Poll: Male Gamers: Do you consider Kratos aspirational?

[Rowan93]

Kratos' physique is repulsive. I don't know where people got this hard on for the "body builder" physique and assume that's in any way how people are supposed to look.

I'd rather look like I did cardio once in a while, rather than nothing but strength training, steroids, and masturbating at my reflection.

Bodybuilders don't just do strength training, they need a low body fat percentage to get their muscles to show through properly so unless they're "bulking" they do lots of cardio.

 

[Flames66]

No. Kratos is a thoroughly despicable character. He is an over muscled, obnoxious, depressing prick. I use Kratos as an example of the worst qualities a character can posses.

 

[PromethianSpark]

Even if the initial question had been phrased featuring Kratos as a figure of fantasy the data would still be somewhat questionable based on what I mentioned above. It's important to know if your respondents are basing their answer on Kratos as a fantasy they aspire to or an aspiration they fantasize about. Preferably we would find out the answer to both and compare them to see if there is any difference.

Quantitative data cant really tell us anything about this issue any way. Only through qualitative data could we get any sense of what Kratos means to people.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I wouldn't mind having those muscles. In terms of character though... no. I found myself being surprised and entertained by his actions and choices, not sympathising with them.

Max Payne is my gaming role-model. That's why I've taken to drinking copious amounts of whisky and being sarcastic at every opportunity.

 

[blackrave]

Totally no
I'm more Adam Jensen type
Also I personally prefer sci-fi over fantasy in general

Would it not be better to ask how many women find his depiction sexualized or objectified? This seems like red herring research.

Why women?
When we talk about female characters, perspective of women has more weight.
But we are currently talking about male character, so reverse situation should be true.
Are you implying that only women can tell if someone/something is objectified?

 

[FoolKiller]

2 things I want to emulate...

1. the physical fitness of Kratos is awesome
2. his drive... I don't believe he's necessarily right or just, but the conviction and effort he puts into attaining his goals is inspiring

 

[runic knight]

Worth aspiring towards? Got to say no. Mentally, while sympathetic in the first game (driven by grief and rage to pursue a suicide quest to kill a god who tricked him into killing his family is somewhat sympathetic), he went off the deep end and is a complete monster of a man. Emotionally, the complete lack of anything but rage and brooding makes that a no go too. Personality wise, pretty much the same issue as emotionally, only add in a sadistic streak. Physically, while one might assume he represents an ideal, I think he is too much muscle and testosterone. One thing to be fit, another to be roided.

So yeah, all around, not someone I wish I could be. Makes a good character to play as if you want mindless entertainment killing monsters and undead creatures and selfish gods, but that is not about aspiring to be kratos so much as "be the action figure I use to knock around action figures."

Now, if you meant a different kratos, such as say from a Tales game, well, may be a different story there.

 

[AWAR]

Kratos is always a bad example for this. He's the main character in a series about ancient Greek mythology. He's supposed to look like a Greek statue. All cut physique with plenty of muscle.

Except he doesn't. At all.

Spoiler

He looks like a 21st century body builder.
And the depictions of greek mythology in the game are as accurate as in Xena: The warrior princess.

 

[DoctorObviously]

Throughout my gaming life I have seen many hero's that can be an inspiration to others. For example, I find the Space Marines from the Warhammer 40K universe to be the symbol of utter heroism and courage, and therefore are an inspiration to me. Kratos, like many others have pointed out by now, was also in that same lane before he became insane in God of War III.

 

[Lychizzle]

I think the topic you're trying to explore is too nuanced to be summed up with a single yes or no question.

 

[YazBar]

I guess physically yes, he is muscular and (debatable I suppose) handsome.

 

[Smurf McSmurfington]

He is a foolish character, so no.
However, I would like to have his build (I'm reasonably well built, but one can always improve).

 

[Hessmn212]

I felt that the first game made him out be a tragic hero seeking redemption for his past actions and killing his family. Every other game after the first one, he has basically become the villain of his own games. Where he was once this great character, he's now just an asshole going around destroying everything 'cause Zeus took his powers away because he was needlessly creating war and destruction.

 

[bdeamon]

i kind of think he is a dick for killing people for no reason after Ares, especially poor, stupid Percy

 

[Schmeiser]

Personally i enjoyed playing the villain, not every game has to be a pretentious melodrama about some mister nice guy saving the world. People don't like him because he's different and only cares about himself and his "revenge". His physique is great, i feel it's not over the top, it's just right.

Obviously i wouldn't like to go on a murdering spree because im a pacifist but it was fun experiencing the other side

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

an overgrown homicidal maniac with serious anger management issues?

sure, why not.

 

[saxman234]

Damn, I hate Kratos's character. "Yaaa I'm angry! Need revenge! Kill, Kill, But I killed my wife, let me just have sex with all these other woman to output my rage!" The sleeping with woman thing while being all angry about his wife and childs death is really dumb.

A character that is similar, which I do like is Asura from Asura's Wrath. He is similar in that he is angry and fights other gods, but at least he is a good guy and doesn't sleep with every woman. He uses his anger for good!

 

[Azure23]

Lolno.

Kratos is like the worst male power fantasy.


You know who's the best male power fantasy?

Issun!

"Ah, the wonders of nature! A deep valley between two lofty peaks!"

Hell yes Issun.

Hell yes.

You know what? You, I like.

(very relieved upon seeing the results of the poll, good on you escapist)

 

[Azure23]

Bearing in mind that there are a lot of things I find undesirable about Kratos as a character, I am not going to deny that there are some qualities about him that I find to be aspirational, unlike most people in this thread who have focused almost exclusively on his actions.

Kratos is selfish and stupid and homicidal yes, but he is also determined, ambitious and dare I say, unshakably optimistic. He never gives up, he is undaunted by his downright monumental quest to slay the gods of his world, and in a world where the gods themselves are expressly against his interests, he perseveres. Willpower to that extent is in and of itself worthy of praise.

As respectful as I am of his willpower, I am also envious of his strength, mainly his ability to express his will through sheer power, that is the ultimate freedom.

I'm not going to defend his actions but I'm also not going to pretend that his actions render him void of admirable qualities.

Of course it is important to make that distinction, crucial even given the argument. I still voted no however given the phrasing of the question. On one hand, yes, exactly as you said Kratos' characteristics represent the ultimate individual freedom, he's pretty much the god slaying overman. So that is a very aspirational characteristic, on the other hand I still feel like he is a completely unsuitable ideal to aspire to (which was the actual wording of the question). But hey, pretty much everything I know about GoW is secondhand (played the first and dropped it when I realized character action games aren't my thing) so my opinion doesn't matter overmuch anyway.

 

[Dastardly]

As anyone who has been here for any length of time will have noticed, debates on gender equality and depiction in media flare up quite frequently on this forum. One of the key points raised is that whilst female characters (such as Mileena in Mortal Kombat, or Lara Croft in Tomb Raider) are manipulated in order to be sexually appealing to young men, male characters (such as Kratos in God of War, or Marcus Fenix in Gears of War) are manipulated so that they reflect ideals of what said young men want to be. Therefore, I felt it might be worthwhile actually gathering some actual data on the subject.

So, male gamers, let's test you with an example: do you find the character, actions, or appearance of Kratos personally aspirational, or are expressions of characteristics you wish you possessed? If so, please outline what it is about him that you find appealing. If not, outline why you find him so reprehensible.

To give you some help on this, you're not quite framing this one right. It's not necessarily that these male characters represent an ideal version that someone must aspire to. It has to do with the purpose for particular characteristics, as it relates to the idea behind the character.

For instance, whether we aspire to be Kratos or not, his physical presence informs us about his capabilities - he is physically imposing and heavily muscled, so we know from even a casual glance that he is physically capable. His "war paint" style facial decor and his attire tell us that he has a certain primality to him -- this is not a man of peace. So just from that, we know that he is both willing and able to wage war.

The physical appearance of many game characters is intended as shorthand that tells us what that character is good at. Is the character wearing glasses? Probably good at "smart stuff." Wearing plate mail armor? He's good at absorbing incoming damage.

Then we look at, say, zero-suit Samus. What does her physique and clothing choice tell us at a glance? What does her general appearance tell us she's good at? Well... nothing having to do with gadget-centric space bounty hunting. Hell, not even basic marksmanship, or any sort of combat at all. She is designed to look, quite frankly, like she'd be really good for sex. The features that are highlighted are not the ones that make her character capable of the role, but rather the ones that make her sexually appealing.

That's where the line is found that borders on sexualization. Character design in games often comes down to a player being able to say, "Wow, this character looks best suited for X." And when X = "giving a twenty-something male an erection" rather than, say, whatever that character is supposed to be doing?

(Hint: Muscles are used for combat. Breasts aren't. Showing off muscles, then, is about demonstrating strength and combat capability. Showing off breasts is pretty much about sexual utility.)