There aren't many games about men. There are plenty of games with stereotypically masculine elements, but that's not what the games are about, in a similar vein to how many games feature guns and swords, but hardly any games are about violence.
The God of War and God of War Ragnark are two games that tackled that topic. The formula of the God of War franchise was changed with the release of the games from Sony Santa Monica. The Dad of War series of jokes were created because of the somber tone and emotional focus of the tale. By changing a character who was the poster boy for ultraviolence, it is possible to see how positive masculine struggle and growth can look like.
Compared to the older titles, it is a huge change. It is true that there was no character growth in God of War 3, but it is also true that concepts like story and emotional depth were taken.
The new direction made perfect sense because the old direction didn't work for moving the character forward. The evolution of the God of War series is unlike any other game that deals with serious topics.
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Sony Santa Monica didn't get enough credit for the direction. God of War uses the phrase "show, don't tell" a lot. Physical touch is used to convey character depth that I haven't seen in other games. The father-son relationship plays out early in the game and we don't have to be told how stressed it is.
Kratos is electing to bury pain rather than treat it when Atreus burns his hand while helping to cremate his mom. He heals Atreus' wound with a strip of bandages that cover the burn scars on his arms, as a way of showing how he will suppress Atreus' growth with his own trauma.
After Kratos has spent the trip barking orders and staying relatively distant, Atreus was able to bring down a large deer. Kratos tried to touch Atreus, but then drew it back. This moment has no words being spoken.
A mixed bag of messages and growth can be seen when they travel. Kratos slowly and carefully grows more affectionate as opposed to just being protective. When Atreus is forced to kill another person in self-defense, his father tells him to stop caring about others. He is trying to help him, but in doing so he causes him to be closed off emotionally as he learns of his heritage.
I don't have to deal with the struggles of godhood or the Norse apocalypse in my daily life, but there's an unmistakable resemblance to how men are taught to suppress emotions. Too often, we are taught to keep our pain hidden and refuse to be open about it.
There is a scene in the game that is related to this. Kratos embraces his son when the two have accomplished their goal.
Kratos finally embraced his son without any hesitation just a few minutes later, as the pair were scattering his mother's ashes. He is emotionally open and moving past his past, but he is also open and transparent. A positive sense of growth is what it is.
This trend continues in God of War. The story of the game is about fate, belief in prophecy, and whether or not you can change who you are. The nature of a thing is a question. Kratos and his son Atreus were both prophesied to die by the Giants.
Kratos is more affectionate in holding Atreus close and he also praises his son, speaking with something akin to warmth in how his son is growing. It feels like an immediate step back for the progress the two have made so far, as the lone boy barked in the entire game, as Atreus lashes out to visit Asgard. Atreus/Loki is referred to as "our boy" by Odin in order to further prey on Kratos' fear of being replaced as a father.
The Norns reveal at a crucial point in the narrative that there is no destiny at all. It is easy to predict the natural consequences of multiple egos and ambitions because they are so stubborn. Kratos needs to change his ways.
This is so compelling because of the way in which the cycle is broken. Kratos doesn't live because he gets a shiny new weapon. He doesn't survive because he's smarter than Odin or because he becomes a champion for Ragnark.
When he admits he was wrong, he makes a change in his fate.
You should open your heart to their pain. Your mother and I both want that. His son is overwhelmed by the innocents caught in the crossfire of war and is told by his father that they will be better.
Kratos found a different prophecy on a mural after the battle when he realized that he and Atreus had different paths. She thought he was able to walk a path that deviated from what the other Giants had seen. For the first time in the franchise, Kratos cried because someone thought he could be better.
I like fighting in God of War. There are visual elements. There were epic battles. There are stories. The central message of the series is what I love the most. We can either be better or worse.
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