Top 10 Conservative Video Games

The NRO recently released a list of the top 25 Conservative Movies, while a few other blogs made some additions to that list. I was inspired to come up with a list of my own of the top conservative video games.

The Criteria: Standard Sports games (Madden, MLB the Show, NBA Live) do not count outside of spot 10 (see below). Video games based off of movies do not count either. These are games like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I think it’s a cop out to say that the Lord of the Rings video games are conservative because the movie is. However non-movie cannon video games are considered, like Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb or Star Wars Rogue Squadron.

On a related note: I think Mario is liberal propaganda in game form. He is a plumber; he is likely part of a union. He also uses pipes and consumes mushrooms and flowers –very pro-drug. Also Grand Theft Auto III is a libertarian game. Playing as the ‘bad guy’ is a novelty, but not a disqualifier. The game does have pro-capitalist roots, but advocating non-victimless crimes is a disqualifier.

Here is my list of the Top conservative video games (yes there are more than 10 actual games but you get the idea). The ranking, from 10-1, is partially about how conservative a game is and partially on the quality of game play offered.

10. Simulation Games (Sim City, Civilization, anything with Tycoon in the title) (all systems)
These games advocate 100% free market capitalism, and proves that being a military/fascist/communist dictator is a poor strategy. In Sim City games, there is clear evidence that raising taxes does not increase municipal capital (since your sims will move to better communities) and hurts growth overall. I think Sim City and similar games should be a litmus test for city officials. If you can’t run a fake city well, you probably will destroy a real one. This game gets the 10th spot because though Sim City is a pillar of the genre, some Tycoon games are abysmal. Since there are so many, and because you can feasibly ruin your city/civilization through fascism it lands here.

9. America’s Army/Counter-Strike/ Tom Clancy Games/Call of Duty/ Medal of Honor (and virtually all period war video games) (all systems)
All are based around stopping terrorists, or Nazis or communist or Terrorist CommuNazis. There are so many games that have to be lumped together in this category. Since NES these games have been a huge part of the market.

As for the period games, getting to do what grandpa did but with none of the blood, free health and no risk is fricken sweet. Overall though many of these games are just “army” conservative, where all you kill the bad guys and there is virtually no storyline outside of that.

America’s Army is the premier game for this genre because it’s your tax money hard at work to create a game that is a giant online pitch for why gamers should kill people in real life.

8. Lethal Enforces and Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters (SEGA)
It’s a classic arcade style conservative shooting game. You are the sheriff/police officer fighting through areas trying to kill as many criminals as possible. Zero story, but greatest game I have ever played, and about the second video game I ever owned.

7. Diablo 2 (PC)
Killing Satan is rather Christian. The religious right should eat this stuff up.

6. Crackdown (Xbox360)
You play as a futuristic genetically enhanced cop that is supposed to kill various organized crime figures. Neo-cons will love the New World Order style ending.

5. Star Fox (N64)
Fighting as Fox McCloud you stop an evil scientist from using weapons of mass destruction and you in turn liberate a galaxy. Fox McCloud is GWB!

4. Metal Gear Solid (series)
You stop terrorists with weapons of mass destruction, save the life of the president. Oh and you’re a mercenary which means there is pro-capitalism in it too!

3. Strike Series (multiple mid-90s systems)
Starting with Desert Strike the player pilots a helicopter to take out General Kilbaba (looks exactly like Sadam) and stop World War three from breaking out in the Middle East while saving POWs and allied soldiers in the process. Sequels to the game have similar story lines involving saving the president and stopping an attack on the World Trade Center.

2. Just Cause (PS2)
You play as a CIA Black-Ops agent that is assigned to start a guerilla war to overthrow the military dictator of a fictitious Caribbean island. Operation Just Cause was the code name for the real life invasion of Panama to overthrow Dictator Manuel Noriega. I like to pretend that the guerilla revolutionaries are pro-capitalist and that you are starting a pro-democracy revolution.

1. Target: Terror (arcade)
You kill terrorists on the Golden Gate Bridge, Denver Airport, Los Alamos and many other locations. In the final level you are on a plane bound for a suicide crash with the White House. You have to fight your way to the cockpit to take the plane. Since it’s an arcade game, there are two guns available, not so that you can play with your friend, but so you can use two guns for Justice Mode. Any game with Justice Mode makes the top of my list

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