Great Moms in Gaming – 2018

Disclaimer: Spoilers for Wolfenstein 1 and 2, Skyrim, Oblivion, and Dragon Age: Origins.

Moms in gaming don’t get enough praise. So, on this special day just for the maternal among us, let’s honor a few of gaming’s best moms.

1. Ana – Overwatch

Blizzard introduced Ana as the first post-launch hero added to Overwatch. The game had already exploded on to the scene and had hosted its first limited event with the Summer Games in 2016. As the first character added post-launch, Ana had to show that Blizzard could introduce new heroes successfully. Ana’s sniper-healing gameplay was a little unpolished, but quickly found fans in the community.

Beyond giving sniperphillic players a way to heal, Ana added to the ever-expanding Overwatch universe by letting players step into the shoes of a warrior-mom. Ana is the mom of original roster character Pharah, a.k.a Rocket Queen, and learning about their complicated relationship through sprays, comics, and in-game interactions was one of the most rewarding aspects to Ana’s release. Her not-so-subtle homage to the granny-snipers of Mad Max certainly didn’t harm her reception by fans.

2. The Night Mother – Elder Scrolls

Players become the most familiar with the Night Mother in the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Joining and rising through the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood led to an audience with the Night Mother herself, in one of the most memorable quest lines of the franchise. Not to be outdone by its predecessor, Skyrim places players at the feet of the Night Mother as well, in one of the most claustrophobic sequences of the franchise.

The Night Mother’s origin as an assassin and continuing presence as the spiritual head of Cyrodil’s most dangerous guild has quickly become a staple of the series. As Skyrim goes on to more and more devices, seemingly without end, players on all platforms will come to embrace the Dread Father and the Night Mother. When Bethesda gets around to Elder Scrolls VI in 2024, players will certainly be on the lookout for telltale signs of the Night Mother’s children, and their iconic black hand calling card, inscribed: We know.

3. Anya – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

BJ Blazkowicz is touted as the star of the Wolfenstein series, and there is a certain charm to his square jaw, stoic nature, and poetic, gruff voiceover. At the start of Wolfenstein 2, Anya is pregnant with BJ’s children, yet still manages to steal the spotlight with a heartbreaking backstory and pivotal role in the plot.

In Wolfenstein: The New Order, Anya begins to read BJ the diaries of her cousin, who lost hope soon after the Nazi’s won World War II. In desperation, Anya’s cousin starts killing off Nazis one by one, and along the way suffers through unimaginable hardships. Towards the end of the entries, Anya reveals that it is, in fact, her diary. She’s not an innocent nurse form the Polish country side. She’s hardened. Wolfenstein 2 ends with a striking, funny, horrifying scene of Anya covered in blood and shooting through Nazis with a machine gun in each hand, while also severely pregnant. Wolfenstein teases the birth of BJ and Anya’s twins. We don’t know what kind of world those kids will grow up in, but with a mom like Anya, they’re sure in for an interesting childhood.

4. Broodmother – Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age used to be dark. Like… just, so dark. A broodmother gives birth the the Darkspawn in the Dragon Age universe, and was introduced in a visceral, highly disturbing way in the expansion Dragon Age: Awakening. By Inquisition, broodmothers are given only a brief cameo in a war table operation. I’m honestly okay with that. Awakening helped flesh out the Darkspawn as more than a menacing horde of monsters. A lot of the interesting lore and ramifications of the Awakening story have remained untouched by later games, though Dragon Age has done a great job of teasing misdirection and future avenues of exploration. Rumors abound that a new Dragon Age is in the works, but the broodmother will likely remain a thing of the past.

There’s all types of moms. Some people’s mom’s are soldiers and defenders, like the moms of a lot of the kids I grew up with – like Ana from Overwatch. Moms can be inspiring figures that help their children, biological or not, to achieve difficult goals. Sounds like the Night Mother to me. There are new moms, unsure about bringing their new children into the world, but sure as hell tough enough to figure it out – just like Anya. And some moms are horrible flesh eating monsters set to bring destruction and chaos to the world above.

Regardless of what kind of mom you have, or you are, happy Mother’s Day.

Sincerely,

Handsome Phantom.

Be sure to check out last year’s Great Moms in Gaming, or our recent review of Killing Floor: Incursion. And let us know what you think! Who are some of your favorite gaming moms? Head over to the forums, or send us a tweet!