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“For the Greater Good...?!” Framing Different Perspectives on Death and Dying in Digital Video Games and Gamer Generated Online Videos. Michael Waltemathe Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany January 10, 2014 Michael Waltemathe (RUB) For the greater Good... January 10, 2014 1 / 36

"For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

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Presentation on Video-Games and Religion given at the Media and Religion Conference 2014 in Boulder, CO. Video Games that pose ethical challenges to the player often encourage discussion of these ethical topics within the framework of religion.

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Page 1: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

“For the Greater Good...?!”Framing Different Perspectiveson Death and Dying in Digital

Video Games and GamerGenerated Online Videos.

Michael Waltemathe

Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

January 10, 2014Michael Waltemathe (RUB) For the greater Good... January 10, 2014 1 / 36

Page 2: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Outline

Death and Dying in Video GamesTypologyReligious framing

Religion in Video GamesTheoretical IdeasDeath and Religion

Approach from Religion - Sacrifice

Examples

Analysis

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Page 3: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

Typology of Death in Video-Games

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Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

"Interactive Death"

Killing

• Usually in-game-killing has no meaningful connotation.• Sometimes it is a "Boss-Battle".• These gain meaning through the storyline.• Gaming experience, Interactivity.

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Page 5: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

"Interactive Passive Death"

Getting killed

• Players experience in-game-death frequently.• Usually this has no or little consequences.

• Start again at the same spot, no consequences.• Lose somee game progress, little consequences.• Game Over! Little consequences. (These used to be monetary)• Exceptions: FTL or Don’t starve.

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Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

"Non-Interactive Death"

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Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

"Non-Interactive Death"

Getting told about deathSometimes death is part of the storyline, non interactive or interactive

• Enriches the story.• Part of the story with (religious) framing, morals etc...• Part of the story without framing.• How does a game go on when you, the player are dead?• Probably the most prevalent place of religious framing.

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Page 8: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Death and Dying in Video Games Typology

Death Experience in Video-Games

DEATH inVideo-Games

KillingNPCs

Gettingkilled

KillingStoryline-Characters

SeeingStoryline-Characters

killed

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Page 9: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Death and Dying in Video Games Religious framing

Religion and Death?

• Experiencing Death over and over again invites the question ofafterlife and rebirth in religious tradition.

• Meaningful death invites the question of religious framing of deathand dying.

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Page 10: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Theoretical Ideas

Social-Phenomenology of the Life-World

World ofworking indaily life

World ofphantasies

Myths

Art

World ofdreams

World ofscientifictheorizing

Worldof play

Games

Humour

World ofreligiousexpe-riences

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Page 11: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Theoretical Ideas

Video-Games in the the Life-World

World ofworking indaily life

World ofphantasies

Myths

Art

World ofdreams

World ofscientifictheorizing

Worldof play

Games

Humour

World ofreligiousexpe-riences

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Page 12: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Theoretical Ideas

Epistemological reversal

World ofreligious

experiences

World ofphantasies

Myths

Art

World ofdreams

World ofscientifictheorizing

Worldof play

Games

Humour

World ofworking indaily life

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Page 13: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Theoretical Ideas

Epistemological reversal

World ofworking indaily life

World ofphantasies

Myths

Art

World ofdreams

World ofscientifictheorizing

Worldof play

Games

Humour

World ofreligiousexpe-riences

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Page 14: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Theoretical Ideas

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Page 15: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Religion in Video Games Death and Religion

Ludology vs Narratology

Different aspects of game-studies approaches

• Meaningful religious framing needs embedding in a story, ananalytical religious framework .

• Interactive behaviour• mostly reaction to certain key-stimuli.• recently stronger connection of action and story• Examples : Jedi-Knight MotS, Fallout 3, Last of us...

• Storytelling Religion vs Interactive Religion

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Religion in Video Games Death and Religion

Religious framing of Death inVideo-games

Combining Interactivity and Narratvity

• Interferences between interactive behaviour and storyline elements• Possible contradictions between storyline and interactive behaviour• Overt examples of religious framing in storyline(author-perspective)

• Examples of religious framing through gamers (recipientperspective)

• Reception of storyline• Reception of actions in interactive content

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Page 17: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Approach from Religion - Sacrifice

Meaningful religious framing for death

Two aspects of sacrifice

1 Self sacrifice2 Accepting other people’s sacrifice

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Page 18: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Examples

Passive Death Scenarios - Self sacrifice

Walking Dead

• Self-sacrifice as possible end of the game• Player experiences own characters death as end of the game• The world goes on• Player shows moral and emotional framing• Player relates to game-character through in-game-choices

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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Analysis

Analysis of online discussion and videos

Walking Dead

• The idea of self-sacrifice is widely acceptable• Sadness for the survivor, who now has to live on alone• Compassion with the survivor, who had to sacrifice someone else tolive

• Sacrificing another person is controversial• The “religious professionals” discuss self sacrifice religiously(WWJD)

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Analysis

Conclusion?

Narrative vs InteractivityThe religious discourse begins when action and storyline clash!

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Page 29: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Analysis

Active Death-Scenarios - sacrifice ofanother person

The last of us• Storyline shows developing relation between main characters• Female game character substitutes daughte of male game character• Active killing guarantees the girls life• Selfish motive confronts the player with moral question

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Analysis

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Analysis

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Analysis

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Analysis

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Analysis

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Page 35: "For the Greater Good..." Death and Dying in Digital Games

Analysis

Analysis of online discussion and videos

The last of us• The idea of sacrificing others is controversial• The end does not justify the means• The greater good is not always desirable• Arguments straight from the lifeworld• Religious/philosophical discourse between people who are notreligious professionals

• “Religious professionals” Let go! - not sacrificing the girl forhumankind is selfish, not in Gods’ will (Isaak)

• The girl agreed to be sacrificed.

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Analysis

“For the Greater Good...?!”Framing Different Perspectiveson Death and Dying in Digital

Video Games and GamerGenerated Online Videos.

Michael Waltemathe

Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

January 10, 2014Michael Waltemathe (RUB) For the greater Good... January 10, 2014 36 / 36