I’m really happy that Age of Mythology: Retold was received so positively. Genuinely, that game was a huge part of my childhood. These sorts of games are plagued by rancid cash-grabby re-releases that never really go anywhere, so I was surprised that AoM: Retold is picking up a bit of steam. Granted, I don’t really expect to play it, other than maybe once or twice with my little brother as a nostalgia thing…

But it also was also super foundational to me as a kid when I was learning about common fantasy backgrounds. I wasn’t exposed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or church, or Tolkien stuff. This bastardized version of ancient history was the foundational touchstone of my perception of fantasy as I was growing up. Reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians when I was in, like, 4th or 5th grade really cemented it, and gave me a taste for modern fantasy. I think I also looked into something Rick Riordan wrote about Egyptian stuff, but I don’t quite recall the details.

Now I’m a bit older ant this foundational material has pretty well defined my taste. When I like the vibe of something, I think of stories like Karen Marie Moning’s stuff or Touhou. Dominions 6, a game with lots of problems, still scratches that itch and lights up that funny part of my brain that recognizes these fantasy archetypes and aesthetics. Conversely, Dwarves+Elves+Orcs settings, superhero stories, (ironically) space odysseys, and whatnot make me retch.

As far as all of the possibilities go, I’m really happy that this is how things have turned out- I’m a pretty happy camper and my way of engaging with fantasy is broadly relatable.

Funny enough, the Mythology battle royale (i.e. AoM) was a weirdly formative example describing how I came to personally internalize cultural differences as a kid. Not sure if that’s useful, but it’s certainly better than what I got from US education, which was absolutely nothing.