Goodafterevenmorn, Readers!

I’m still in the world of video games. I’d rather not be. I’m gearing up for a book release right now. I’d much rather be talking about that. But the gaming news is slamming itself into my algorithm at the moment, and I need to talk about it. This isn’t happening in a vacuum, but is the same damned thing that happens every time a game that doesn’t feature a straight dude comes out; primarily giant man-babies throwing public tantrums because there is a toy in the world they don’t want to play with and how dare anyone make something that doesn’t appeal to them specifically. There are so many cases of this, but the big one right now belongs to the latest installment of the God of War franchise. Let’s dive in, shall we?

First, I need to come clean with my history with gaming, and this franchise in particular. I wasn’t a gamer in my youth. I really wanted to be, but I grew up in the time when video games were for boys, and also I was not in possession of enough funds to buy a gaming PC or console, and certainly not to buy games on the regular. I got into gaming quite late in life, when my younger brother, who is a gamer and works in the industry, very kindly bought me a PS4 (Play Station 4, in case there’s anyone here who doesn’t know). And it was off to the races, so to speak.

For a time, video games were, for me, some of the best story writing I’ve come across in a while; an excellent medium for exploring worlds and tales, sometimes moving me to tears (seriously, the ending of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice had me ugly sobbing live on stream) in a time when I couldn’t, for whatever reason, settle into the written word in the same way I used to (that has since been remedied, thank goodness). The God of War franchise soon earnt its place amongst my favourite stories with their reimagining that happed with the 2018 release.

Before that, the games were fun, but did very little for me otherwise. The character of Kratos was one-note, and as such, incredibly boring. What was fun about the game was the cool weapons and puzzles, and the awesome moves you could do with certain weapons. The story tried to be impactful, but with the shallow avatar of rage that was the character, I was not overly moved. Granted, this is me — a slightly older woman. Your mileage may vary.

However, the 2018 game reimagined Kratos as a character. He is older now. A father. And in mourning for his wife – a woman he clearly loved dearly. His relationship with his son is strained. We learn later that it’s not because he does not love his son, but that he fears the burdens his own godhood would lay at his child’s feet. He fears the weight of the cycle of godhood he knows — that father will kill his children, or the son will murder his father. Both are painful. Both will bring harm to the murderer; a harm Kratos knows all too well. He, after all, is a god-killer. He, after all, slaughtered his siblings and his own father. It is a guilt and a pain he carries and will carry for the rest of his very long life.

The game, ostensibly, is about fulfilling Kratos’ wife’s last request – to scatter her ashes from the tallest peak in all the nine realms. But that’s not really what the game is about. Over the course of the 2018 game, we witness the slow unbinding of Kratos’ reserve. The unwinding of his own childhood education in favour of something kinder; we witness the slow inexorable victory of love over fear.

Though Kratos remains a stern disciplinarian, we watch as he bonds with his son, learning through his child’s own heart that the cycle need not repeat — if we just make the effort to brake its binds. We start the game too afraid to offer the child any physical comfort. By the end, that is gone, and the father-son bond is made strong. Kratos goes from calling his child “boy” to using his name — Atreus. Physical comfort is offered as easily as a thought. It’s a beautiful story.

I should note that I have a very soft spot for the “sad dad” genre of games (see also: The Last of Us). There’s just something magical about watching grown men unlearn the things that keep them from a kinder, fuller life.

Kratos is not done unlearning, though. We see him confront his past further in God of War: Ragnarok, the second installation in the new franchise. And we watch him be taught by his son – Atreus’ goodness seeps into Kratos. He realises that he had been trying to teach his son the wrong thing – that hardening your heart against suffering isn’t the way to go. He is still a god-killer.

But he is not only a god-killer. This is particularly noticeable in his final confrontation with Thor. Though they fight, Kratos continually tries to get through to the god of thunder with words. In the end, he chooses not to kill Thor, who is struggling with the same guilt as Kratos and has nowhere to bury his pain but in drink and killing. As he notes to Thor, “For the sake of our children, we must be better.”

Please excuse me while I melt. Thanks.

We also learn in the first game that Kratos’ wife, who we know as Fey, had her own secrets.

She was not just the woman Kratos fell in love with, but the best hunter he ever knew, and an extremely skilled warrior in her own right. Their first encounter was violent, and the god-killer failed to gain victory against her. She fought Thor to a standstill. And — spoiler warning — we learn that she was, in fact, a giant and had foreseen the journey Kratos and his son would undertake in the fulfilment of her last wish and indeed laid the way ahead of time. Her secrets and abilities are a wide-open and fertile field for some excellent narrative and character exploration.

And that’s just what Santa Monica studios did. They have announced the next game in the franchise: God of War: Laufey.

Most of you familiar with the gaming world will immediately predict what happened next. For those of you not involved in that world, let me explain:

A bunch of man-babies started throwing fits.

Some of the arguments might be excusable (a God of War game without Kratos?!) were it not for the broader context of the gaming world. Yet other expressions of outrage drip with such idiocy I have very nearly put my own eyes out rolling them so hard.

So, to the first – a God of War game without Kratos? Yes. It exists in the world of the God of War franchise. It centers on the woman Kratos loved, the mother of his child, and person with many skills and many more secrets. She a fascinating, kick-arse character, and she deserves to have her story explored. As it takes place in the world of the franchise bearing the name God of War, concerning a character whose last wish was the entire motivation for the 2018 game, there’s no logical reason whatsoever to do anything other than name it as such. Getting one’s knickers in a twist over the title seems silly… and probably just a cover for the real reason someone might be upset.

The more aggravating hissy fits are what you might expect. A video game with a female protagonist?! No way! A female protagonist that looks like a person?! Gross!

Streamer Asmongold (didn’t know he existed until now) is quoted as saying, “No one wants to play a character that looks like a 43 year old suburban mom.” My dude… beloved… that’s *exactly* what I want. Give me a grown woman kicking arse mid-air with magic and a sword? Count me TF in! Beyond which, Laufey is stunning! She’s a looker!

What’s the issue here? It’s like saying Charlize Theron was rubbish in Mad Max: Fury Road, or The Old Guard. I’m sorry. You’re just wrong. Also, the age of Kratos was never an issue. He’s an old man in the new games. He, apparently, isn’t a cradle robbing creep. How dare he fall in love with a woman of comparable age… or something? How is Laufey’s age an issue, but Kratos is not? I’d give you three guesses, but its painfully obvious.

In fact, Laufey’s appearance has come up more than once. More than one corner of the fits being thrown have mentioned her age or her appearance. Or both. This is not a new issue in the gaming world. When the second Horizon Zero Dawn game was announced, the lead character, Aloy, got the same backlash. We even had a bunch of bros utilising AI (probably) to create “better” character models… which is to say, turn her into a make-up wearing super model.

As we all know, make-up would be super easy to come by in a post-apocalyptic, robot-filled world. And of course, she would have the time each morning to apply a full face. Let’s be for so real, you can’t go running around outside and shooting arrows without having applied make-up first. Man, I wish there was a way to easily convey dripping sarcasm in text.

Apparently, *some* men can’t possibly play a female protagonist unless — and please excuse the crudeness of this statement — she’s a pin-up they can easily fap to.

There are other ‘arguments’ that people have made. Largely that the game doesn’t look good and… my guy… did we watch the same game footage? Did we see the same combat example? The woman fights midair with a sword and magic!

These aren’t arguments at all. They’re bad faith excuses used to cover up the fact that the knee-jerk reaction to a female protagonist was instant dislike. Introspection is hard, but try. Perhaps next time something like this comes out, you won’t look like a bunch of overgrown toddlers who have sighted a passifier not for them.

Existing in this space as a woman is exhausting, to be frank. Every time there’s a cool thing happening, an interesting side-character who happens to be a woman gets her own game, and gets to be an absolute badass, there’s always a chorus of very loud Richard craniums who cry foul. It’s “woke” for whatever that means. Where’s their big, burly power fantasy? Why isn’t this particular game made with their myriad fantasies in mind? Ugh.

It’s all so vapid. The idiocy of it burns. If a game doesn’t appeal to you, then don’t buy it. Stop screaming about how girls are icky and don’t belong in whatever world the people who made the damned game obviously believe they belong in. You have every other game in this franchise. Let us have this without us having to deal with you drowning in your crocodile tears.

I, for one, am really excited for this game. And I only wish I could buy a PS5 today in anticipation of getting said game.

Also, I should note that this idiocy is not shared by all gamer guys. There are a lot of blokes out there that are excited for this game, thinks it looks great, and are looking forward to playing it themselves. Gentlemen, we can be friends. You seem cool. I’m sorry that your fellows are such twits that they’ve irked me so. I’m not mad at you. Just them.

God of War: Laufey looks like it’s going to be so much fun, and Laufey herself is cool as hell. Santa Monica Studios has not really missed when it comes to the (recent) stories of this franchise, so I’m anticipating enjoying that as well.

Now go away. I have to go sell a kidney so I can get my console.

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and sometimes painting. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and sometimes relaxing. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. The Timbercreek Incident is free to read on Wattpad.