‘God of War’ shows how far the video game industry has come… and how far it has to go

A new God of War game has arrived. It’s a signpost of maturity for the video game industry, but it’s also a symbol of problems that still persist.

For seven games, an ash-covered man with chains fused to his forearms battled his way through the Olympian pantheon in a gleeful parade of blood, sex, and weapon upgrades. Ultra-gory deaths, orgy mini games, and the character walking away from it all like nothing mattered, were all staples of the franchise. 

It seemed right at home in the video games of the 2000s. The God of War franchise was consistently high rated and each game’s hyper-violent, brash nature was indicative of normalized industry trends established in games like Postal 2, Manhunt, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Read more…

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