Tilburg University The Sacred & the Digital Bosman, Frank DOI: 978-3-03897-831-2 Publication date: 2019 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Bosman, F. (Ed.) (2019). The Sacred & the Digital: Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games. 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Bosman Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Religions www.mdpi.com/journal/religions The Sacred & the Digital The Sacred & the Digital: Critical Depictions of Religions in Video Games Special Issue Editor Frank G. Bosman MDPI • Basel • Beijing • Wuhan • Barcelona • Belgrade Special Issue Editor Frank G. Bosman Tilburg University The Netherlands Editorial Office MDPI St. Alban-Anlage 66 4052 Basel, Switzerland This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue published online in the open access journal Religions (ISSN 2077-1444) from 2018 to 2019 (available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special issues/video games) For citation purposes, cite each article independently as indicated on the article page online and as indicated below: LastName, A.A.; LastName, B.B.; LastName, C.C. Article Title. Journal Name Year, Article Number, Page Range. ISBN 978-3-03897-830-5 (Pbk) ISBN 978-3-03897-831-2 (PDF) Cover image courtesy of pexels.com user Jamie McInal. c 2019 by the authors. Articles in this book are Open Access and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. The book as a whole is distributed by MDPI under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. Contents About the Special Issue Editor ...................................... vii Frank G. Bosman The Sacred and the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Digital Games Reprinted from: Religions 2019, 10, 130, doi:10.3390/rel10020130 ................... 1 Connie Veugen Stay Your Blade Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 209, doi:10.3390/rel9070209 .................... 6 Lars de Wildt, Stef Aupers, Cindy Krassen and Iulia Coanda ‘Things Greater than Thou’: Post-Apocalyptic Religion in Games Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 169, doi:10.3390/rel9060169 .................... 30 Javier Gil-Gimeno, Celso S´anchez-Capdequ´ı and Josetxo Beriain Play, Game, and Videogame: The Metamorphosis of Play Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 162, doi:10.3390/rel9050162 .................... 50 Jan Wysocki Critique with Limits—The Construction of American Religion in BioShock: Infinite Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 150, doi:10.3390/rel9050150 .................... 66 Heidi Rautalahti Disenchanting Faith—Religion and Authority in the Dishonored Universe Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 146, doi:10.3390/rel9050146 .................... 80 Mark J. P. Wolf Contemplation, Subcreation, and Video Games Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 142, doi:10.3390/rel9050142 .................... 92 Pavel Nosachev The Paranormal in Jane Jensen’s “Gray Matter” Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 134, doi:10.3390/rel9040134 .................... 99 Frank G. Bosman and Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 133, doi:10.3390/rel9040133 ....................109 Tobias Knoll ‘Instant Karma’—Moral Decision Making Systems in Digital Games Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 131, doi:10.3390/rel9040131 ....................126 P.C.J.M. (Jarell) Paulissen The Dark of the Covenant: Christian Imagery, Fundamentalism, and the Relationship between Science and Religion in the Halo Video Game Series Reprinted from: Religions 2018, 9, 126, doi:10.3390/rel9040126 ....................161 v About the Special Issue Editor Frank G. Bosman, Dr., senior researcher at Tilburg Cobbenhagen Center, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Bosman is specialized in cultural theology in general and in religion and digital games in particular. His latest book on this subject is: Gaming and the Divine. A New Systematic Theology of Video Games (Routledge: London, 2019). vii religions Editorial The Sacred and the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Digital Games Frank G. Bosman Department of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands; [email protected] Received: 17 January 2019; Accepted: 21 February 2019; Published: 22 February 2019 Abstract: In this editorial, guest editor Frank Bosman introduces the theme of the special issue on critical depictions of religion in video games. He does so by giving a tentative oversight of the academic field of religion and video game research up until present day, and by presenting different ways in which game developers critically approach (institutionalized, fictional and non-fictional) religions in-game, of which many are discussed by individual authors later in the special issue. In this editorial, Bosman will also introduce all articles of the special issue at hand. Keywords: game studies; religion studies; games and religion studies; religion criticism 1. Introduction 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. Although some fine studies have appeared, like Halos & Avatars (Detweiler 2010), Godwired. Religion, ritual, and virtual reality (Wagner 2012), eGods. Faith versus fantasy in computer gaming (Bainbridge 2013), Of Games and God (Schut 2013), Playing with Religion in digital games (Campbell and Grieve 2014), Methods for Studying Video Games and Religion (Sisler et al. 2018), and Gaming and the Divine (Bosman 2019), still little attention has been given to the depiction of religion, both institutionalized and privatized, both fantasy and non-fictional, deployed by game developers for their games’ stories, aesthetics, and lore. Video games have used religion as a source of inspiration since decades, while on very different levels and through different modes (Bosman 2016). Games have used religious themes, languages, images, symbolisms and the like to construct instant recognizable lores, characters and/or narratives (for example DMC. Devil May Cry or Diablo III), but also to stimulate the player to contemplate existential notions (for example The Turing Test or The Talos Principle) or invite them (sometimes even force them) to behave in a way traditionally associated with religion (for example Bioshock Infinite). In some instances, it has been argued that the act of gaming itself could be regarded a religious act in itself (Wagner 2012, Bosman 2019). Two dedicated academic journals on religion and video games exist: Gamenvironments (since 2014), hosted by the universities of Bremen (Germany) and edited by Kerstin Radde-Antweiler (Bremen) and Zenia Zeiler (Helsinki); and Online—Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet (from 2004 to 2010 and 2014 to present), hosted by the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and edited by Gregor Ahn and Tobias Knoll (both from Heidelberg as well). While Online’s scope is broader than just video games, they have published three dedicated issues on the subject: Religion in digital games. Multiperspective and interdisciplinary approaches (Heidbrink and Knoll 2014), Religion in digital games reloaded. Immersion into the field (Heidbrink et al. 2015) and Religion in digital games respawned (Heidbrink and Knoll 2016). While religion can take different shapes in digital games (Bosman 2016), ranging from material and referential to reflexive and ritual, it is not necessarily true that game developers depict their Religions 2019, 10, 130; doi:10.3390/rel100201301 www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2019, 10, 130 in-game religions in a positive, confirming way, but ever so often games approach the topic critically and disavowingly, like for example Far Cry 4 and Bioshock Infinite. The first depicts a clearly Christian-inspired violent doomsday sect, issuing a reign of religious terror on their environment, while the second criticizes the Christian roots of American exceptionalism (both games are discussed in this issue). The developers do not operate in a cultural void, but are tapping into a larger cultural criticism on the religion phenomenon in general. Richard Dawkins, the godfather of battle-ready New Atheism, for example,