Ergodic Characterization: A Methodological Framework for Analyzing Games Set in Classical Antiquity

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
The paper argues that research on antiquity in video games has focused on historical depiction and audiovisual interpretation while neglecting characterization, and proposes a dedicated methodological framework to fill that gap.
02
The framework grounds character analysis in Chatman's definition of character as relatively stable personal traits and in De Temmerman and van Emde Boas's tripartite model of name-giving, direct characterization, and indirect characterization for ancient Greek literature.
03
The authors contend that games differ from literary texts because the player actively manipulates the protagonist, making the player a driving force in the characterization process.
04
The framework addresses who characterizes, who is characterized, what character types can be distinguished, and which characterization techniques the medium uses.
05
Case studies test the framework on Age of Mythology: Extended Edition, Rome: Total War, God of War, Smite, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, chosen to show the range of mechanics used to implement classical deities and heroes.
06
The study is a work in progress: a first wave of analysis has produced results, and a final stage will critically reassess the framework against a textual corpus.
07
The authors expect the work to reveal how designers and audiences conceive classical mythology and how closely modern remediations parallel ancient conceptions of divine and heroic figures.

Summary

This paper proposes a methodological framework for studying how video games depict the characters of classical mythology, namely the gods and heroes of Greece and Rome. Its central argument is that existing research on antiquity in games has concentrated on historical depiction and audiovisual interpretation, while neglecting characterization, and that a dedicated theoretical model is needed before such analysis can proceed. The authors ground their approach in classical and narratological theories of character, particularly Chatman's definition of character as relatively stable personal traits and the tripartite model of name-giving, direct characterization, and indirect characterization developed by De Temmerman and van Emde Boas for ancient Greek literature. They argue that video games differ from literary texts because the user actively manipulates the protagonist, making the player a driving force in the characterization process.

The framework is designed to answer questions about who characterizes, who is characterized, what types of characters can be distinguished, and which characterization techniques the medium employs. It is developed and tested through brief case studies drawn from several titles across different genres, including Age of Mythology: Extended Edition, Rome: Total War, God of War, Smite, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The selection is intended to expose the variety of mechanics through which classical deities and heroes can be implemented in interactive simulations.

The study is presented as a work in progress, with a first wave of analysis already yielding results and a final stage that will critically reassess the framework against a textual corpus. The authors anticipate that the findings will reveal how contemporary designers and audiences conceive of classical mythology and how far modern remediations parallel ancient conceptions of divine and heroic figures. More broadly, they expect the work to clarify how character functions as a narrative element within video games.