God of War Summary
In the God of War series of video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable, players follow Kratos, a Spartan general who was once the most trusted servant of Ares, the god of war. After Ares tricks Kratos into killing his own family, Kratos leads a rebellion against him. At first, Olympus supports Kratos and even makes him the replacement god of war. However, Kratos figures out that all of Olympus is corrupt and goes on a rampage killing every god and titan in his way to get to Zeus.
God of War in Real Life
How does this brutal, action/fantasy video game reflect on the real world? There were problems in Kratos’ world: brutal, power-hungry gods and kings, poor, neglected people, and ignorance. There was also inaction. No one wanted to stand up to those in power to fight for his or her rights.
We face the same issues today. There’s corruption in the government and an abundance of apathy in the upper class. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer, and nobody is willing to do anything about it. The rich want to keep their tax breaks while the poor and middle class struggle to pay theirs in full.
Politicians tend to do things that will get them reelected instead of doing things for the greater good. It’s too risky to try to make a difference, so instead they stick with safe subjects and positions.
Olympus in Real Life
By the end of Kratos’ quest, some players feel like he’s going too far—that there is probably a more practical way of going about making change. He could have set up a council to debate and argue the way Olympus should be run and how people should be treated.
In the real world, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Communication is supposed to lead us all to a middle ground, where politicians and congressman listen to their constituents and make necessary changes. But, congressmen tend to lend a deaf ear to more liberal ideas—gay marriage, polygamy, planned parenthood, etc. for fear of losing the votes of the richer, Republican right. Granted, some of this is a simplified generalization, but there’s truth to it.
Bringing Down the Gods
So, what do we do? Do we devastate Olympus like Kratos did? Like early Americans did to Britain during the Revolution? Of course not. Timothy McVeigh took steps like this. Without a large following, revolution isn’t the answer. Instead, people should vote. That’s a huge problem—people aren’t voting. And those who do vote should make informed decisions. You can’t believe what people running for office say because they’re trying to please voters so they get elected. Instead, look at what they’ve done and supported in the past.
While solving problems this way isn’t as epic or thrilling as Kratos’ method, it does save a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. And just because you’re not bringing down the gods with a pair of supernatural blades doesn’t mean you can’t have a similar attitude when you step into the voting booth.
Glen Miller - I am currently a junior studying writing and legal studies at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. I am due to graduate in ...
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