Summary
While making games have players taking on the role of the clueless hero, not everygame’s protagonistis a complete fool. Many titles instead have players fill the shoes of someone who knows what they’re doing, or at least has the smarts to understand what the task at hand requires.
Occasionally, a game comes around where the protagonist is a genius, understanding a scientific occurrence, having an incredibly high IQ, and the like. These sorts of protagonists are surprisingly rare, with a few characters being not only from some of the best games but also bonafide prodigies.
SinceHorizon: Zero Dawn,Aloy has become a lot more experienced when it comes to dealing with the machine animals that roam the world she lives in. As the clone of a genius scientist who had created the AI known as Gaia, which was supposed to save the world, Aloy has followed in her footsteps to save the world once more from the dangers created not only by Hades but also the future threats brought on by the program Gaia uses.
Aloy is shown to bemuch more of a leaderinHorizon: Forbidden Westas she shows a lot more intelligence than the others around her when it comes to using the computers and other technology of the past. While she may not be entirely the smartest person ever when compared to the others who live on Earth or have reverted to almost tribal ways within this urban jungle, she is far more aware.
Although Gordon Freeman isa silent protagonistthroughoutHalf-Life, that doesn’t stop players from acknowledging how much of a genius Gordon is. Firstly, from an educational point of view, Gordon inHalf-Lifeis already a smart man as he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a PhD in theoretical physics.
Being a genius may have been Gordon’s downfall as it caused him to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when working at the Black Mesa Research Facility, meaning he was on the frontlines when the facility made contact with aliens. Combining Freeman’s smarts with the assortment of tools and weaponry from within the facility allows this simple scientist to protect himself from the aliens while also possibly saving the world.
From an external point of view, a player may assume that Nathan Drake from theUnchartedfranchise isn’t very smart. However, Nathan knows a lot more than players may realize, as he has a lot of knowledge when it comes to finding the various treasures and artifacts he is searching for throughout the franchise, especially later in the games, such asUncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Multiple occurrences of Nathan’s intelligence are shown through how easily he puts clues together from his various hunts for treasure, allowing him to solve puzzles and figure out where he must go next, not to mention also having the incredible knowledge of old Latin that allows him to translate something just from a glance. He isn’t just a genius when dealing with treasures, as he also quickly determines the best strategies for getting out of trouble.
Nathan Drake isn’t the only treasure hunter with smarts, as Lara Croft is equally as much of a genius as he is. Lara has been taught by the masters of various subjects on her travels, which has only made her smarter throughout the games.
However, Lara Croft has the intelligence and the martial arts prowess to look after herself even when she goes raiding the most dangerous tombs. Similar to Nathan Drake, Lara Croft can easily be seen as a genius due to her enhanced knowledge ofboth ancient and modern history, as well as showing off her language skills, as she easily communicates with people from the places she has been. Not to mention her survival knowledge, which keeps her alive in the remakes of theTomb Raiderfranchise.
Peter Parker isn’t just a video game protagonist, but also the well-known superhero Spider-Man.However, before he was bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker was already a very smart young man. While being bitten by this spider caused Peter to gain his spider-sense and the ability to climb any surface, his web shooters aren’t natural. Peter is an incredible inventor who created both the chemical substance used for his web shooters and the contraption that shoots them.
Alongside this, inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker is shown that his genius has only improved when taking on the various enemies of the game, not to mention having an incredibly high IQ which he puts to the test when figuring out what to do next.
Although IQ isn’t the only way to measure someone’s intelligence and doesn’t always mean that someone is a genius, it cannot be denied thatSolid Snakefrom the originalMetal Gearfranchise, especiallyMetal Gear Solid, is certainly one of the smartest protagonists in the games.
Solid Snake already has an IQ of 180, but besides this, the man also knows six different languages, which he can use in the field. Besides this, Snake the super soldier also shows his intelligence throughout the stealth missions that he must finish by completing every task flawlessly, as well as having a deep understanding of what is expected of him.
Although Rebecca Chambers wasn’t a playable character untilResident Evil Zero, players were already able to see the genius that was this rookie soldier. Rebecca may be new to the team, but her intelligence proved that she was far more than any regular recruit. Rebecca is known to be a child prodigy who never slowed down. She even went to university at an incredibly young age due to how intelligent she was, even graduating from university at the age of eighteen with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Being scouted for her genius, players are happy to see this gifted woman as a member of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service of the Raccoon City Police Department. Having this added intelligence makes her a great protagonist as it allows the player to understand better what is happening inResident Evil Zero, which is more than the usual soldier attempting to fight against the undead.
