Ace Attorney, particularly Trials & Tribulations, cemented for me that it's useless to harbour and hold onto hatred. I know a lot of games and anime try to promote this theme but they often do so in a shallow, over-the-top, and on the nose way, or deal with it abstractly. Trials & Tribulations did it for me in a way that felt real and grounded. In particular, Phoenix's relationship with Dahlia Hawthorne and how he dealt with it resonated with me strongly, as I was going through a form of heartbreak at the time. Not the kind where someone rejects you or breaks up with you, but someone I loved betrayed me and my love for them was getting dangerous and teetering toward transforming into a bitter hatred. While taking down Dahlia initially served as a catharsis for me (I viewed Dahlia as a representation of this girl for a while, with me being in Phoenix's shoes), when we learnt that Iris was standing in for Dahlia for dates with Phoenix, it kinda started to change my perspective. When Phoenix responds to this revelation by basically saying that, even if Dahlia was a malicious person and even if Iris technically helped further her plans, the time Phoenix spent with Iris and being in love with her was legitimate for both parties, so even if it was part of something malicious in the grander scheme of things, the memories and feelings are real and worth cherishing. What this did for me was assure me that it was OK to be feeling conflicted over this girl who betrayed me, because I did have some cherished times with her. She may have changed, but that doesn't change the memories I have. So to just hate her because she changed into something worse and more harmful to me, is useless, and would only serve to make me obsessed if I let it happen. It's ultimately better to move on from her and keep my cherished memories.
It all worked out well too, because a year later, after some self-reflection of her own, she contacted me to apologise for everything. She did not expect forgiveness, but I had no hesitation in forgiving her at this point. I still acknowledged the wrong she did, I didn't try to sugar coat things for her, but at the same time, made it clear that I forgive her and that she shouldn't feel guilty about it. What was important was that she doesn't go down that road again, as I ultimately wanted to see her thrive and live a happy life. And it's OK for me to not be a part of it. While things haven't been always going well for her since, I do think she learned from the experience just as I did, and is focusing on herself, not harbouring unnecessary guilt and letting it tie her down like she did for that first year. And that's ultimately the best thing in the end.
Onto Dual Destinies, while I didn't really learn this lesson from that game, it made me more strongly believe in it by putting it so eloquently - and that's Apollo's speech about "There can be no faith without doubt". You can kinda see this quality in me even casually, such as my criticism of various games in franchises I claim to be a fan of. I only do that because I want to love and believe in these things. I'm the same with people. My best friends and my own family, are never above doubt. I generally would trust them, but if something happens that calls my faith in them into question, then I have no choice but to have doubts. Ultimately, searching for the truth will tell me if my faith in them is warranted. I doubt them, so my faith in them can be strengthened in the long run. Sometimes, it's difficult, just how Apollo struggled so hard with the fact he actually had legitimate reason to doubt Athena and believe she killed someone. But properly working through that doubt, seeking the truth along with Phoenix and Edgeworth, led to his faith being restored, and becoming ever stronger. So that's why I see it as important to never resign oneself to blind faith. Faith without doubt is not faith at all. It's fanaticism, which is far easier to stick to, but is much more shallow and will blind you to the truth.
And finally, Final Fantasy IX is a game I played in my very early childhood, and had a very general influence on me. In particular, I took a lot from Zidane - his desire to help his friends through their struggles without any real, tangible reason to do so. His thirst for adventure. His eventual struggle with his own identity (which is a prevalent theme with all of the main cast in the game), it all really resonated with me. Even the music and the names of the tracks symbolise a lot of the deeper thoughts I have about life, and I look to the family Zidane forms by the end of the game as a benchmark for myself. I want to be in that position someday, that sense of true belonging. This feeling has been something I felt ever since growing up with the original Disney's Hercules, but this game also really helped drive it into my head. So yeah, the game helped define me as a person, as well as my goals in life.
There are of course more games I can bring up but I don't want to be here all day.
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