The Pop Theology of Videogames Article Swipe
YOU?
·
· 2023
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.1640540
· OA: W4366366627
Religion is surprisingly common in videogames.That is odd: religion was supposed to disappear under modernity, but survives in media despite decreased church attendance.It is now far more likely for young people to encounter religion in videogames than in church.Why is that so?And how should that change our understanding of religion?In this introduction, I summarize the related literatures on secularization, religion, games and play.Particularly religion and play have been theoretically intertwined, from the works of Durkheim and Huizinga to those of contemporary experts on games and religion -some of whom have been overly enthusiastic about finding religion.I finish by outlining how this book will theorize the pervasive and persistent presence of religion in contemporary videogames, asking why game makers use religion in their games, and how players make sense of this.
