All this talk about role models in videogames has gotten me thinking. Who is my videogame role model? It's not a thought that has occurred to me before. Sure, there are a lot of characters that I'm attached to and adore, but characters that I can look to as inspiration? To encourage me to do all that I can with my life and to be great? I honestly have no idea. It’s time for me to give this some serious thought.

Elite Beat Agents (Elite Beat Agents)


Saving the world by shaking my ass? FUCK YEAH! How could you not like these guys? They go around giving people hope and helping them achieve their goals. They are completely selfless. With the agents, it’s all about the people of the world. When earth was being invaded by aliens, the agents sacrificed themselves for the greater good. They were turned into stone, but you know what? They didn’t let that stop them, the just shook more ass. They’ll even go inside of you to help some sexy medicine save your life.

Phoenix Wright (Phoenix Wright)


He’s a rookie defense attorney who’s climbing to the top with his own law firm. He has his own role models that he’s striving to be like. He keeps the innocent out of jail and puts the guilty in there. This man works his ass off doing more than he needs to. But he does this because his clients are important to him. Sure he gets help from time to time, but that’s what makes him an even better role model. He has friends that he’s not afraid to ask help from. If there is one thing that is most important in my life, it’s my good friends that I can rely on. Everyone should keep their friends close and not be afraid to ask them for help.

U-1 (Gitaroo Man)


Ah, the old story of a young boy with a crush on a pretty girl. He wants her attention, but there’s this rich douchebag classmate that keeps cock blocking him. Stuff happens and he turns into a super hero that saves the universe with his magical guitar. That’s not what makes him a good role model. This kid spends his time learning a new skill, playing the guitar, in order to impress a girl. Well this helps him in many ways his self-esteem goes up and he becomes more extroverted. Even when he’s being attacked by giant shark robots he keeps practicing. Never give up, try new things, get the girl.

Prince of all Cosmos (Katamari)


He may be a prince, but that doesn’t mean he sits around all day eating grapes. He has to go out and fix his father’s mess. He has to go out and bust his ass fixing the universe. Not an easy feat for someone who’s almost microscopic. By rolling his katamari, this tiny protagonist creates new stars to fill the cosmos. If something in his way is too big for his katamari, he collects more objects so he can scoop it up later. He’s also quick and efficient; he gets the job done in a couple minutes. Size is not a handicap for the prince, he can do big things.

Toan (Dark Cloud)


Toan is the cliché silent protagonist whose job is to save the world and make everything right once again. But what sets Toan apart from every other RPG hero is that he spends his spare time fixing villages. He listens to the requests of the townsfolk and does what he can to make them happy. You want your house next to the river? No problem. You want to live next to a store? Easy. What a good person, listening to the needs of the community and helping them all out. He’s not done until everyone is satisfied.

All these characters may have their faults, but that’s not what I care about them. I care about the good that they do and things they strive for despite their own faults. Who am I to look at one of their bad habits and judge them solely on that, ignoring all the good about them? These characters work hard either for themselves or for others. And you know what, I can’t choose one. They are all great and do things we should all strive for. There are many others I would’ve liked to include in my list but for now I decided to stick with those probably not thought of role models too often.