Catholic Video Games

[dava4444]

hi guys

just to chime in (I came looking for a catholic games list… but since we are a bit thin on the ground…)

1. Bioshock 1 and 2 are anti-secular games, TBH at first I was against the horror concept and any theme I saw as anti Catholic in my 5 mins of playing first time around. but I went in again and wow, my first and only ever anti-secular game! huge fan now! Gentiles who play with fire get burnt! and the city has it’s own beauty and charm, even though it is collapsing.
2. Fallout 3 and NV. 3 isn’t really biblical in anyway except there is a book you cannot sell and it is of higher value then the others, but is not named… The Fallout New Vegas DLC pack called Honest Heart is simply beautiful, it even endorsed my faith and gave me some much needed peace, which is something i do need in my life.
3. Assassins Creed 1 but not 2. the first game was amazing, it gave me hope, hope that I could feel akin to faith through video games… the second instalment… I would guess, is the most Anti-Catholic game since the Reformation Punch and Judy shows.

4 El Shaddai, this is a Kabbalist game based very very loosely on the journey of the Prophet Enoch to becoming Metatron. I did not like this game, as it did not follow Enoch’s story closely enough… but on the whole a good attempt, I know Metatron’s story well, they should have stuck to it.but overall some good moral messages, but I only played the demo…soo…

5… running out of idea’s here…there’s a buddhist game called Flower… but I reeeeaalllyy don’t think it should be on this list, great chillout game anyway though.

So wow, 4 games… God Help us (sincerely).
can we get a list going please guys?
if any new one come up please take my list and add them.

thank you and God Bless.

Dava

 

[SergioRJ]

dava4444: I mentioned several Catholic themed games other than the 4 you listed. There are several other mentions in this thread as well. I guess you didn’t bother reading the whole thing?

Anyway, I agree that a list should be made. Only thing I am not sure of is what exactly qualifies for a “Catholic game”. Most mentions in this thread refer to games that are sympathetic to the Catholic faith, that present it in a favorable light and that show it as part of the game setting.

I will start another thread with a list on the OP.

 

[jc4751]

Wow. Holy old thread bump.

I’m curious if there really can be such a thing as a Catholic video game.

The problem here is that art is an escape from reality, via the artist’s brain. Whatever we see is an interpretation of another person’s imaginings on the world.

Catholicism, on the other hand, is Truth and nothing but Truth.

Is a reflection of Truth truth or is it no more ephemeral than mist and mirrors?

We want to find something Catholic in games, but do we really see anything Catholic in, say, Dean Koontz’s writings? Yeah, the man is a Catholic and makes no bones about it, but if we want Truth, do we read Doon Koontz or the Bible?

I think the challenge is that anyone can look at a game, say that it is just a game, then go to Mass or not. Anyone who even tries to approach the subject matter through entertainment is going to find it’s nothing but a shallow copy. How can you game about Truth, anyway? It’s like making a game out of the Identity Property of Addition. A = A and suchforth…

I used to game a lot, not so much anymore. It’s not really any different from gambling, which I won’t condemn on moral grounds, but simply on practical ones. Why spend time away from family, friends, and most of all, God, looking for something that has never been there from the get-go? (i.e. Catholicism in gaming) Take your 70 or 80 years, evangelize the world, and don’t spend it on idleness.

 

[dava4444]

Hi guys

SergioRJ I had scanned the whole thread, and glimpsed your post, I was thinking 90’s is a bit old, but i went back and checkout your whole post, black mirror has good graphics from what I can see on GameSpot, …ssoo my bad, sorry

Vampire/demon games really don’t appeal to me because of this and I feel we stray into ‘Magic’ too easily with such games. I had wanted to say I was wrong, because i was wrong about BioShock, but my heart won’t let me play ‘might and magic’ games without complaint. peace.

and i look forward to your list, perhaps i’ll find another wee gem, like Bioshock

@jc4751 the things in regard to “Why spend time away from family, friends, and most of all, God,” you have said are true, but then again, isn’t this a source of adventure for many? it’s like reading a book, but also getting to interact with it, my friends live far away and i have no car, i rarely see my family except my brother and nephew, and i see God, I hope, everyday

 

[SergioRJ]

Hey guys, I started a thread with a list that will be updated with any adition. Here is the link:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=667813

Please post there if you think of any adition or anything that I missed or should have added. It is an awful small list so far…

I have to agree with jc4751, there is no such a thing as a “catholic game”. There are games that portray the catholic faith as part of its setting or plot. Obviously, the game does it either positively, negatively, or both at the same time. Most such games are horror games or supernatural thrillers, and I think the reason for that is obvious. The archetypal supernatural villains are demons and the devil himself, and many horror authors draw from our religion when they need a source for such depictions. Most classical “monsters”(i.e: vampires, werewolves, etc) are also associated with the Devil one way or another.

Most games mentioned in this thread were mentioned just for having “christian values” or being “anti-secular” and I ended up not even putting them on the list. Many of the games I mentioned myself I didn’t put in the list. It is just very unusual to see religion portrayed in games at all nowadays, and when it happens is usually not done positively. It has become somewhat of a taboo… even games set in highly religious periods(middle-ages, etc) tend to simply avoid tackling the subject and pretend religion didn’t exist at the time or isn’t relevant to the story.

I guess dealing with religious themes would be a turn-off for our generation, which is mostly lapsed, agnostic, or atheist.