Games with Religion as a Core Theme

[FangStiltzskin]

Hi guys. I am currently working on a small game project with two of my net friends and we were discussing the story of our game. I brought up the suggestion of having themes of religious differences and how those differences affect people and their relationships. However, one of my friends said that it would be too risky and that people would go insane over it.

Now, I found it a bit irrational since we're not well known at all and I'm sure we will not have much exposure, but that's not the point. I thought to myself: how many games actually address real life issues surrounding different religious conflicts? Are we scared of what we may stir up?

I don't really play many games to begin with, so I'm probably just ignorant or not looking in the right places (besides SMT, which touches on religions and mythology). Still, I want some good examples of games addressing discrimination of religion or something akin to that.

So, are there any games with parallels to religious situations that happen in the real world? (This does not mean any game with a fictional religion, mind you.)

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

So within the last 2 months we've had more than a few threads discussing religion in video games. I suggest you start there to see if you can find what you're looking for.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.405993-Religion-in-Video-Games

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/528.368085-Religion-in-videogames

 

[FangStiltzskin]

So within the last 2 months we've had more than a few threads discussing religion in video games. I suggest you start there to see if you can find what you're looking for.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.405993-Religion-in-Video-Games

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/528.368085-Religion-in-videogames

Oh. I'll look at those. I searched the topic up but I guess I was too lazy to sift through what I was looking for. Sorry for any forum clogging.

theres a indy but pretty damn good rpg called inquisitor that tackles alot of medieval issues even if it is fantasy.

I'll look into that, thank you.

 

[beastro]

Xenogears touches on these topics at times as it goes along.

 

[Ryotknife]

The only games ive played where religion plays a major role is:

Final fantasy X (probably the biggest one as it not only deals with the typical "dark" side of religions but also explores faith and the lost of faith)

Final Fantasy tactics (the Church plays a major roll about midway)

Xenosaga, particularly Xenosaga 3.

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

The Binding of Isaac. Basically having a lot of parallels to the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, but it has you playing as a child named Isaac who's trying to be killed by his crazed mother who think she hears god telling her to kill Isaac. Lot's of other religious themes sprinkled here and there.

 

[DaedricDuke]

I believe BioShock Infinite touches on religion. Also Deus Ex takes on the morals and ethics taught through religion.

 

[Vkmies]

Very few games have tackled it in a successful and a mature way.

It's a REALLY hard subject to tackle for anyone bigger than indie and even for indies that don't have to worry about bad PR or publishers getting scared. Mainly because it's hard to stay unbiased and not antagonize people that disagree with you on such a personal subject.

Good luck on your game man. I hope you guys manage to make a game that doesn't make people angry, but makes people think.

 

[TheDoctor455]

There's Planescape: Torment.

Though, granted it doesn't deal with any real world religions...

it does deal with issues key to any religion like belief and faith...

and the different kinds of personal torment that both can bring to people.

 

[Ashadowpie]

FFVII anyone? hahaha sorta not really but JENOVA was like a more evil version of the Jehovah's Witness. but only by a little bit.

 

[uncanny474]

Ultima IV

Ultima VII The Black Isle is about religious *conflict* if that's what he's looking for.

 

[MrMisfit]

The Xenogears/Xenosaga games for sure. Grandia 2 also had religion as a central theme.

 

[thiosk]

I will base my response in rock and roll.

There are bands where the members are religious.
There are religious bands.

The former tend to win: the latter is about religion first and music second, whereas the former play the music and happen to be religious.

I'd wager that most "religion" games are about the religion first and the gameplay second, and as such, no one remembers them.

My idea for a "religious" game would be an RTS a la starcraft, where you had three factions: angels, demons, and humanity. The "angels" tended to dominate the skies and fought with beams of light. The demons erupt from the earth and fight with fire and such. Humanity is stuck between, and either utterly ignored by or targeted by, the supernatural conflict raging around them, and has to take its own steps against both factions for its survival.

 

[direkiller]

if you don't mind going old school
Ultima 4-8 is a good one for this
in 4 the entire point is to start your own religion around the virtues

 

[mikerdna]

Be sure to differentiate "morality" and "religion" some games give you different ending based on how good or evil you behave during the game, so most players go to both extremes to get a perfect polar opposite ending. Ultima IV was the first in the 1980s (perhaps the best).

Use of divine characters are popular (as in comic books) for colorful, powerful, fight-bosses and other deus-ex-machine endings, but you won't see characters doing much worship of them (just fighting or receiving gifts). Demons and devils abound, and games set in Hell (beginning with Doom).

Cursing and taking-the-lords-name-in-vain is quite common in dialogue, but most miracle wielding priest/mages don't do a lot of praising, just flinging fireballs and healing straight away. Real-time fights don't allow alot of time for meditation.

As many villains are from figures of power, naturally some bad guys like to form cults of personal-awesomeness around themselves, with nasty followers (see Lara Croft's recent game). You will see ordinary clerics and such as NPCs and characters you visit in RPGs, who might talk a little about their faith.

Historical crusading games naturally have historical setting with pretty much determined outcomes, but they do inform character motivations a little, even if a little incomprehensible nowadays to modern motivations.

 

[Naeras]

Tales of Symphonia touches on the subject to quite a degree, but it's not the main theme(the main theme would be discrimination). However, I do believe another Tales game that either was to be or has been released outside of Japan will have religion as a theme. I can't remember which one, and didn't quite find it after searching either. Hopefully someone else knows which one it is. D:

 

[lacktheknack]

Beaten to the Binding of Isaac, but allow me to reinforce the awesomeness of The Binding of Isaac.

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "deconstruction" of Christianity (it's too disjointed by nature), but it's filled to the gills with Christian/Satanic imagery, and the religious undercurrent is more palpable than can be explained.

 

[lacktheknack]

I will base my response in rock and roll.

There are bands where the members are religious.
There are religious bands.

The former tend to win: the latter is about religion first and music second, whereas the former play the music and happen to be religious.

I'd wager that most "religion" games are about the religion first and the gameplay second, and as such, no one remembers them.

My idea for a "religious" game would be an RTS a la starcraft, where you had three factions: angels, demons, and humanity. The "angels" tended to dominate the skies and fought with beams of light. The demons erupt from the earth and fight with fire and such. Humanity is stuck between, and either utterly ignored by or targeted by, the supernatural conflict raging around them, and has to take its own steps against both factions for its survival.

Of course, that's a game that uses religious IMAGERY as its core, but not a game that has RELIGION as a core.

ie. There is no religion (that I'm aware of) that pits demons vs angels vs humans in an Alien vs. Predator scenario. That's exclusively territory of atheistic deconstruction.

The last attempt at an RTS with religion itself as a core was "Left Behind", and while it was decently interesting and was surprisingly polished all things considered, it wasn't a particularly good game. Maybe one day...

 

[Ratties]

Do remember there being a battle between two gods in grandia 2. Are people in the game that preach the faith of one of the two.
[http://photobucket.com/images/grandia%202]