5 most quotable dialogues from video games that make you think

Video games as a form of media have evolved since their inception to contain dialogues from characters and NPCs. Depending on the type of title being played, these can be delivered in the form of lines of text or scripted voice acting.

As such, over the years, it has become common to witness memorable words being spoken by fully virtual characters.

From catchphrases to hilarious jokes, video games have provided audiences with a preponderance of catchy and unforgettable lines of dialogue. One other example is quotes that, once delivered, stick with players and engage their minds, even after they have put the controller down and taken a break from the video game.

These dialogues have a bearing on real life and implore further exploration of their meaning and how it affects the audience. It becomes evident that there is more to these quotable lines than what meets the eye (or ear, in this case).

Note: This article reflects the writer’s opinions.

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Five video game quotes with a larger impact on audiences

1) “People don’t change….” - RDR2

Red Dead Redemption 2’s main story tells the tale of the Van der Linde gang of outlaws and their eventual downfall. Starting on a relatively cheerful note, things soon begin to go downhill for this posse and their leader, Dutch.

This eventually leads to drastic changes in his character, dividing the group even further. In the final chapter of the video game, a side character known as Rains Fall utters a dialogue to the protagonist, Arthur Morgan:

“People don’t change. They just become more of who they really are”.

This line is the central point around which much of the story revolves.

While almost all the characters undergo some necessary change or the other during their character arcs, three of the best examples are John Martson, Dutch van der Linde, and Arthur Morgan.

While John and Dutch’s arcs are opposites, Arthur’s can be decided by players but ultimately still falls under the umbrella of the wisdom from Rains Fall.

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2) “Not Guilty…..” - Mass Effect 2

Mordin Solus from the video game Mass Effect 2 is a salarian scientist who is a potential recruit for Commander Shepard’s squad. He was responsible for reengineering the ‘genophage,’ an artificial infection designed to make the Krogan species infertile.

While at first, it seems like Mordin is unaffected by his actions causing the near genocide of a species, this becomes clearer later on during his loyalty mission.

After seeing how much unnecessary death his creation had brought onto the Krogan species indirectly, Mordin states during a conversation with Shepard that he did, in fact, carry this burden. In a larger dialogue, Mordin utters the phrase “Not guilty, but responsible,” which goes a long way to let players know what the scientist’s moral alignment is.

The line is also an important reminder that despite some actions not being inherently wrong or even criminal, it does not mean someone should be acquitted of all responsibility.

This is, after all, a turning point in Mordin’s life. After this, he starts work on a cure for the genophage and finally implements it in the third Mass Effect video game.

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3) “To be born good…..” - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

In Skyrim, gamers will meet Parthunaux, an elder dragon who sits atop the tallest mountain in the land. This old creature is a non-hostile dragon who agrees to help bring down Alduin, the evil dragon he views as a tyrannical ruler.

However, it is later revealed in the video game that Parthunaux was once Alduins’ right-hand man and aided him in his conquest hundreds of years ago.

In a quest where users are sent with the orders to kill him, the Dragonborn can confront the old dragon about this, to which he will have cryptic answers. While he admits to the above accusations, he reinforces that since then, he has seen the error of his ways and turned to the side of humanity.

He also poses a moral quandary, asking:

“What is better – To be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?”

This question brings up the age-old dilemma of nature vs nurture, which players must come to terms with before deciding whether or not to carry through with the orders to kill their old mentor.

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4) “Your home is sometimes a place….” - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a video game that sees users complete various quests, some of which have multiple ways to be resolved. When they reach the end of such questlines, a small montage of images plays, with Geralt giving gamers some words of wisdom.

“The place where you lock yourself in and lock all else out is not your home. Your home is sometimes a place you travel long and far to find.”

This is a quote Geralt says at the end of one such quest. It involves a godling who had grown attached to a house and refused to leave. After Geralt allowed her to stay, she and a sorceress became a family of sorts.

This video game quote is a simple iteration of how a home is not just four walls and a roof above anyone’s head. It Home is where someone finds their people, crowd, and herd.

Sometimes, this means meeting many different folks until they come across the right ones.

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5) “If our lives are already written….” - Alan Wake

Alan Wake, a survival horror video game, sees players take on the role of the titular character. Unlike most games, however, he is not some super-powered fictional character but just an everyday writer suffering from writer’s block.

So when he has to face shadowy monsters from a different reality, users should understand how out of his depth he is.

This makes one of the lines from this writer all the more meaningful:

“If our lives are already written, it would take a courageous man to change the script.”

It is a statement that gives Alan the reinforcement he needs to take back the driving wheel and take control of his life.

It is also a nice little reminder to people that it takes a lot of courage to take responsibility for their own lives from a notion of predetermined destiny. Waiting for things to happen is not a plan of action but a recipe for failure.

Acting, affecting, and influencing their own lives is the only way forward.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.