God of War (2018) was developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is an action-adventure game that takes place after God of War III. The original creator of the game is David Jaffe and Cory Barlog directs this installment in the series. It was released 20 April 2018 and is the sequel to the God of War trilogy. The original games were loosely based on Greek mythology with a factious demi-god but this game is based on Norse mythology. It weaves Norse mythology and a personal story about a grieving family. The Greek-set games followed Kratos, the main character’s, quest for revenge. This recent game is a change of pace from the original storyline. Kratos has gone from a vengeful Spartan to a struggling single father.
Many years have passed since his successful vengeance against the Olympian gods. Kratos has moved to Norway to raise his son, Atreus. The game begins with the death of Kratos’ second wife and Atreus’ mother, Faye. The father-son duo must fulfill her final wish by spreading her ashes to the highest peak in the nine realms. This game highlights the difficulties and complexity of the father-son bond. The game goes against the genre theory. Players expected to play a game similar to the first installments but instead, it subverts the players’ expectations by having a compelling father-son story. Instead, this game follows the Agenda-setting theory. This theory claims the media establishes what is important and influence a large number of people about certain issues that deserve public attention (Stocchetti & Kukkonen, 2010, p.54). The father-son relationship has not been shown to be as important as some other relationships, especially in gaming. God of War is a realistic depiction of the importance of this relationship. The traditional gender role of fathers is challenged in this game by deviating from the father stereotype, giving emphasis to the father-son bonding, and deconstructs toxic masculinity in gaming. The Father Stereotype in Media The father stereotype perpetuated in media is not a flattering image.
Fathers on the small screen are shown as immature, dumb, and uncaring of their children (Kelly, 2009, p.108). Fathers like Peter Griffin from Family Guy and Al Bundy in Married with Children are prime examples of the negative father figure stereotype. Both men have little empathy for the wives and children. This stereotype is not exclusive to these shows. These types of dads appeared in Flintstones, Simpsons, and Charlie Brown. Men, in general, are seen as the butt of the joke as well incapable when it comes to raising children. The joke that a father is unable to take care of his own children without the assistance of the mother is insulting and unrealistic. This stereotype is not meant to victimize men. Men are more willing to laugh at their shortcomings than women. It is to put each other down and eventually lift each other up again (Petersen, 2013). This occasion joke is fine but the constant depiction is harmful. It can make fathers constantly feel inadequate. This type of media could alter children’s expectations for their fathers. They may begin to see their dads as a buffoon. Or worse, the children can see the television fathers’ behaviors as acceptable However, there has been a positive shift towards fathers with Kratos. Kratos is far from the dumb father stereotype that the media likes to depict.
However, he is not perfect either. He is a man who is learning how to be a good father while on this journey. He only knows violent family relations but he is trying to be better for his son. He teaches his son wise lessons that he learned over his years and is patient with his son when he begins to disobey him. Kratos also attempts to comfort his son, even though he is not quite sure how to do that because of his Spartan background. This Kratos is a refreshing and more realistic addition to fathers in the media. Father-Son Bonding Reimagined: A Work in Progress Father-son bonding is necessary for both parties. The father-son relationship can become tense without early involvement between the father and the son. The father may not know how to relate to his son and the son may resent the father. According to the games creative director, Barlog, “[Kratos] is somebody who could take down a mountain-sized beast, but a conversation with his son is a challenge that he just can’t overcome” (MacDonald, 2018). In the beginning, Atreus is ignorant of his father’s past. He never understood why his father did not play an active role in his childhood.
Kratos’ distance may seem familiar to some audience members. He is emotionally distant like some fathers in real life. Atreus mistakes this distance as his father not caring about him. At one point in the game, a scene of Atreus talking to his dead mother is shown. Atreus wishes that his father would try to have a relationship with him. He feels abandoned by his father and is disappointed to be left alone with him. Yet, this abandonment makes Atreus crave his father’s affection even more. He constantly tries to impress Kratos throughout the entire journey. To continue, the father-son relationship is different than a mother-daughter relationship. Fathers and sons express their affection by doing favors or supportive activities together (Floyd & Morman, 2003, p.601). It is less verbal and expressive than female relationships. This bonding is not any less meaningful than a female-to-female relationship. It is a different type of bonding that uses less physical contact and verbal communication. It relies on the preservation of the significance of a gesture. This is shown throughout the entire game. Atreus is helping his father by translating runes and uses his archery skills to assist his father in battle. Meanwhile, Kratos upgrades Atreus’s bow and arrows and protects Atreus from harm. The two of them rarely talk about their feelings but the two have a closer bond with each enemy they defeat together. The father-son relationship is often depicted with less emotion and intimacy than a female-to-female relationship so it can cause misunderstandings between the father and son.
“Many men are threatened by expressing their more tender, softer side and may be anxious about appearing or feeling inadequate or too feminine and therefore avoid entering their child’s internal and physical world” (Robins, 1987, p.28). This would explain why Kratos does not express his feelings or had a strong relationship with Atreus before the journey. Raising children was the woman’s responsibility in Sparta and the society was not very emotional. However, Kratos’ mindset changed with the death of Faye. Kratos shows a glimpse of emotion when Atreus accusing of him of not mourning Faye. Atreus believes this because of Kratos’ stoic nature. However, Kratos lashes out of his son saying, “Do not mistake my silence for lack of grief! Mourn how you wish, leave me to my own” (). The two of them realize that they know very little about each other. It is a breakthrough in the relationship because the two of them are sharing their pain. It is the first step to the two really understanding each other. Challenging the Concept of ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Toxic Masculinity has been a popular debate in the mainstream media. It asserts that the depiction of male masculinity is harmful in our society. It is defined as “… interrelated collection of norms, beliefs, and behaviors associated with masculinity, which are harmful to women, men, children, and society more broadly” (Sculos, 2017). It teaches our men to act a certain way in order to be the acceptable societal man. Boys are taught it is not ‘manly’ to cry. This has lead to suppressed emotions of men in the United States. Toxic masculinity also values more aggressive solutions than diplomatic solutions. Kratos grew up in a society that valued masculinity. Kratos is the embodiment of the male power fantasy (Joho, 2018). He was a Spartan general with many hardships and tragedies, including past betrayals from his own father.
The solution to many of his problems was to react with violence. It is understandable that he has a lack of empathy towards other humans and the creatures he constantly fights. He is a strong warrior who is able to defeat any challenger that crosses his path. However, he characterization has shifted in this new installment. The old Kratos that players have known is now gone. Kratos is learning to be more empathetic because of Atreus. One of the more iconic moments of the game is when Atreus begins to use blind rage against his enemies. He has allowed his anger and newfound lineage to be justification for judging life and death. This is the result of Atreus watching and listening to Kratos. The child learned this violent behavior from his father. Kratos is horrified to see his son following the same path that he did when he was younger. Kratos appeals to his son to stop going down this violent path. He wants Atreus to end the violent cycle that is passed down from father to son. “[God of War] is a story of fathers who infect their sons by passing down the same disease of blind rage that robbed them of everything when they were sons themselves once. But the cycle ends here” (Joho, 2018). Fatherhood has made Kratos realize how disgraceful his past of revenge was and fears that his son will lose his humanity. Conclusion God of War (2018) wanted to demonstrate the importance of family. Instead, we got a game that deconstructs the father stereotype, indicates the importance of father-son bonding, and deviates from the toxic masculinity theory. Fathers in video games are either side characters or the villains of the series. That is why God of War (2018) stands out in the video game community and in Western media. It is a surprising game about a realistic father-son relationship. The player gets to play as the struggling father and gets to watch this growing relationship. This makes the player think about the situation that Kratos is in. Being a single father and motherless child is not easy.
The game tells us that our fathers are not perfect but they try to do what they believe is best for us. Watching the relationship between the two characters is heartwarming and makes the player reflect on his or her relationship with his or her father. The father and son relationship has not gotten the attention it deserves in our media. This is why God of War (2018) is a welcome addition to media about fathers.
