Watch Dogs is a sandbox style action-adventure game that centers around fugitive hacker Aiden Pearce and his search for answers.
Click a title to learn more about each topic.
Story & Themes
After his niece dies in a car crash, hacker Aiden Pearce dedicates himself to tracking down those responsible for putting a hit on him. His search takes him across a more technologically advanced Chicago in which everything is run by the ctOS (Central Operating System). As Aiden's mission brings him closer to the political heart of the city, he finds himself privy to highly classified information and a mastermind who'd do anything to keep it hidden.
The game explores the topical theme of privacy, especially in the modern age when much of our information is online.
Save Points
The game autosaves frequently and at important points.
Difficulty
Watch Dogs is moderately difficult with some missions being easier than others depending upon the player's strong suits. Using the stealth mechanic can be tricky but also lets the player avoid being overwhelmed in gunfights.
Heads Up!
Violence In Watch Dogs, the player fights with guns or can perform silent take downs of enemies. Blood is shown, but gore is absent. Cutscenes also depict acts of violence, such as a man being stabbed in the neck.
Sex & Nudity In one mission, the player sneaks into a human trafficking auction. Several topless women can be seen in this sequence. The player can also encounter people engaged in sexual acts though no nudity is shown.
Strong Language The game contains a moderate amount of strong language, most frequently f*ck and sh*t.
Substance Use At one point in the game, the player engages in a drinking minigame as part of the main mission. Characters can also be seen injecting themselves with drugs during one sequence.
Discrimination Watch Dogs faces scrutiny with its portrayal of African-American characters as most of them are gang members and enemies. Women are also portrayed as sexual objects during the human trafficking mission with little in-game acknowledgment that this is wrong.
Online Community
In a unique online mode, one player can infiltrate another's single player experience and plant a virus on their phone. The hacked player must then try to hunt down the hacker before he/she escapes. Players can also join an eight-player free roam mode with friends online.
Conversation Starters
- Do you think that in the near future supercomputers will run cities as in Watch Dogs? How do you feel about this concept?
- Is privacy more important than security?
- How do you feel about hacktivists? Are Aiden's actions justified by his goals and intentions?
4 / 5
1 / 5
3 / 5
