There are, of course, many different interpretations of what a “god” is, but one of my favorites is that gods are personifications of some great force of nature, or some abstract concept. Gods are persons who have to be what they embody, they can’t choose to change their identity, get another job, get a new look at life. In that way, they are different from us humble mortals, who have that choice. Thor must make thunder, because he is the Thunder God. Ares must do war, not just because that’s his job, but because that is what he fundamentally is, and he can never be anything else. Loki must always scheme, even if he has no goal for his schemes, because he is the Trickster God. And so on.
And I recently realized that it’s interesting to apply this perspective to the Programs in Tron, too. They are created for a task, they have a purpose that is fundamental to their existence, and they can’t change that purpose by themselves (though I suppose a User could choose to “reprogram” them). Tron must fight his foes and protect his friends, not because he necessarily always enjoys it, but because that is his core function, the essence of his being, his divine purpose. Ram must calculate probabilities, because he is a God of Calculations. Yori must create things, because she is a Godess of Creativity.
I haven’t really thought this theory through completely, but I think it’s fascinating to consider that while the Programs view the Users as gods, the Programs themselves might actually be more godlike than we are. It is we who pray to Tron, asking for him to protect our system. And Tron answers our prayer, because he is the God of Protection.
(Also, this might also work with the idea that gods can only survive and have power if people pray to them. User requests are what computers, and Programs, are for.)