From Nostalgia to the Remastered Age of Mythology: Portrayals of Gods and Goddesses in Video Games
Abstract
When Age of Mythology was released, it became one of the most interesting titles in real-time strategy video games by introducing a mythological universe. Covering a variety of cultures, it featured deities from different pantheons, presenting them through both imagery and descriptions. With the arrival of its remaster in 2024, Age of Mythology: Retold, the opportunity arose to update these figures. However, the initial versions disappointed the community, not so much due to the changes, but because of the potential use of AI in their designs. The final effigies were based on the beta versions and updated, resulting in up to three distinct portraits of gods. This article aims to highlight, through a comparative analysis of these three representations of gods and goddesses, how visual culture and constant exposure to images have enabled their figures to be refined with more complex attributes, which nonetheless do not hinder their identification.
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