Personally, a game becomes more memorable for me if the characters and their dynamics with their environment and others are well explored. When it comes to antagonists, some video games tend to just portray them as the “evil and selfish” person that wants to either thwart the protagonist or just kill them.
On the other hand, a lot of great games have fantastic portrayals of villains that make the world and the narrative in them more compelling to play and finish. Sometimes, you even root for the villain instead. Why? Well, you get their motivations. The reason why they become the antagonist of the story actually makes sense!
Take, for example, Hades, the lord of the underworld from Supergiant Games’ 2020 roguelike hit of the same name. While he acts as the villain to Zagreus, his son, who only wants to escape from his home, the reasons behind his action make sense as you continue to play the game. You won’t necessarily root for him as the story unfolds, but you’ll sit and think— “Yeah, I see why you’re like this.”
The Gamer compiles a list of ten villains that just like Hades, “make sense.” Check the full list here.
Image credit: Supergiant Games
This principle should als be applied to some religions. I would like to start with the christian Devil wich seems not to make too much sense.