I actually like it when religion is put into a plot of a game.
It makes the sotry more intresting for me.
No. Not for gaming, at least. Religion can make things very interesting though, if put into books or movies. Despite frequent controversy, I think it makes things, well, interesting.
I honestly think religion makes ANYthing more interesting. Like, stigmata, Da Vinci Code, Boondock Saints... all I think are more interesting because of the edgy way that they touch on Catholicism.
Absolutely. It can be hilarious, like in those old NES Bible Adventure games. You get the quizzes after each stage and it installs in you Christian morale and teaches you Bible stories. You could also kill baby Moses by tossing him into the water and drowning him in his little frail basket. How could one find that uninteresting?
It depends on the game. If it's gritty, and people are going through rough times, it's neat so see how characters react to religion. And in games like Dragon Quest, I like how the old ladies in the churches say the nicest things.
However, in La Pucelle Tactics, I find it annoying how they keep saying, "IN THE NAME OF THE ***DESS!" especially because the voice acting for certain parts isn't mastered well.
Has there ever been a game where religion is made out to be good instead of some crazy world power bent on doing something bad?
But to answer the question, any game I have played with religion in it has been good, I think.
No I personally don't think religion is in games, except for the game of "Da Vinci Code"
I can think of a number of videogames where the addition of religion made it infinitely more enjoyable. My mind is drawing a blank as I try to sift prime examples up... ones I can remember in detail would be Xenogears, and Final Fantasy X.
One of the most memorable sections of Xenogears was the Ethos story arc. And of course we all remember Yu Yevon from the less-than-popular Final Fantasy X. Think how much more worse FFX would've been had the religious fanaticism of the Yevon temples not been included... *shudders*
Nuns and clergywomen are sexy beasts, too, can't deny that.
Yes. I very think so, anywayGEARS.
In my opinion, anything about the "unknown" makes anything more interesting.
...Except for that game...Messiah. That was a little too strange for me.
I've got to be honest with you all. Religion sucks in games.
In movies...Bada Bing! Bada Boom! I like that sort of thing there. But in games...(hmmm) not so much;)
Now I don't mind some mindless asian Gaia-esque mother earth, final fantasy, zelda or tales of symphonia religion thing (mainly because they are not real religions, so thay dont emphysis them much). Real religion gets hyped up in games far too much and becomes a reference for the actual plot.
SO bring on the angels, bring on the satanist and demons, but please keep the religion to a freddy Vs. Jason level, Not a sunday morning on FOX.:D
I like it when videogames use religion and become overly dramatic and DEEP.
JESUS WAS JAPANESE?!
Just don't go saying that in Utah
I think it's nice in RPGs when they explain how magic works and things like that, but then made-up religions are better than any real one for those circumstances. Well, apart from buddhism, you can make up all kinds of crap and call it "chi" if you want.
I first read te thread title as "Do you believe railguns makes a game more interesting?', and I was like, 'hell yeah'.
As with every other game element, it depends on how it is implemented.
No, not really. If a game is interesting, it's gonna be interesting whether there's religion in it or not. Religion just doesn't add a whole new realm of facination for me.
[quote=Klarth]Just don't go saying that in Utah
Aren't Mormon's Fun?:D
Hey why don't we all head off to utah. People there are stupid enought to think a guy with a Hat and a Rune stone talked to ***. I figure, with a Top and a Ruby, we could sell them the idea of a Mono-Rail made pop-sickle sticks.
I think it would make a story interesting if if was done well. To me, gameplay is what makes a game interesting!
I really have no religion, so it doesn't interest me.
Obvious real life promotions in a game get annoying. At least if you can tell that they're pushing the religion.
If it's explaining a fictional religion then I think it's necessary to the story, if anything else.
Yeah, especially if it relates to a real life religion but isn't blatant about it.
Games like the Breath of Fire series, for example, really make you think and be like "On the one side, we could believe in ***(dess) and live a happy life but be more confined in what we can or can't do and some things are just gonna suck. On the other side, we can fight and remove ***(dess) from our hearts and live a freer, more open life, but would feel a hell of a lot more lost and unprotected, and a lot of other stuff is just gonna suck."
Being raised in a heavily Christian family I used to hate when religion was used at all in games unless it was just something really minor or completely amiable toward Christianity, such as if peopel mentioned *** but never in a bad way or stuff like Chrono Trigger where stuff happens like Frog seeming like a righteous paladin in some instances and draws strength from Heaven itself, or how the Entity spoken of throughout the end parts of the game, often considered to be ***, pieced the group of heroes together, guided them in just the right paths to gradually train themselves both mentally and physically and see exactly what they needed to do,and finally pitted them against Lavos in order to save history. However, as I've grown and developed a much more open mind and my own set of beliefs (though still heavily Christian-influenced) I've found games with "iffier" questioning of religion and increasingly strong portrayals of it more and more interesting. And then you've always got stuff like Castlevania, which, though obviously not a religion fest, basically says "you can be heavily religious but still really, really cool", i.e. the Belmont clan.
*edit* Okay, why in the hell is gee-oh-dee censored? Are people here really THAT terrified of religion?
Spoilers: In Chrono Trigger the Entity is Alfador.
*******
Edit: Holy ****, it is. Wait, what if we're talking about ******* Churchill?
I think it makes it kind of interesing. I loved Spiritual Warfare for NES, it's one of my favorite games.
I think, overall, that religion does make a game more interesting. When done right. I don't mind if the religion is corrupt, because it shows what happens if a group has too much power.
But some times it can be overdone.
Depends in which way it's used and how. A straight-up Christian game preaching Christian values just gets on my nerves. Plus, those games are rare and usually terrible. Christian over/undertones can also be a bit too much and make the game come off as cheesy, therefore, uninteresting. Now, actual history, when used to drive or support the story, rather than the story itself, now that can be interesting. Religious themes, demonizing religious groups, references, or direct comparisons can all add a bit of depth and intrigue.
Or, simply creating new religions or go[COLOR="White"]ds[/COLOR] to fit the game's universe can also be pretty cool. Assuming it's unique and not just "lol it's basically G[COLOR="White"]od[/COLOR] but we didn't want to cause any problems"
tl;dr version: yes and no