5 Things You’ll Learn While Playing Life Is Strange

The Life Is Strange franchise isn’t afraid to tackle difficult topics.

The franchise, made by Dontnod, Deck Nine, and Square Enix, features four games: Life Is Strange, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, Captain Spirit, and the newly-released Life Is Strange 2. Each game features an episodic series of adventures in which players must make choices that impact the past, present, and future.

“The hardships the characters in Life Is Strange endured were realistic,” says Eastside junior Yaffeth Mejia. “The game dealt with issues such as suicide, physical, and mental abuse, and drug abuse.”

Life Is Strange isn’t just a game. It’s a learning opportunity. Here’s five lessons that you’ll learn while playing.

The world is better with you in it.

Kate Marsh, one of the characters in the game, is a devout Christian at Blackwell Academy in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. After a video of Kate partying gets out to the media, she becomes a victim of intense bullying and contemplates suicide. Gamers (playing as Max Caulfield) have to convince Kate Marsh to not jump by reminding Kate of her worth to family and students at Blackwell. This part of Life Is Strange leaves many gamers contemplating how to help their own real-life friends before it is too late.

Don’t face tragedy alone.

Max Caulfield and Chloe Price are best friends. But when Chloe discovers something tragic, Max must learn to help her cope with this realization. While playing, teenage gamers learn to be there for each other. Not everyone can handle things alone.

Losing someone can be hard.

In all four games, characters must deal with having lost loved ones. Like many teenagers in the real world, these characters have to grow up without the people that they loved and the people that kept them on their feet. The Life Is Strange franchise shares stories of these characters and how it affected their lives.

Hold onto your friendships.

Max and Chloe’s friendship started in childhood and has continued even into adulthood. Their relationship has inspired many teenage players to hold onto their own friendships.

Your choices have consequences.

The game gives players difficult choices. For example, after Kate’s video goes viral, gamers have the choice to GO TO THE POLICE or to LOOK FOR PROOF. These choices can greatly impact gameplay. “Life is Strange affected me by showing how teen life can be like,” says Eastside junior Celine Recinos. “The choices we make that can either benefit or hurt others.”

Life Is Strange 2 was released on September 26th and is available now at your local GameStop.