Museums of Myth and Mechanics: Mythography in Mythological Video Games

This paper argues that mythological video games can be understood as museums of myth, and more specifically as transmedial equivalents of ancient and modern mythography, the handbook tradition that systematized sprawling Greco-Roman myth into coherent, accessible retellings. Building on existing scholarship that describes historical games as "interactive museums," the author proposes that games presenting mythic storyworlds collect, synthesize, and display ancient narratives in ways structurally analogous to curated exhibitions, with the aim of contributing to an emerging field of mythological game studies.

The analysis examines seven high-profile titles, including Age of Mythology, Smite, Immortals Fenyx Rising, God of War, God of War: Ragnarök, Apotheon, and Hades. Through textual analysis of game design, the paper identifies five recurring mechanics: voice-over narration of mythic backstory, quests that retell or reenact myths, in-game codices and lore texts, interactive objects that reveal fragments of ancient literature, and supplementary lore books. These techniques are grouped into two modes of mythography: environmental mythography, in which retellings are embedded in the game world as environmental storytelling, and actorial mythography, in which mythological characters narrate their own myths.

The paper also notes limitations, chiefly that much mythographic content in games is optional and therefore easily missed by players. It suggests alternatives drawn from games with similar mechanics, such as Pentiment, and from titles with built-in museum-style questlines, such as The Elder Scrolls Online. The work contributes to research on how players encounter ancient myth and offers a practical catalogue of techniques that designers may use when incorporating mythology into their games.