The Greatest Lie Video Games Ever Told Us

Video games teach us how to succeed. But when did completing the objective become proof that we were doing the right thing? Through Shadow of the Colossus, BioShock, The Last of Us, and Spec Ops: The Line, this video essay explores how games use our desire to win, trust in objectives, and attachment to characters to make harmful actions feel necessary. And it asks the uncomfortable question behind all of them: can a game hold us responsible when it gives us no other way forward? Full story and ending spoilers for all four games.