Overview

The first book-length study on mythology reception in video games, this monograph examines how video games characterize mythological characters from the perspectives of classical reception and game studies. Characters are vital to most stories, and many video games. They allow us to enter the fiction of a game, and facilitate our embodiment in the game world. Over time, what are initially blank slates transform into fictional existents with well-developed personalities and goals. In this context, narratology uses the term ‘characterization’ to refer to how character traits are ascribed to the entities we call ‘characters’. How does characterization operate in games? How do players impact this process? How is mythology transformed by video games? What can games ‘do’ that other media cannot? After establishing a theoretical framework, this book moves to six case studies that each analyze mythological characters in a particular game: Smite, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Immortals Fenyx Rising, God of War, Theseus and Asgard’s Wrath 2. The scope of these studies is diverse, incorporating examples from mainstream, indie and virtual reality gaming. While the book’s main focus lies with Greco-Roman mythology, it also includes games with Norse and Egyptian settings, or with playable characters from a wide range of international mythological traditions. Through these case studies, Alexander Vandewalle leads his readers to an understanding of different modalities or ‘languages’ of mythology reception in games. He argues for a striking diversity in mythological games and their characters, and illuminates how the relationship between games and antiquity is fundamentally one of continuous dialogue and play.

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9781350565852

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Reviews

Already at the forefront of antiquity game studies, with this book Vandewalle entrenches his position as a leader of the field. Adeptly weaving together examinations of the diverse characterizations of mythical figures in video games, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the burgeoning field of mythological game studies. * Natalie Swain, Assistant Professor, Department of History & Classics, Acadia University, Canada *

Author Information

Alexander Vandewalle is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University, Belgium. His work focuses on the reception of mythology, history and antiquity in contemporary entertainment and technology, particularly video games. He also created Paizomen, a database website and blog on video games and antiquity.

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