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Games as art - YouTuber untangles the lore of God of War

by: Rob -
More On: God of War

This just happened across my YouTube suggestions by chance. Well, chance and the fact that it already has close to a million views since dropping last month. It is an incredible look behind the Norse mythology incorporated into the latest God of War game. God of War is a generation defining gaming experience. It perfectly blends story, pacing, gameplay, the works. It was my game of the year in 2018 and stands with Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3, Last of Us 2 as the best games of the entire PS4 generation. It also has a killer twist and reveal at the end. Now if you have never played it, stop right now and beg, borrow, or steal your way to a copy and then come back... 

Now that you're back, the video below contains major spoilers but does an equally excellent job of pulling on the threads and changes to Norse mythology that God of War incorporated into its world. I love the point it makes about retelling this mythology to fit the present times simple because what has survived in written form about the oral traditions of the Norse gods has itself already likely been transformed by the times the pen met the paper, long after the words had passed generation to generation. It doesn't mean the story loses authenticity, it means the tales are there to make sense of a world that might change in its details but with lessons that remain true across the ages. Really, just watch the video to see what I mean. It might end up being the best half hour or so you spend today.

I wan't familiar with Javed Sterritt's work before just now. But taking a peek at the rest of the videos on his Good Blood YouTube channel tells me I'm likely going to have to dive into a few more, especially considering just how good this God of War one is below.