The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games

Video game studies are a relative young but flourishing academic discipline. But within game studies, however, the perspective of religion and spirituality is rather neglected, both by game scholars and religion scholars. While religion can take different shapes in digital games, ranging from materi...

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1. autor: Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
Format: Online
Język:angielski
Wydane: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2021
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Dostęp online:33232
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author Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
author_browse Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
author_facet Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
author_sort Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Video game studies are a relative young but flourishing academic discipline. But within game studies, however, the perspective of religion and spirituality is rather neglected, both by game scholars and religion scholars. While religion can take different shapes in digital games, ranging from material and referential to reflexive and ritual, it is not necessarily true that game developers depict their in-game religions in a positive, confirming way, but ever so often games approach the topic critically and disavowingly. The religion criticisms found in video games can be categorized as follows: religion as (1) fraud, aimed to manipulate the uneducated, as (2) blind obedience towards an invisible but ultimately non-existing deity/ies, as (3) violence against those who do not share the same set of religious rules, as (4) madness, a deranged alternative for logical reasoning, and as (5) suppression in the hands of the powerful elite to dominate and subdue the masses into submission and obedience. The critical depictions of religion in video games by their developers is the focus of this special issue.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-587612024-04-08T20:11:21Z The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games Bosman, F.G. (Frank) BL1-50 imaginary worlds play Isaac criticism of religion games and religion studies American history football videogames cults new religious movements subcreation ritual practices Ethos digital games stereotypes child abuse game-immanent religious studies Assassin’s Creed game mechanics Dishonored secular science religious violence moral decision making fundamentalism video games occulture critique of religion game religion in games Bible religion studies Western esotericism transmedial worlds science fiction studies sacred paranormal Mythos karma Fallout 3 video game religion criticism theology religion contemplation game studies post-apocalypse transmedia storytelling content analysis transmediality game worlds society for psychical research Catholicism Horizon: Zero Dawn storyworlds Evangelicalism world-building bic Book Industry Communication::H Humanities::HR Religion & beliefs thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs Video game studies are a relative young but flourishing academic discipline. But within game studies, however, the perspective of religion and spirituality is rather neglected, both by game scholars and religion scholars. While religion can take different shapes in digital games, ranging from material and referential to reflexive and ritual, it is not necessarily true that game developers depict their in-game religions in a positive, confirming way, but ever so often games approach the topic critically and disavowingly. The religion criticisms found in video games can be categorized as follows: religion as (1) fraud, aimed to manipulate the uneducated, as (2) blind obedience towards an invisible but ultimately non-existing deity/ies, as (3) violence against those who do not share the same set of religious rules, as (4) madness, a deranged alternative for logical reasoning, and as (5) suppression in the hands of the powerful elite to dominate and subdue the masses into submission and obedience. The critical depictions of religion in video games by their developers is the focus of this special issue. 2021-02-12T02:43:10Z 2021-02-12T02:43:10Z 2019-04-25 16:37:17 2019 book 33232 9783038978312 9783038978305 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/58761 eng image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://play.google.com/books/publish/a/14935057684283403269#details/ISBN:9783038978305 https://mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/1253 MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 10.3390/books978-3-03897-831-2 10.3390/books978-3-03897-831-2 46cabcaa-dd94-4bfe-87b4-55023c1b36d0 9783038978312 9783038978305 184 open access
spellingShingle BL1-50
imaginary worlds
play
Isaac
criticism of religion
games and religion studies
American history
football videogames
cults
new religious movements
subcreation
ritual practices
Ethos
digital games
stereotypes
child abuse
game-immanent
religious studies
Assassin’s Creed
game mechanics
Dishonored
secular
science
religious violence
moral decision making
fundamentalism
video games
occulture
critique of religion
game
religion in games
Bible
religion studies
Western esotericism
transmedial worlds
science fiction
studies
sacred
paranormal
Mythos
karma
Fallout 3
video game
religion criticism
theology
religion
contemplation
game studies
post-apocalypse
transmedia storytelling
content analysis
transmediality
game worlds
society for psychical research
Catholicism
Horizon: Zero Dawn
storyworlds
Evangelicalism
world-building
bic Book Industry Communication::H Humanities::HR Religion & beliefs
thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs
Bosman, F.G. (Frank)
The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title_full The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title_fullStr The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title_full_unstemmed The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title_short The Sacred & the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games
title_sort sacred the digital critical depictions of religions in video games
topic BL1-50
imaginary worlds
play
Isaac
criticism of religion
games and religion studies
American history
football videogames
cults
new religious movements
subcreation
ritual practices
Ethos
digital games
stereotypes
child abuse
game-immanent
religious studies
Assassin’s Creed
game mechanics
Dishonored
secular
science
religious violence
moral decision making
fundamentalism
video games
occulture
critique of religion
game
religion in games
Bible
religion studies
Western esotericism
transmedial worlds
science fiction
studies
sacred
paranormal
Mythos
karma
Fallout 3
video game
religion criticism
theology
religion
contemplation
game studies
post-apocalypse
transmedia storytelling
content analysis
transmediality
game worlds
society for psychical research
Catholicism
Horizon: Zero Dawn
storyworlds
Evangelicalism
world-building
bic Book Industry Communication::H Humanities::HR Religion & beliefs
thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs
topic_facet BL1-50
imaginary worlds
play
Isaac
criticism of religion
games and religion studies
American history
football videogames
cults
new religious movements
subcreation
ritual practices
Ethos
digital games
stereotypes
child abuse
game-immanent
religious studies
Assassin’s Creed
game mechanics
Dishonored
secular
science
religious violence
moral decision making
fundamentalism
video games
occulture
critique of religion
game
religion in games
Bible
religion studies
Western esotericism
transmedial worlds
science fiction
studies
sacred
paranormal
Mythos
karma
Fallout 3
video game
religion criticism
theology
religion
contemplation
game studies
post-apocalypse
transmedia storytelling
content analysis
transmediality
game worlds
society for psychical research
Catholicism
Horizon: Zero Dawn
storyworlds
Evangelicalism
world-building
bic Book Industry Communication::H Humanities::HR Religion & beliefs
thema EDItEUR::Q Philosophy and Religion::QR Religion and beliefs
url 33232
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