‘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...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:  
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: De Wildt, Lars (Autor) ; Aupers, Stef 1969- (Autor) ; Coanda, Iulia (Autor) ; Krassen, Cindy (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Gargar...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publicado: MDPI [2018]
En: Religions
Año: 2018, Volumen: 9, Número: 6, Páginas: 1-20
Otras palabras clave:B Fallout 3
B post-apocalypse
B religion in games
B Video Games
B Horizon: Zero Dawn
Acceso en línea: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Descripción
Sumario: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.
ISSN:2077-1444
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel9060169