Analysing God of War: A Hero’s Journey

Robert Cassar

doi:10.7557/23.6149

Authors

Robert Cassar University of Newcastle

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/23.6149

Abstract

This paper is the result of an attempt to carry out a close reading of
the videogames series God of War (GOW). The purpose of this
study was to scrutinise the structure of the plot in such as way as
to better understand how game developers use this medium to
deliver stories. The tool used to undertake this task was Joseph
Campbell’s monomyth (Hero’s journey) as adapted by Christopher
Vogler in his ‘Writer’s Journey’. The analysis was mostly
concerned with the type of narrative components and structures
present in the game/s. The researcher position in this study is the
same one used by Carr (2002); that is from the perspective of an
‘academic fan’. Ultimately this work’s ontology was inductively
developed from data collected from different sources; including field
notes of personal gaming sessions and documents associated with
the game such as game manuals, reviews, articles and other
related content.

Author Biography

Robert Cassar, University of Newcastle

Biography

My name is Robert Cassar and I am a marketing lecturer currently teaching in a post secondary institution in Malta. I am right now in the third year of my PhD studies at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. My background includes a bachelor’s degree in Italian Literature and Pedagogy with the University of Malta and an M.B.A with the Maastricht School of Management specialising in General and Strategic Management.

The primary area of research of my PhD is Gaming Cultures. In my study, I will be examining the narrative component of a number of videogames. The main objective of my PhD will be to provide a better understanding of the cultural, social and political dimension found in the narratives presented by those games. This work will examine whether there are cultural hegemonies, gender issues, political agendas or socio-economic ideologies hidden within those games. Furthermore, this study will also analyse selected texts and material surrounding this medium such as game related articles and fan-made game guides and reviews (available online).

As a researcher I am mostly interested in: Popular culture, Western countries’ cultural and political ideologies, gaming cultures, creative management practices and e-commerce. In the field of communication studies I am also very much interested in Film theory and Japanese Animation.