towards his home is the direction he took at the end (but the game doesn't tell you this).

That game was the most wonderful and amazing experience I have had in a game since I can remember. I cannot recommend it enough.

The first season of telltale the walking dead. The ending with Lee and Clementine had my newly Dad self crying.

Detroit: Become Human.

The demo gives you one level, playing as an android helper to the police, helping to solve a murder.

The full game really took me through the looking glass in terms of empathy. Can't really say more without significant spoilers.

Any round of Space Station 13 or 14

Journey by thatgamecompany - it is difficult to put into words what it is exactly that I experienced, and I think every person's take away will be a bit different, but there is a profound and overwhelming experience to be had with that short but wonderful game.

Firewatch has a turning point in its story which hits like a truck, and is very grounding. It takes a story which has felt almost whimsically frightening, and brings it much closer to home emotionally.

Kicking a window through because my brother beat me at Pipemania.

CoD: Black Ops 1 is a freaking masterpiece. It made me expect more from videogames and appreciate the little details. Then Ghost Recon: Wildlands and Fallout 4 were the first games that made me realize that an open world with such content was possible and the RPGs world. I know they are not massive, but I had only played in an Xbox and I had to be picky because I'm no rich. But yeah, I only have good anecdotes with those games and how impressive it was for me, mostly Fallout 4 because of secondary missions that had an impact on me, and then the other Fallouts which I'm playing in order right now and every one has its own impact, I love the franchise.

Extra: I love R6 and it was one of my favorites of all time, then I was introduced to the enshittifcation concept without knowing it lol. I kept playing Battlefield 4 rather than returning to R6.

At least two very different for me:

Myst: I was very small when I played it so maybe I missed some slightly hidden warnings or foreshadowing. But basically during the whole game two brothers that are trapped in two magical books claims that the other brother is evil and trapper him in this books.

It looks like the only way to progress in the game is to trust one of them and go do the quests they are asking in order to free them.

I thought I was smart and did everytime both quests for each of them, my plan was to save before the final quest of one and check if is the "good" one, otherwise reload and finish the last quest of the other.

I finish one guy. cue evil laughter I finish trapped in the book and the evil brother laugh that he managed to lie to me for this whole time. Fine, let's reload 5 minutes ago and free the other one. another evil laughter basically same thing happen with the other ... wtf ? There is no good ending to this game ??

Turned out there was the dad of this two also trapped in another book that was hidden somewhere else, he was the real good guy and lead to the good ending.

So: don't trust anyone, always look for more options than the two obvious choices that are only an illusion of free will. Lesson learned at a young age.

Other one that is more coming from the community than the game itself: world of Warcraft (vanilla, when it get out), more specifically beating the end boss of the latest raid for the first time. Especially when you are the raid leader. It give such a satisfaction and sensation of fulfilment.

There are a lot of games that require a lot more personnal skill than WoW to beat a boss. But getting 40 people to be ready, prepared, have to good class and good equipment, and play together for hours in order to achieve this common goal is incredible.

An RPG on Steam. A story beside. Never thought I'd play a RPGMaker game. One of the best storytelling I've seen. An incredible and truly magnificent voice acting and a gripping story. I was left without words at the end.

Played a cracked version of the game. As soon as I finished it, I bought it for me knowing I wouldn't be doing a second playthrough and bought 3 other copies for friends.

I think I'll remember it until my last day. Also, a single playthrough of this short game made me understand why voice acting is important, and what it can create when it's truly good.

Basically the whole premise of Paradise Killer. Who ought to seek justice? Can a government be irredeemable? Is justice even possible?