The Games Gods Play

Within The Games Gods Play, the author creates a disjointed power dynamic between mortals and immortals as an integral component to her worldbuilding. Not all immortals have a significant impact on human society; monsters, for instance, aren’t shown to interfere with or manifest within human society in the few scenes wherein Abigail Owen portrays human urban settings, also known as the Overworld. Seemingly, they only appear within the context of the Crucible and/or within specific, god-administered settings, such as the Underworld. The gods, however, do interfere in human lives and often abuse their power over human lives with complete disregard for the consequences of their actions. Though they are touted as representative of divine providence by virtue of their temples, the gods have proven themselves as prone to destructive whimsy and petulant tantrums that undermine the idea of their benevolence. Lyra’s curse to be unlovable is a prime example of Zeus’s self-centered and unpredictable nature, the repercussions of which have plagued her for her entire life as she is made to “wish, for the billionth time, [that her] mother’s water hadn’t broken in Zeus’ temple the day [she] was born. The day [she] was cursed” (19).