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Looking For God In Videogames

Posted by simoniker on from the god-preoccupied-with-junior-kickstart dept.

Thanks to MSNBC.com for their article discussing the use of religion in videogames, both overtly Christian titles and those just addressing the subject indirectly. As the article comments, "Before 'god mode' or 'god games' there were 'God games' -- low budget, PC floppy disks that married evangelical Christian thought and scripture with simple game play. The boundaries between the holy and the secular were simpler then... Today, the lines have grown fuzzier." The piece also points to religious overtones in MMORPGs: "In EverQuest, the massive online multiplayer game, new players are asked to pick from among the religions native to the land of Norrath. One of Norrath's deities, 'The Nameless' has triggered talk on discussion boards over whether 'Nameless' could be understood as the Jewish Yahweh. Some [Christian] evangelists have even used EverQuest to proselytize to fellow players."

10 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Why the word"YAHWAH" is not what you mean by Zachary+Kessin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Please don't use it, "G-d" is a perfectly good word. That is not a good translitteration of the four letter name of G-d into english. We don't know how it was pronouced as the name was only said once a year by the Kohen Gadol (High priest) on Yom Kipor in Temple days. It should also be pointed out that there is no "W" sound in hebrew, nor is there a "J".

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    Erlang Developer and podcaster
    1. Re:Why the word"YAHWAH" is not what you mean by Zachary+Kessin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I am an orthodox Jew, and it does make me twitch, but it could be worse, at least with this version i know that it is wrong. As for names from biblical times, it depends on the name and the langauge. I know lots of poeple with bibilical names who use the biblical (hebrew) spelling and pronouce it as such. Most of the guys I know named Joshua use Joshua not "Yehoshua" but my friend Jon is at least some of the time "Yonaton" or "Yonason". And I've know a few Shlomos (Solomon), Yaakovs (Isaac) as well as more than one Devorah and Rivka (Rebecca).

      Ok I hang out with religous Jews.

      --
      Erlang Developer and podcaster
    2. Re:Why the word"YAHWAH" is not what you mean by BTWR · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "Yo-hay-va-hay," roughly translating to "I am that I am."

      I'm fluent in hebrew, and that's not even close to the translation of the hebrew sentence "I am that I am" (but that's still a nice theory)

      My favorite theory I have heard (and the one i lean to) on YHVH's name is this. Take a look at these 3 hebrew words (and how to spell them in phonetic english)

      HYH = Past
      HVVH = Present
      YHYH = Future

      Therefore, YHVH, or G-d, is a combination of the 3... a code for "Past, Present and future." Those who have studied gods and mythology will understand that the G-d of the Bible is a "Gd of time" as opposed to Zeus, Ra, etc, who were "gods of nature," thus making the YHVH (G-d) name a good candidate for some sort of time-relevence.

  2. Cool by OneIsNotPrime · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'm sure this thread will be full of mockery and scorn, but I definitely prefer this kind of thinking to throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

    There's a clear trend of online communites, especially MMORPGs, beginning to mimick regular society more and more closely. I see missionary work in virtual communities as a natural progression of this.

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    WARNING:Slashdot karma not redeemable in the afterlife.

  3. OK, so I'm a mildly tolerant atheist... by slaker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    OK, so I'm a mildly tolerant atheist (actually, I'm not. Tolerant, particularly, but we'll pretend), or maybe just not a christian, and hypothetically, I'm paying to be involved in an MMORPG.

    Some jerk starts following me around blathering about his god and how I'm not going to his heaven and basically talking about his personal relationship with Jebus.

    At what point do I have recourse in this? I'm going about my business, and PAYING to do so, and I don't want to hear it.

    Can I complain to the operators of the service? Can I smite the moron for annoying me? Or is my only option to log off or leave because some dumbass is ruining my time online?

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    -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
    1. Re:OK, so I'm a mildly tolerant atheist... by slaker · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have other perfectly valid reasons to miss out on a lot of life. In fact, life is basically one long thing that I miss.

      Seriously, though. How can this be tolerated behavior?

      If someone walks up to me on a street that we each have an equal right to use, that's one thing. If I'm paying for the right to be there, doesn't that also (er, at least in the case of most reasonable services) give me some recourse when something as off-putting as THAT happens?

      For readers who can't empathize, I guess a decent analogy, since a lot of /.-ers were at least raised xtian and are at least nominally heterosexual males, would be a situation where you were paying for an MMORPG and every time you got online some scary gay guy wouldn't give up hitting on you (yes, like the oldmanmurray article). That's what being an atheist around rabid xtians is like.

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      -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
    2. Re:OK, so I'm a mildly tolerant atheist... by slaker · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've been hit on by members of my own sex. I've been told I need to become a mormon, a pentecostal, a baptist, one of those watchtower-carrying bastards and a catholic.

      In my experience, there's a similar level of distaste.

      Actually, I take that back. The first time a guy tried to hit on me, I was kinda flattered, which is something I've yet to experience with those who feel compelled to give witness.

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      -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
    3. Re:OK, so I'm a mildly tolerant atheist... by IIRCAFAIKIANAL · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Speaking as an athiest as well, when someone decides to proselytize to me I usually just do it back. It's really fun when you tell them that they are 99% of the way to being a total athiest, just like me, and they get all shocked. Then I tell them,

      "When you understand why you deny the existance of all gods but the one you worship, then you will understand why I deny yours as well."

      (Para-phrased quote by Stephen F. Roberts)

      I try not to be smug when I say it... =]

      --
      Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
  4. stories by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think God in video games is a completly ignored subject. There is so much subject matter that could be used for material. It's amazing in these days where most people complain about storylines in games that they don't just use stories from the Bible? After all there is a lot of stories in there that many people don't read. Such as the political actions of the kings of Israel and Judah are complex. And what about the prophesies and visions that are in the Bible. And talk about complex characters, WOW. I really think that if most people get past there own bias and unfortunatly sometimes hate they would really like the Bible even if they don't chose to beleive it and I think they would really be impressed by any game that you could make from the history in it. History based or fictional.

    -Emperor Alikar who for some reason can't rember his password... *sigh*

  5. Um... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...no offense to Mr. Loftus' article, but it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to mention religion and gaming without bringing up Xenogears (as well as Xenosaga), as well as a couple other notables. I understand that it wasn't exactly the point of the article, but he could've easily included religious (not necessarily Christian) influences on gaming (perhaps in part 2?).

    http://www.toastyfrog.com/features/features/reli gi on_01.shtml