Kevin Yang5/2/14

AP LiteratureVideo Games: More than Just a Pastime

While video games come in a variety of different settings, genres, and gameplay mechanics, it is

surprising how much influence it draws through literature and literary epochs. With the impact of video

games from a technology standpoint, however, many of such influences elude even the most careful

eyes. From the 8-bit arcade classics to the beautifully rendered, computer graphics filled journeys

created today, video games have historically drawn on literary influences from across the ages,

combining both literary and artistic mediums to give new life and interpretation to ancient and modern

works alike.

Ancient mythology and history from around the world have proven to be a wealth of influence

for video games. Ancient Greek settings are perhaps the most impactful, with the most popular games

deriving its roots from such influences. The greatest video game appeal of Greek mythology and history

is that it allows “gamers all over the world love the idea of reviving historic battles through their

consoles and PCs or taking control of legendary Greek heroes and live their myth” (“Video Games Based

on Greek Archaeology and Mythology”). “God of War” depicts a demigod Kratos seeking vengeance

upon Ares over a deception involving the death of his family, and the action oriented game includes a

variety of Greek mythological aspects such as Grecian gods, the Underworld, harpies, minotaurs,

Medusa, and other unearthly creatures. The video game “Rise of the Argonauts” is a faithful depiction of

Jason’s journey seeking the Golden Fleece. Appealing to more strategy-based gamers, “Age of

Mythology” allows you to build your own Grecian city, complete with era evolution (Bronze Age, Golden

Age, etc), invading other Mediterranean cities, and calling upon the destructive powers of the Gods.

“Trojan: Total War” allows you to play as either Grecian or Trojan generals, commandeering troops in

battles of the historic Trojan war as depicted in “The Illiad”. Greek mythology and historyhas long been

and will continue to be a staple of video game influence, as the video game medium allows nonreaders

to access the rich literature and culture of the ancient classics.

Recent fascination with Medieval-period inspired video games have also arisen. A combination

of both engrossing video gameplay and medieval settings and characters have become a cornerstone of

the video game industry. Players are namely attracted by a gritty gameplay style, following “the exploits

of mighty, sword-wielding heroes and their chiefly, wizardly and/or priestly companions, as they spend

their days smiting evil, fighting monsters, recovering treasures and quaffing ale” (“Heroic Fantasy”).

“Diablo”, as the name implies, allows one to play as a hero to vanquish all varieties of medieval

hellspawn, from succubi to skeletons and twisted necromancers, right up to the Lord of Hell himself.

“Thief: Deadly Shadows” placed one in the shoes of Garrett, a master thief in a medieval city of class

struggle, plague, and corruption, and acts both as a Robin Hood character while breaking apart a Satanic

coven. “Dante’s Inferno” follows the eponymous work’s setting, traversing through a colorfully rendered

and realistic hell, replete with the most fearsome and graphic gore ever depicted in a video game. In

terms of pure medieval/dark Gothic/horror fantasy, however, “Dark Souls” indubitably takes the cake.

The titular character is an antihero, battling against both a medieval kingdom enveloped by hellish

forces and losing his own humanity every time he dies and resurrects. Morality and nature are in gray

areas at best, and the game is horrifyingly difficult, which accentuates the grimness and urgency of

saving the kingdom – or losing your soul, as represented by an armored wraith. Video games also took

Medieval influences from other European countries as well. “The Witcher” series incorporates elements

from Polish medieval influences, in which creatures of the night didn’t include witches, devils, and

familiars, but rather wargs (giant wolves), ghouls, wraiths, drowned dead, and humanoid leeches called

bloedzuigers. The critically acclaimed “Elder Scrolls” series takes place in various Medieval-period

inspired kingdoms, where a player may explore fully to his/her hearts content and take actions that may

affect the entire realm – whether he chooses a path of righteousness or carnage. However, “Elder

Scrolls” combines elements of medieval Nordic culture and paganism, with positions such as jarl (earl),

thane, housecarl, creatures such as giant woolly mammoths, giants and dragons, gods resembling those

of Norse mythology (Odin, Thor, etc), and settings such as Yggdrasil (a world tree), Ragnarok, and

Valhalla. Medieval influenced games form a great part of the modern gaming experience.

As gamers became accustomed to the ancient and medieval type games, usually built around

fast paced, hot blooded action, demand for games with depth, backstory, and meaningful character

development began to arise – hence the rise of Romanticism in video games. Romantic video games

focused on the raw emotions that racked the character, as “Romanticists believed that even visual art

could be used to induce an emotional reaction, whether it be horror, fascination, or simply wonder”

(“Above the Sea of Fog”), and so the video game medium was perfect for making character

development and relationships as important as possible. “The Last of Us”, a video game based on a

human parasite apocalypse, is the crux of “The Walking Dead” tenfold; the game doesn’t focus on

smashing the brains of parasitic humans, but rather the tension and love of human relationships, namely

that developing in a journey between Joel, a hardened man who lost his daughter upon the outbreak

and Ellie, a girl whose blood could hold a cure. Settings include the decrepit, overgrown, but beautiful

city ruins of Chicago, New York, and other landmarks amidst streaming sunlight; it is a new take on the

Romanticist ideal of escaping industry. Beautiful, emotionally stirring themes focused on acoustic guitar

and ambient instruments play in the background, combining the themes of grandeur of Richard Wagner

and the themes of painful beauty of Beethoven. Gut wrenching events include the duo meeting two

brothers, in which one of the brothers is bitten and the other commits suicide over it, and the ending, in

which Joel destroys mankind’s last hope by breaking Ellie out of a facility and killing the last of the free

world’s scientists that would remove her brain – despite Ellie’s previous consent. “Shadow of the

Colossus”, on the other hand, is rather more minimalistic but Romantic just the same. Wander, a boy

trying to save his beloved, is tricked into killing giant colossi by a dethroned demigod. He eventually

succumbs to the evil imparted by the death of each colossi and gives back the demigod’s power with the

slayings, but does save his beloved and he himself is resurrected as a baby. Wander’s journey

throughout the game, and the sparse 14 enemies throughout the entire game, is once again the focus of

the story. Most of the game is actually spent traveling across deserted lands, ranging from deserts to

caverns to grasslands, and the beauty of the background, the loneliness of the protagonist as he crosses

the terrain, and the dead silence of the general game except video scenes and colossi fights allows a

player to meditate on the true meanings behind the overarching story and nature of the game – who is

this mysterious beloved? What do these colossi protect and represent? Why are these lands deserted?

Who am I, in the sense of a player and a journeyman throughout one’s own life? The brooding

sullenness is heavily reminiscent of “Wuthering Heights”. Then we learn that Wander’s killing of the

colossi unleashed sin and death once more, and the meaning of the game is revealed and players are

flipped on their heads – it was I who was the transgressor, a breakthrough paradox in video games that

emotionally stunned many who played the game, unaccustomed to being the ultimate antagonist.

Wander is furthermore the ideal Romantic protagonist – an amoral being driven by passion and defiance

(Heathcliff?). He embodied “the state of mind of a man who is willing to sacrifice a great deal for

principles or for some conviction, who is not prepared to sell out, who is prepared to go to the stake for

something which he believes, because he believes in it” (Berlin, 9). Wander is melancholy, lovesick,

vindictive, and even nihilist in his unyielding quest that unfortunately, yet fittingly dooms himself.

Romantic games are still relatively few, yet their focus on the emotional response of the gamer rather

than action has garnered them everlasting places in video game history and have even been oft cited as

crowning examples of video games as art forms.

While video games may superficially appear meaningless, their gameplay and story is heavily

influenced by literature and literary epochs. They often carry, very much so, the same themes and

backgrounds of great literary classics, simply presented in a digital form. As video games have become a

staple of popular and modern culture, it is also important to be able to appreciate what meaning video

games may provide for future generations to come.

Works CitedAlloush, Abed. "Video-Games Based on Greek Archeology and Mythology."GreekReporter. GreekReporter, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Berlin, Isaiah. The Roots of Romanticism. Ed. Henry Hardy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Print.

Bloom, Harold. Dante's Inferno. New York: Chelsea House, 1996. Print.

Homer, Robert Fagles, Bernard Knox, and Homer. The Iliad. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY: Warner, 1999. Print.

"Isaiah Berlin - Final Lecture on the Roots of Romanticism." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

"Medieval European Fantasy." RSS. TV Tropes Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Miksic, Jesse. "The Death of Romance in the Shadow of the Colossus." Berfrois Wander and the Colossi by Jesse Miksic. Berfrois, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.

Smuts, Aaron. "Are Video Games Art?" Are Video Games Art? Contemporary Aesthetics, 2 Nov. 2005. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.