One of my favorite genres within video games (or really any media) is the “hairy dad” trope. Rough, rugged, emotionally unavailable man is forced into the role of primary caregiver to a child (sometimes biological, sometimes adopted) and ends up burning down half the world to protect said child. We’re very familiar with this type of story; Joel from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us or Hugh Jackman’s Logan from the 2018 film of the same name come to mind. These father figures must set aside their emotional unavailability and find purpose in their role as a protector. They experience some level of redemption from past misdeeds and in some way end up sacrificing themselves for the sake of their charge. I could watch or play a million of these, know the outcome, and still be emotionally devastated by the end. Perhaps this says more about me than I care to let on.
Video games have plenty of these hairy dads to spotlight and celebrate for their heroism and found dadhood. For this spotlight however, I’m going to be a little more specific; we see a lot of “found families” and adoptive dads in video games, and we don’t often focus our lens on the biological dads within these tropes. Their role as the caregiver and their character development is slightly different and should have its own spotlight. So for this list, here are some biological dads to celebrate as we approach Father’s Day!
Kratos – God of War
Let’s be honest: Kratos wasn’t winning any “Dad of the Year” awards when he was a Spartan general in Greece. But as it turns out, annihilating the entire Greek Pantheon and then fleeing to the Norse realm to get a second stab at fatherhood has some benefits. In the solitude of his forest home in Midgard, and under the guidance of his wife Faye, Kratos casts aside his murder hobo ways and finds peace, at least initially. Following Faye’s death, Kratos is left to parent their son Atreus alone. His journey through God of War and God of War Ragnarök are as much a journey about his ability to be a good parent as they are about wiping out the Aesir gods. Kratos isn’t perfect, and that’s what makes him shine. He understands that he will make mistakes and he holds himself accountable, both because he loves Atreus and he wants Atreus to be able to do the same thing. That is the dad energy we need in this day and age.
John Marston – Red Dead Redemption
Similar to Kratos, former Old West outlaw John Marston isn’t exactly an S-tier dad in the early goings of his story. But life in the Van der Linde gang, and the toll it takes on his young son Jack is enough to drive John to change his ways and live a more honest life. After he is blackmailed by the government into tracking down and bringing his old gang allies to justice, John goes on a bloody quest for vengeance across the southwest, all with the sole intention of being returned to his family. Everything he does is with his family in mind. John holds himself accountable for his past life, and the many wrongs he committed that threatened the safety of Jack and his wife Abigail. He makes mistakes, and while he sometimes loses his way, he never loses sight of his ultimate goal of safety and security for his family. In the end, John’s past life is too great to escape, and he willingly sacrifices himself to ensure their escape when government agents come to kill him. His death permanently hardens Jack, but that hardness is a reminder of the love that John had for him, and he is remembered for the good that he did in life, and the lives that he touched along the way.
Renoir Dessendre – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Ok, this one might be a hot take, but hear me out. Yes, Renoir (the real Renoir) is technically the villain of Sandfall’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but his motivations are anything but. The patriarch of the Dessendres, a family gifted with the power to paint life in canvas worlds, Renoir is committed to his wife and all of his children. All of his actions in destroying his late son Verso’s canvas (and all the painted people living there), are motivated by a desire to help his family grieve Verso’s death and move on together. He recognizes the magnitude of what he’s doing and the consequences, despite how heavily the grief clouds his judgment in making that decision. He protects and supports Alicia, who inadvertently caused Verso’s death, and ultimately chooses to let her decide her own way to grieve without forcing her one way or the other. In hindsight, this is a monumental decision; letting Alicia stay in the canvas is essentially a death sentence, but he loves her so much he’s willing to relent if it will make her happy and help her grieve. While Renoir’s motivations don’t excuse his actions, his dedication to his family and love for his children is absolutely without question.
James McCloud – StarFox
For a character with an incredibly small amount of screentime, famed mercenary star fighter pilot James McCloud certainly makes himself felt through the entirety of the StarFox franchise. James was the leader of the mercenary StarFox team, a group of skilled fighter pilots that fought independently throughout the Lylat System for profit. But despite the “mercenary” title, James was a force for good, and prioritized the safety of the Lylat System over profit, taking jobs regardless of pay if it meant the safety of its citizens. This ultimately led to his betrayal by Pigma Dengar, one of the members of the team, who defected to the mad scientist Andross’ army for better pay. James sacrificed himself so that his best friend and fellow pilot Peppy Hare could escape and sound the alarm on Andross’ return. James’ selfless actions and his reputation were a major influence on his son Fox, who ultimately took up his father’s mantle as the leader of StarFox to bring down Andross for good. And the icing on the cake? James still found a way to rescue Fox from Andross before the latter could bring him down following his defeat. As far as cool dads go, rescuing your kid from beyond the grave is a pretty cool mark to have on your resume.
Rost – Horizon Zero Dawn
I said this list was for spotlighting biological dads, and I meant it. I shout out Rost here not because of all the good he did for Aloy (though that is certainly worthy of praise), but his incredible actions for his own family. Rost’s wife and daughter were murdered by raiders, who mocked the Nora tribe’s religious traditions by leaving their corpses just outside the bounds of their territory, meaning they could not be recovered, as this was considered taboo. In response, Rost begged to be made a Death-Seeker, a rite that meant he was spiritually dead to his tribe, but allowed to leave his home to track down and bring justice to the murderers. Rost sacrificed the only home and community he’d ever known not only to avenge the deaths of his wife and daughter, but of all the Nora tribe members killed by the raiders during the attack. Though we only get to spend the first couple hours of the game with Rost, it’s clear how deeply he cares for Nora tradition, despite being forever an outcast. His willingness to not only give that up for the greater good, but to then raise another daughter in the traditions of the tribe that shunned him, is a testament to Rost’s character. His actions on behalf of his people directly led to the circumstances that would result in him adopting and raising Aloy. Without that sacrifice, there is no Aloy, and he deserves all the credit for how she turned out!
These are just a small handful of some of the dads we know and love in video games. If you have your own, share them in the comments and let us know!
