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Game with God

Posted by Hemos on from the yhwh-games-with-us-all dept.

Andrew writes "GamerDad has an article up about how religion is handled in computer gaming, titled 'Game With God'. The article features quotes from Sid Meier, Jane Jensen, Will Wright, Peter Molyneaux, Phil Steinmeyer, and Richard Garriott. Here's a snippet: 'While religion and spirituality add a lot to a game world, they often aren't used effectively. 'I don't think there are any games that treat religion at anything more than a superficial level,'; says Firaxis founder and Civilization creator Sid Meier. PopTop Software's Phil Steinmeyer agrees, noting that 'Religion is ignored in gaming, or if it is portrayed, it's wildly caricatured.'"

13 of 877 comments (clear)

  1. All I know I learned from Civ2. by Slayk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Run through the tech tree, then go for Fundamentalisim. There repercussions for that form of government were far outclassed by the *amazing* ability to build wealth and power for your fight against the infidels.

    Yup. Not portrayed realistically at all.

  2. Religion by falzer · · Score: 5, Funny

    As long as the gods in nethack are pleased, I'm fine with it.

  3. Re:Games? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    Chess has bishops

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    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  4. Black and White.... by mdvlspwn99 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I like games where I am god. And if the villagers didn't like it, they got a thrown in the ocean!

    Or I'd feed them to my creature.

    --
    If reality was like Slashdot, most people would be (-1) Redundant.
  5. Re:uh,, Black and White anyone? by wo1verin3 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You obviously didn't order the Anti-Semitic Expansion Pack!

  6. Re: How can you simulate God in games? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Funny


    > Who'se AI programming could be considered good enough to simulate God?

    Easy solution: just let one of the players be God, and give him arbitrary power to change the game state at will. You'll soon find all the other players giving him money and sucking up to whatever he wants.

    Pardon the cynicism, but there you have it.

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    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  7. Tolerance not included by NWRefund · · Score: 3, Funny

    In a country where groups got together to burn Harry Potter books because they "taught kids to be witches and wizards," can you *blame* game creators for trying to tiptoe around religion?

  8. There's plenty of religion by jjoyce · · Score: 3, Funny

    Games have plenty of religion. Unreal Tournament 2004 would not be much fun if I couldn't be reincarnated every time I died.

    1. Re:There's plenty of religion by servognome · · Score: 3, Funny

      The voice of God booms, "Headshot"

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      D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
  9. Re:simulate religion in games? by meringuoid · · Score: 3, Funny
    Murphy's law. If anything can go wrong, it actually does. Always.

    A guy in Russia already programmed that game, I think...

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    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  10. "Insult to my intelligence" by wtrmute · · Score: 5, Funny

    except that for the most part, religion is false. (...) i know what's real and what's not.

    That's rich. And you are, of course, able to perceive with complete accuracy truth from lies. Maybe I should start worshipping you...

  11. Re:Semi-serious? by servognome · · Score: 4, Funny

    There never was a Job.
    Maybe Job just got outsourced?

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    D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
  12. So what? by tektor · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think there are any games that treat anaesthesiology at anything more than a superficial level, either.