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| A simple Norse village at the start of Black & White. |
Hello, all you "bonnie and blithe and good and gay" Sunday's Children! Today I will be examining what I know is a sensitive topic for many - gods and religion - within the context of two video games.
Black & White - this is probably one of the more popular "god games", as it was developed by a studio that was headed by the (in)famous Peter Molyneux, one of the visionaries behind gems like Theme Hospital and Populous. This game literally casts you in the role of an all-seeing deity that aims to become more powerful by amassing worshippers, both non-believers and those of rival gods alike. You also have your very own gigantic creature, to use or abuse as you wish. This is a fairly simplistic representation of gods and religion, as no fictional or real religions are ever named in-game, and you can't, for example, set rules and punishments for your worshippers or creature to abide by. Still, the Artificial Intelligence of your creature is impressively versatile and malleable, as is the degree to which you physically shape the world that you hover over.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - this is a Japanese role-playing game in which you play the "God Slayer", literally someone that can kill gods. How this happens I will leave a secret, so as not to spoil the game for anyone. Along your merry path of myth murdering, you encounter various religious sects and political groups. The three main factions are Law, Neutral, Chaos, and the Divine Powers, aka one of the main antagonists of the game, because they seek to deliver everyone's souls into a recreated universe, even though this would result in billions of deaths. Interestingly enough, you cannot actually side with the Divine Powers, although you can take what is called the Massacre route, which basically allows them to achieve their goal and positions you as the "god" of the new universe. The game comprehensively covers real world religions, mythological beings and deities from all corners of the world in a generally neutral and reasonably accurate manner. What is disappointing is that it never really delves deeply into matters of personal faith, at least not until you face the TRUE final boss. The Law faction, led by the archangel Merkabah, also gets kind of shafted in their depiction, as they are shown to be arrogant and callous, without a shred of compassion for humanity. This makes them seem like rather one-dimensional, unsympathetic enemies. The Divine Powers, especially Krishna - their leader - get a much fairer shake. Krishna is a genuinely devious and likeable antagonist with a fabulous sense of style. I mean, just look at this gorgeous son of a b***:
Black & White - this is probably one of the more popular "god games", as it was developed by a studio that was headed by the (in)famous Peter Molyneux, one of the visionaries behind gems like Theme Hospital and Populous. This game literally casts you in the role of an all-seeing deity that aims to become more powerful by amassing worshippers, both non-believers and those of rival gods alike. You also have your very own gigantic creature, to use or abuse as you wish. This is a fairly simplistic representation of gods and religion, as no fictional or real religions are ever named in-game, and you can't, for example, set rules and punishments for your worshippers or creature to abide by. Still, the Artificial Intelligence of your creature is impressively versatile and malleable, as is the degree to which you physically shape the world that you hover over.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - this is a Japanese role-playing game in which you play the "God Slayer", literally someone that can kill gods. How this happens I will leave a secret, so as not to spoil the game for anyone. Along your merry path of myth murdering, you encounter various religious sects and political groups. The three main factions are Law, Neutral, Chaos, and the Divine Powers, aka one of the main antagonists of the game, because they seek to deliver everyone's souls into a recreated universe, even though this would result in billions of deaths. Interestingly enough, you cannot actually side with the Divine Powers, although you can take what is called the Massacre route, which basically allows them to achieve their goal and positions you as the "god" of the new universe. The game comprehensively covers real world religions, mythological beings and deities from all corners of the world in a generally neutral and reasonably accurate manner. What is disappointing is that it never really delves deeply into matters of personal faith, at least not until you face the TRUE final boss. The Law faction, led by the archangel Merkabah, also gets kind of shafted in their depiction, as they are shown to be arrogant and callous, without a shred of compassion for humanity. This makes them seem like rather one-dimensional, unsympathetic enemies. The Divine Powers, especially Krishna - their leader - get a much fairer shake. Krishna is a genuinely devious and likeable antagonist with a fabulous sense of style. I mean, just look at this gorgeous son of a b***:
Hell, even the Chaos faction, led by Lucifer, are easier to sympathise with, as they stand up to the tyrannical ways of the Law faction, even if their philosophy of the strong running roughshod over the weak is somewhat questionable. However, that relatively minor complaint doesn't shadow the fact that, overall, this game will at the very least educate you about the various religions and mythologies that exist, and will hopefully inspire you to re-examine what you believe in. It is proof that religion and gods CAN be depicted within the context of the videogame in thought-provoking and challenging ways.
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