All I seem to see on my TikTok For You page at the moment are people who are either unhappy in their jobs or are enduring a miserable job search. Recruitment processes are growing out of control; more elaborate and drawn out than ever in the history of working, and in times like these the escape into video games is of increasing importance. In a bid to keep things as positive as possible due to my growing chance in joining them, this week I’m taking a look at five video game protagonists who loved their jobs.
Max – Trainee Inventor – Dark Chronicle
You need only play the opening couple of hours of the first game on this list to see the boundless enthusiasm Max has for inventing. His passion for it is one of the first mechanics introduced, which then endures through the entire length of the 60 – 80 hour adventure (150 hours to Platinum, take my word for it). With the gift of inspiration he acquires from taking photos of things he discovers, Max designs anything from new weapons for himself and those who share in the adventure, to clothing, food. and… bombs.

Max’s drive to become an expert inventor pushes him through this timeless JRPG, concluding with him absolutely mastering his craft, even if the game unfortunately doesn’t acknowledge that. He isn’t in it for recognition however, and is as happy to resume his apprenticeship at the close of the story as he was way back at the beginning.
Dante – Devil Hunter – Devil May Cry 3
Nobody in the history of fictional jobs has enjoyed theirs more than Dante. I’ve used Devil May Cry 3 as the example as it’s the earliest game in the canon of the franchise, though it also highlights how keen he is to get to work when the demon tower Temen-ni-gru explodes through the ground in his city, killing near everyone and requiring him to investigate.
Dante takes to demon slaying like an incompetent manager takes to cutting employee benefits, and with nearly as much blood. Battling monsters and Hellish minions throughout Devil May Cry 3’s story, Dante doesn’t complain once about the hours, hourly rate, or that he can’t ride his bike to work anymore, and just gets on with the task at hand. Somebody promote this man!

Francis Vendetti – Musician – The Artful Escape
The Artful Escape is a game whose obscurity pains me. Granted there isn’t a whole lot of gameplay in this video game, but if you’re ever in the market for a four or so hour interactive movie which you will never forget, please consider The Artful Escape. I’ll summarise without spoiling anything important.
Francis Vendetti, the nephew of local legendary folk musician Johnson Vendetti is suffering pre-show anxiety ahead of having to perform his uncle’s music live for the first time. What follows is the most elaborate demonstration of procrastination in video game history, stuffed to the gills with mesmerising colourful landscapes, powerful musical pieces and just about every possible oddity you would hope to find in the depths of distant space amid boundless creativity.

It’s far from a spoiler to reveal Francis’ outlook takes a 180 degree turn by the end, with him embracing his performer legacy via the most unforgettable journey a young musician can experience.
Deacon St. John – Post-Apocalypse Bounty Hunter – Days Gone
Some might argue that Deacon St. John very loudly does NOT enjoy his job in Days Gone, but by the end of the story you have to admit some of his decisions are a little too self-destructive to just be a suicide ploy. The man enjoys risking his life, there’s probably nothing wrong with that, and his obsession with slaughtering Freakers (in-game term for zombies) by the hundred can only be equally as healthy.

Establishing himself by the end of the game as the closest thing to a leader the survivors have, though like Jon Snow he ‘don’t wan’ it’, Deacon is a reluctant leader to a vast swathe of the new world. We will never know how his tenure plays out as Days Gone is never getting a sequel due to Sony deciding on this specific topic that they hate making money. The Freakers aren’t the only thing that are dead in this franchise, but at least Deacon is having a good time.
P – Good Boy – Lies of P
I didn’t say the entries in this list would all be paid positions did I, unless P counts getting regularly splattered with blood and oil as payment, which I’m almost certain that he does. Upon meeting his father, Geppetto, after awakening in the ruined city of Krat, P is tasked with clearing the city of the mad puppets and monsters who decimated the human population.
Ever the good boy, and because there’s absolutely nothing else to do, P accepts this mountainous task and sets off butchering anything not human that crosses his field of view. And even some things which are!
By the end, which I won’t spoil (though there is more than one ending), let’s just say P certainly has demonstrated with increasing enthusiasm his desire to be seen by his father as a Good Boy. Whether anyone else agrees with this title for him however, the jury is still out on.

There you go! Five pieces of evidence that people can enjoy their job! Let me know in the comments if you can think of any others, or if you enjoy your job if you feel the need to share that information. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you again soon on Respawning UK.
Written and edited by Alexx.

Liberty Lives in the Execution