One of the most important (and rewarding) things a man can do is be a good father to their children. While it’s a very difficult task, and one that many fail at, there are countless examples of good parenting out there. Father’s Day, which just so happens to be today in many countries (as the holiday originated from St. Joseph’s Day), exists in order to celebrate those good examples, and we’d like to thank all of the hard working parents that visit the site.
In order to celebrate Father’s Day in our own way, we decided to take a look at some of the best gaming dads. While I’m not sure parents should be taking parenting tips from these father figures, they are rather entertaining in their own right. Only two rules were in place: A) Since we’re a PlayStation site the video game dads had to appear on a PlayStation console at some point and B) Every character has to be a dad (although that should be pretty obvious).
With that out of the way, check out our list below of the 10 best video game dads!
We hope you enjoyed our look at the 10 best video game dads. While we only highlighted 10 great characters that have peculiar relationships with their children, there’s a ton of other great characters that also happen to be dads (like the titular character from NieR). So, it’s no knock against them if they didn’t make the list.
Let us know in the comments below which video game dad is your favorite, and how you’ll be celebrating Father’s Day!
Recommended Reading:
- 10 Great Video Game Heroines
- 5 Dormant Films With the Potential to Become New Games
- Is God of War II Still Great 10 Years Later?
Video Game Dads
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Best Video Game Dads
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Big Boss
While I'm not sure if clones can count as sons, it's clear that Big Boss has caused his fellow Snakes to have more than a few daddy issues growing up. Liquid has an inferiority complex due to receiving recessive genes, Solid has to fight his father to the (almost) death, and Solidus couldn't even enjoy being POTUS. While Big Boss wasn't there to raise his clones (or even authorize the engineering of them), there's no doubt that his lack of involvement in his sons' lives forever changed the world of Metal Gear Solid.
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Big Daddy
While not related by blood, there's an undeniable bond between Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Much like any good parent, a Big Daddy will do anything to protect their kin, and they prove to be quite a fearsome foe in Bioshock.
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Ethan Mars
While it's easy to nitpick the plot of Heavy Rain, the main story shows Ethan Mars going through a lot of trauma for a father. First his son Jason gets killed in an automobile accident (despite Ethan's best attempts to press X and call for him). Then after losing his career and his family, his second son, Shaun, gets kidnapped by a serial killer. Ethan is determined to not lose another son, and goes through a harrowing amount of different trials to save him.
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Heihachi Mishima
Look, I'm not here to say Heihachi is the best father or even a good one, but he does exemplify a certain form of tough love. Granted, throwing your son into a volcano might be overdoing it, but the Tekken antagonist is still likable regardless of his unorthodox fathering. He'll get another chance to shine when Tekken 7 releases later this year.
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Joel
When The Last of Us begins, Joel is shown as an incredibly caring single father. After some tragic events occur, the game fast forwards into the future where he's shown as a bitter old man, who seemingly can't get along with the teenager he has been tasked with transporting. He later learns to love Ellie like a daughter of his own, and shows that his fatherly instinct never went away.
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King of All Cosmos
Some dads aren't exactly role model material as the King of All Cosmos shows in Katamari Damacy. The King ends up going on an epic binge drinking session that leaves the sky without stars. It's then up for his son, the Prince, to clean up his irresponsible dad's mess by rolling any item he can find with his katamari. Sometimes kids learn best by knowing what not to do due to terrible parents.
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Kratos
Kratos doesn't exactly have the best track record with parenting, as a blind fit of rage triggered by Ares causes the Spartan warrior to murder his wife and daughter. After redeeming himself by essentially killing everything in Ancient Greece, Kratos is getting a second chance at the whole being a dad thing as he's grown a beard and has a son in the new God of War on PlayStation 4. Surely, it can't go as bad as the first time, right?
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Mike Haggar
One of the most classic video game dads comes in the form of Final Fight star Mike Haggar. The former professional wrestler goes after the Mad Gear gang after his daughter is kidnapped. Since saving his daughter, Haggar has kept active by appearing in fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
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Nathan Drake
Throughout the Uncharted series Nathan Drake is shown as a thief, a killer, and a liar. It's all of these qualities that would make one think he'd be a poor fit as a husband and/or father. Surprisingly, this isn't the case as Uncharted 4's epilogue shows a mellowed out Drake that finally gets what is important in life. It's not about going on crazy adventures or capturing expensive jewels, it's about family and spending time with his daughter, who is shocked to find out that her dad was quite the rustler back in the day.
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Sam Fisher
Splinter Cell: Conviction is all about Sam Fisher being a mad dad, after finding out that there may have been more to his daughter's hit-and-run accident that allegedly left her dead. Sam is able to follow the clues to find out that Sarah is actually still alive, and that the accident had been staged. Conviction ends on a happy note, and Fisher even manages to save the President along the way.
