Actor Wil Wheaton revealed which video games rank among his favorites, showing that when gaming he tends to favor longer, narrative-driven titles. Wheaton has been a fixture of gaming culture, despite the fact that he made his name primarily in television. The fact that he listed many single-player, story-driven games is probably no coincidence given the roles he's chosen within the gaming sphere.
Although Wheaton is best known for his roles as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Gordie Lachance in Stand by Me, he has lent his voice to many iconic video game series. Wheaton was the voice of characters in famous series such as Grand Theft Auto and Fallout: New Vegas. He also voiced Robin in DC Universe Online two years before he voiced Aquadlad in the animated series Teen Titans Go!. After being involved in so many massive franchises, it would seem daunting for Wheaton to choose his favorites.
In an interview with Screen Rant, however, Wheaton did just that. Listing Grand Theft Auto, Fable, Skyrim, and Red Dead Redemption 2 among his favorites, Wheaton said "big war stories with incredibly long narrative arcs" make up some of his favorite games. He also took time to list the game Dragon Age as a favorite because of the level of immersion the game managed to achieve. In particular, he recounts a moment where his character is forced to make a difficult choice. Wheaton recounted the visceral emotional response to this moment, saying he needed to take a walk because he was so upset. But, he also recognized and appreciated the game designers for getting him so emotionally invested in the game's characters so as to make this moment incredibly impactful.
I remember in Dragon Age... there was there's a moment where my character is completely in love with one of the other characters, and she's like, "Here's the deal, buddy. You're gonna [have sex with] me and put a demon in me, and we're gonna end the world together, or I'm leaving." I was like, "I need to take a walk," and I paused the game.
Games that force players to make unfathomable choices or confront their favorite character's own morality are often the most polarizing. For instance, The Last of Us Part II drew both praise and criticism for its handling of the relationship between Joel, Ellie, and the new character Abby. While many players were upset that the game alternated between two opposing characters' positions, others praised the choice as highlighting how the morality of a character's choices can shift based on perspective.
Wil Wheaton's choices for his favorite game include some of the most decorated and emotionally complex works ever. Given his prolific career in and around gaming culture, to be considered among the best in his eyes is certainly a great honor. His fans will certainly be waiting to see what will be the next game to get him as invested as games like Dragon Age.