A number of groups in the US have called for a boycott of a computer game called Left Behind: Eternal Forces, on the grounds that it is "training for religious warfare".
BBC News coverage of the story.
Those who object to the game dislike the theme of the game which is that if you do not become a follower of Jesus, you automatically become the enemy. Now that might be an embarrassing message for those liberal followers of the supernatural superstar but it really shouldn't be so surprising. After all, the church established itself precisely on its wars against unbelievers.
Islam of course has done the same with the exact same medieval messages as Christianity. Whereas the more politic church representatives sway with the wind of public opinion to preserve their influence, the Islamic theocracy have, because they insist on the literal truth of the Qur'an, refuse to budge. Consequently they come across as more extreme.
Those hard line Christian theocrats who defend the literal word of the bible will think that a game that teaches children to adopt the attitude of Christian warriors fighting to convert unbelievers, a fairly good thing. The co-founder of the games company defended the combative approach on the grounds that the baddy, that's the devil, is playing a convert-or-die game so you have to do the same. Hmmm...
But I think here's an example of religion finding its appropriate level - as a fantasy game. In this world you adopt a role, tangle with mythical objects, role-play, destroy the baddies, feel good about it, and move on. For some who play the game, they may be led to consider the similarity with other fantasy games, and see religion for what it is. The more thoughtful theologians would clearly see this as a trivialising approach to religion - but that's exactly what we should do with non-sensical irrational mythology. Turning it into a game is an excellent way of showing children how irrational and fantasy-ridden the whole business is.
There's a more pungent Islamic version apparently as well, called Quest for Bush in which the point is to go around with a gun shooting, you guessed, American soldiers.
At what point does directed fantasy become indoctrination? Well, the problem is that these ideas don't exist in isolation but form part of a matrix of social norms, ideas, beliefs, and practising actions in the context of those beliefs makes it easier to carry them out in reality.
That's the argument against socially realistic violent games. In an ideological context where religion is an accepted part of the landscape, such role play offers christian zealots a game environment for reinforcing indoctrination. But that also shows up the hypocracy because if it's acceptable to have proselytising Christian games vilifying an Antichrist character, presumably it's equally acceptable for an Islamic version to vilify apostates and infidels.
So the question seems to be, when is game more than a game? Clearly when it's part of an ideological struggle about the supernatural beliefs of mythologists. There's enough of a war machine behind each religion camp to make the effects socially very serious indeed.
If only it was just a game...
