Religion In Videogames

Compiled By:

Tina Higashi

Josh Oakley

Religion In Written Literature

• Mid-summer night’s Dream“Perhaps thy came hither to observe the rite of May and pay homage to Diana?”

• Scarlet Letter "As befitted a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical... the severest acts of public discipline were made venerable and awful"

• Chronicles of Narnia"Oh Adam's sons! How cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!"

A

What does the use of religion accomplish in

literature?Increases immersion in and connection to the storyline

Relates to the reader’s personal experience

Actively educates the reader in religion.

Examples of Religion in

Video Games

Judaism

The Zohar: book on Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah)– Aleph on Zohar indicating creation (Aleph is the beginning of the Hebrew

alphabet)

– Scarlet Aleph denoting the mysterious and spiritual, being the color of blood and considered one of the three colors of God (blue, purple and scarlet, considered God’s colors because of their prominence in the Temple.)

Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille Zur Macht

Christianity

Ominous Horizons: A Paladins Calling

Utilizes storyline to emphasize Christian values and references the Bible for game elements.•Sword of the Spirit•Armor of God•Moses’ Staff•Rescue the Gutenberg press

Greek Mythology

God of War

Takes place in ancient Greece, and utilizes Greek mythology to build the storyline. • Ares (top right), the antagonist for the game• Cyclops (top left), one of the many monsters in the game•The Greek Pantheon (bottom right), members of which show up throughout the game.

Therefore, What?

• Do we need to fear it?– We would say NO. In cannon literature, the emotional

impact of religion is constantly used to increase immersion.

• Aren’t video games too progressive (and far from cultural norms) to be included in the literary canon?– Perhaps. But the beauty of literature is that historically

it has challenged cultural norms…Where did the novel come from? How was it received?

Bibliography

http://www.opmh.org/pictures/aslan.gif (Peter kneeling before Aslan)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/DianaLouvre.jpg (Diana picture)

http://www.monas.nl/see/kabbalah.jpg (The Tree of Life [Kabbalah])

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/016/016268/img_1466594.html (The Zohar)

http://www.gamershell.com/pc/ominous_horizons/screenshots.html?id=5 (Red Ninja, Dragon, Sword of the Spirit)http://www.gamershell.com/pc/ominous_horizons/screenshots.html?id=1 (Holy Crossbow, Stonehenge)

http://www.gamershell.com/pc/ominous_horizons/screenshots.html?id=8 (Staff of Moses)

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/661/661321/img_2660609.html (Greek Pantheon)

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/661/661321/img_2622663.html (Ares in the background)

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/661/661321/img_2111126.html (Cyclops)