Shaman, paragon, God-mode: modern video games are heavily coded with religious undertones. From the Shinto-inspired Japanese video game
Okami
to the internationally popular
The Legend of Zelda
and
Halo,
many video games
rely on religious themes and symbols to drive the narrative and frame the storyline.
Playing with Religion in Digital Games
explores the increasingly complex relationship between gaming and global religious practices. For example, how does religion help organize the communities in MMORPGs such as
World of Warcraft
? What role has censorship played in localizing games like
Actraiser
in the western world? How do evangelical Christians react to violence, gore, and sexuality in some of the most popular games such as
Mass Effect
or
Grand Theft Auto
? With contributions by scholars and gamers from all over the world, this collection offers a unique perspective to the intersections of religion and the virtual world.