(An older and slightly wizzled Leon Kennedy in RE9. Source: Gamesradar, Capcom)
I first played Resident Evil 2 25 years ago. This year, as a father with his first sign of white on the sideburns, I find myself surprised to see that Leon Kennedy is 49. One of my my early gaming heroes has gotten old…..just like me.
Now, it's really just a visual flair and aging doesn't impact the game at all. But I find that notion oddly comforting nonetheless. Gaming has gone far in addressing inclusiveness and equity over the decades, especially in gender and racial terms, but it hasn't really spent much energy imagining what getting old means.
Franchise characters are often stuck in time or are simply rebooted, even as the first and second-gen gamers enter their middle age and then some. Here I recall, of all the games I've played, Metal Gear Solid 4 is the only other example where a famous hero is allowed to get old (not naturally yes but still).
There may be other examples, but bottom line is, I just thought it's cool….and maybe easential, that we get to face and get comfortable with aging in games. That this hobby is mature enough to not just entertain but also help us come to terms with the one immutability of life. Let us experience what it feels like to become slower….but perhaps a little wiser. 😉
Anyway, been wanting to post this for a bit, glad to finally do it. If it's not your thing, dont let it bother you. If you have interesting examples to share – I'll imagine maybe in the narrative-based adventure genre – I'm all ears~