I’m not necessarily talking about moment-to-moment gameplay or mechanics (though I could see some interesting points being made about, for example, RTS gameplay or RPG character building influence how you approached “strategy” in your own life).
What I’m trying to get at are the games you felt really had something to say.
For example, while I’m by no means the biggest fan (only ever played 2 and V), playing MGS V recently (and catching up on the background a bit) has created this sense in me, and I wondered where else one might have experienced that from vidya
In terms of games... Starcraft 1 (not Brood War), specifically the character Fenix. He was such a noble, heroic figure to me as a kid that I thought he was just amazing. This strong, brave warrior who fights for his friends and his race, even the ruining of his body and the betrayal of the elites wasn't enough to stop him from being this bold, courageous person who doesn't give up on his friends and stands up to evil, without falling into the traps of the foolish thinking.
Other than that, I feel like a chunk of JRPGs had some great messages. Final Fantasy 4 is really special, as is the Trails in the Sky trilogy. So is Dragon Quest V. Each of them have some important moral lessons, values and stories to impart.
In terms of other media, easily Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It's genuinely inspirational, morally sound, with powerful themes of brotherhood and love that is very uncommon to see handled well in media, as well as many, many more themes that would take me a while to go into (e.g. collectivism vs individualism, authoritarianism vs freedom, believing in oneself and in others, hope vs despair, etc.). It's a Kierkegaardian masterpiece and it's just so damn fun too and beautifully made as well. It is genuinely the most ambitious anime I've ever seen and it pushes the medium of anime forward with its brilliance, and one of its main characters to me is an ideal role model to follow