Over the decades, video games have moved from a basement, isolated recreation to a mainstream, integrated form of media. Video games have a growing influence on the public’s perception of certain social elements: violence, morality and even — according to a new study — religion.
Greg Perrault examined five video games with religious motifs as part of his doctoral thesis at the Missouri School of Journalism. The games he targeted were Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect 2, Castlevania: Lord of Shadow, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Final Fantasy 13. According to the university’s news release he found a strong correlation between religious themes and subsequent violence.
“Not only was the violent side of religion emphasized,” Perrault says, “but in each of these games religion created a problem that the main character must overcome.”
There is merit to what Perrault found. From the historical, crusader-based Assassin’s Creed to the sci-fi, cultural epic Mass Effect 2, a character’s beliefs become a powerful motivator both for good and for evil. Yet this is all part of video games becoming more tied to our own reality – our mirrored selves staring back at us through video games, in both our triumphant highs and most horrific lows. Just as violence and religion have been fated throughout history, so too can it be expected that this relationship be found in genres of modern media like video games.
The underlying issue to these findings is how extensively religion can be used in video games before it becomes culturally insensitive. Even if their motives are innocent, developers need to be very aware of not only how frequently religion is used in their games, but more importantly how accurately faith-based ideas are cultivated. Otherwise they risk affronting certain groups. Developer CyberConnect2 is currently under scrutiny for just that.
An article published last week on www.escapistmagazine.com outlined that Hinduism groups are upset over what they consider CyberConnect2’s misrepresentation and subsequently inappropriate use of sacred Hindu deities in the recently released Asura's Wrath. Rajan Zed, president of the U.S.-based Universal Society of Hinduism, stated that the distortion of hallowed Hindu figures in the game belittles their faith.
“Such trivializing and re-imagining of highly revered symbols and concepts of Hinduism was not okay,” Zed said in a press release. “It is upsetting for the devotees.”
It’s important to note that, despite this, Zed actually welcomes the idea of religious themes and concepts being used in video games, as long as they are taken seriously and used both accurately and respectfully. This reinforces that it is not frequency that is the issue, but accuracy.
Perrault alludes to the idea of accuracy as part of his findings, saying video games create problems for religion by closely tying it in with violence. Perrault is quick to point out however, that developers may not have nefarious motives.
“It doesn’t appear that game developers are trying to purposefully bash organized religion,” he says, “I believe they are only using religion to create stimulating plot points in their story lines.”
As games become more immersive, story lines will draw more on humanity’s motivation spanning our global history. There is no motivation more powerful, on individual, cultural, and political levels, than our religious beliefs. It’s one of the most ubiquitous elements in our species’ history. So while this evolution is both understandable and natural, it is a developer’s responsibility to be both sensitive and accurate in how religion is represented in their games. This mirrors the same responsibility we have in our own outlook on the role religion has played — and continues to play — in shaping our world.
