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I have found many games very moving and emotionally appealing, but very few have made an impact regarding my way of thinking about myself or others or the world around me. It's one thing to be moved by something, and another to be inspired to really self-reflect and maybe even - dare I say it - grow as a person.
I won't spoil anything, I'll just describe things in more general terms. Three examples that I can think of:
The Uncharted series. The relationship between Nate and Elena has had its ups and downs throughout the games and at times, they have struggled. Sometimes Nate has been so consumed by his need for adventure that he has not been the most devoted partner to Elena. I see myself in him a little and my own relationship failures have been largely due to my neglecting my girlfriends just a tad too much. Some of the scenes in those games have hit me pretty hard, actually. I've had to face my own inadequacies as a partner and think on them.
God Of War (2018). The slowly developing relationship between father and son is really touching in this one. I actually have a great relationship with my son, but this kind of thing gets to me so easily. It's so important. Kratos' parenting style also made me question if I'm being a bit too soft on my boy, will he be able to hack it in this world once he's out on his own, or should I try and toughen him up a little? (Just kidding :D)
The Last of Us Part 2. Part 1 was an excellent game as well, but the sequel was just something unprecedented. Obviously a very divisive game, you either fall in love with it or you hate it with a burning passion. I am of the former group, the game totally blew my mind. It could have gone the safe route of giving us more of what we wanted based on the first game, but it chose to give us what we sorely needed instead, and this did not go over well with many fans. Emotionally, the game took me from the lowest lows to the highest highs and everything between. It also did what no other game had done before, it changed my perception completely. Turned it around in ways I thought was not possible. It taught me things about myself and how I relate to perspective and empathy, how those things are interrelated, and overcoming overwhelmingly negative emotions, to break through to something new. I surprised myself, the game made me do it. I know this sounds very vague and hyperbolic because I'm avoiding spoilers, but I really think it made a better person. Just a tiny little bit better, at least. Of course it's perfectly valid to hate the game, and some of it was actually intended. They wanted to elicit all these emotions out of us, they took a risk and for some people it didn't pay off. It's a shame that the leaks came out and some people wrote the game off without actually going through the experience. They might have surprised themselves as well.