Religion In Games Research Articles

A Topic Modeling Approach Towards Understanding the Discourse between Religion and Videogames on Reddit

Today's videogames are often intertwined with profound religious narratives, content, characters, and artifacts - but how do player communities understand the role of religion in games, and what is the impression of believers on the use, portrayal, and representation of the religion they practice? This paper dives deep into this confluence by rigorously analyzing discussions from religion and videogame subreddits that often depict the most popular communication channel for their communities. Following topic modeling, we cluster posts and comments from the three major religious groups and the most popular related videogame subreddits, bringing forth representative cultural sentiments and patterns of players and religious stakeholders. Through this, we discovered 22 distinct sub-themes, further categorized into the three overarching themes of (a) Blasphemous Elements of Videogames, (b) Religion as a Design Space for Videogames, and (c) Videogames for Religious Education and Community Forming.

Pop theology: forum discussions on religion in videogames

ABSTRACT Players of videogames are talking about religion. Despite longstanding theories of Western religious decline, recent scholarship has assessed that religious traditions and narratives feature prominently in videogames. In order to answer how player communities in game culture deal with religion in games, this study analyzes online discussions (N = 100) and interviews with strategically selected players (N = 20) to assess which games provoke discussions about religion, which religious topics are discussed about these games and what implications this has for theories of religious privatization. Based on the analysis, players are divided into four ideal-typical positions: players of all beliefs either Reject, Debunk, Debate or actively Connect with the worldviews presented in the games they play. In all, this online engagement with religion, gods and the nature of holy texts, presents a ‘pop theology’ of amateurs showing an interest in and having a public conversation about religion in the face of a post-secular society.

Playing the Other: Role-playing religion in videogames

In contemporary ‘post-secular society’, videogames like Assassin’s Creed, BioShock Infinite or World of Warcraft are suffused with religious elements. Departing from a critique on studies perceiving such in-game representations as discriminatory forms of religious Othering, the main research question of this article is: how does role-playing the (non-)religious Other in games affect the worldview of players? The study is based on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews held with 20 international players from different (non-)religious backgrounds. Rather than seeing religion in games as representations of ‘Othering’, the analysis demonstrates that players from different (non-)religious beliefs take on different worldviews while role-playing the (non-)religious Other. Atheists relativize their own position, opening up to the logic of religious worldviews; Christians, Hindus and Muslims, in turn, compare traditions and may draw conclusions about the similarities underlying different world religions. Other players ‘slip into a secular mindset’, gradually turning towards the position of a ‘religious none’. It is concluded that playing the religious Other in videogames provides the opportunity to suspend (non-)religious worldviews and empathize with the (non-)religious Other. The relevance of these findings is related to broader sociological debates about ‘post-secular society’ and the alleged increase of religious fundamentalism, conflict and mutual Othering.

‘Things Greater than Thou’: Post-Apocalyptic Religion in Games

In the literature on religion in games, two broad types of religion have been depicted: on the one hand, historical religions—Christian, Muslim and Buddhist narratives, tropes and symbols—and, on the other hand, fiction-based religion, referring to fantasy, myth and popular culture. In this article we aim to describe, analyze and explain the emergence of a new, unacknowledged repertoire. Building on two case studies—Fallout 3 and Horizon: Zero Dawn—we argue that modern technology (computers, AI, VR, androids) itself is becoming a sacred object of veneration in fiction, specifically in post-apocalyptic games that imagine man-made annihilation. Although the themes and topics differ, this emergent form of techno-religion in game narratives is generally located in a post-apocalyptic setting. Although they are fictitious, we conclude that such narratives reflect developments in real life, in which technology such as artificial intelligence is feared as an increasingly powerful, opaque force.