Gaming the Gods: Video Games and Religion

Undergraduate / Graduate

What can Freud's theory of religion tell us about the appeal of Grand Theft Auto? How might critical religious studies help explain who the good guys and bad guys can be in a game? Is it kosher that there's a game where we can play as Jesus Christ (and punch Satan in the face)? In this course we will investigate the relationship between religion and video games. We will look at how religious narratives, symbolism, and ritual practice have influenced the worlds created by designers and developers. We will explore the communities and artistic expressions produced through the shared experience of gaming, including how the study of religion can help us understand the rules and boundaries that define them. Finally, we will think about how traditional religious communities have responded to video games, embracing their potential for new forms of imagination or rejecting them as dangerous or heretical. Though this course requires no previous knowledge of video games and gaming, interested students will have the option to design a video game as part of the final project.