Happy Mother’s Day! In celebration, we’re going to take the time to showcase some of the most memorable mothers in video games history.

Mom (Pokemon)

In addition to giving you starter items like Pokegear and Running Shoes, the player’s mom will also heal your Pokemon whenever you visit as well as give you words of encouragement. She’s a minor character in all of the games, but serves as a nice little tradition for the Pokemon series.

Jenova (Final Fantasy VII)

Hey now, just because she is an alien whose cells were partially used to create a homicidal maniac (Sephiroth) and is trying to bring about the destruction of the world doesn’t make Jenova any less of a mother. In the movie ‘Advent Children’, she even has a group of men endlessly devoted to her, continuously crying out their devotion to their ‘Mother’ while infecting people (most children) with Geostigma. A mother who can inspire that kind of loyalty from her children must be doing something right.

Mom (Animal Crossing)

Though you never see her, your mom in Animal Crossing still plays a very present role in your character’s daily life. She sends you letters for most holidays or out of the blue, telling you about her life now that you’ve moved out of the house, and even sends items or bells. Her letters are often hilarious, but they can also be very sweet and loving.

Annette Birkin (Resident Evil 2)

Not necessarily a flawless woman, but she is a mother who cares deeply about her daughter, Sherry, and spends the whole game trying to find and protect her. She also knowingly let her daughter carry a locket containing the G-Virus around her neck. But this isn’t really surprising coming from a borderline mad scientist.

Main Character (Harvest Moon)

Very rarely do players get to play actual mothers in video games, but in many versions of ‘Harvest Moon’ you get to do just that. I still have fond memories of picking up my baby in ‘Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life,’ taking him to the beautiful beach shore to watch the sunset, and then leaving him there to find his own way home. I learned many valuable life lessons in that game that I still follow to this day.

Sofia Lamb (BioShock 2)

Sofia Lamb is a psychiatrist, former missionary, an advocate for the poor, a teacher of altruism, the leader of the city Rapture, and a single mother. But she’s not just a mother to her daughter Eleanor, but serves as a mother for all of the citizens of Rapture. To call her an inspirational mother would be an understatement. Then again, it might be an overstatement.

Sora’s Mom (Kingdom Hearts)

Sora’s Mom is memorable because she’s so unmemorable. His mother has only two lines in the entirety of ‘Kingdom Hearts’: “Sora, dinner’s ready. Come on down. Sora?” After that moment, she is never mentioned again. Which begs the question – what does she think about the fact that one night her son just disappeared and hasn’t heard from him in about two years? Why does Sora never mention his parents, or shows any kind of concern about them? If they weren’t going to explain this, why did Square Enix even bother to not just create her, but also hire a voice actress to say just two lines of dialogue that do nothing but raise unanswered questions? Will we see her in ‘Kingdom Hearts 3′? There might be no other mother in all of video games that raises so many questions despite her five second appearance, and for that she makes it onto this list.

This is by no means a complete list – if you can think of any other memorable moms in video games then you can tell us about it in the comments below.

Happy Mother’s Day – and to any mom gamers out there, happy playing!