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March 1st, 2010, 20:26 Posted By: Shrygue
via The Bulletin
Even the most hard-core gamers are sounding the alarm about the rise in the number of satanically-themed video games that target God and Christianity, invite players to make pacts with the devil, and elevate Satan to hero status.
“This has been going on for the last 10 years, but especially in the most recent games,” said Lance Christian, 32, of Alton, Illinois who has been an avid gamer for most of his life.
For instance, in one game, players kill the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael before going on to destroy God. Another game requires players to sell their soul to the devil and rewards them for “killing unbaptized infants.”
All of these games seem to have one central theme - God is the enemy and the devil is the hero. And they do nothing to hide it. One game guide glibly states: “The Judeo-Christian God is portrayed as the prominent villain in the series . . . “
“This is just the tip of the iceberg in what I have discovered,” Mr. Christian said. “I feel that the devil has a new tool to work with in this age of technology, and the majority of adults in a position of responsibility are left in the dark.”
His list of the most egregious games includes:
• Tecmo’s Deception: Invitation To Darkness (Playstation) – Players “make an unholy pact and sell their soul to Satan in exchange for power” with the object of the game being to ensure the resurrection of Satan and obtain his power. (This game is rated “T” for teens.)
• Nocturne (Playstation 2): A game in which the hero (a demon) destroys the three Archangels St. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, then goes on to destroy God.
• Shadow Hearts (Playstation 2): The hero uses his power to intercept and destroy God and “save the world.” (Some games in this series are rated “T”.)
• Dragon’s Age Origins (Playstation 3/Xbox 360): The game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world. A witch attacks believers and players can “have sex” with her in a pagan act called “blood magic” so she can “give birth to a god.” Another scenario allows players to have sex with a demon in exchange for a boy’s soul.
Other games with satanic themes are Dante’s Inferno, Guitar Hero, Devil Summoner, Koudelka, Trapt, Bayonetta, and Darksiders.
Game publishers are cashing in on the satanic, anti-Catholic and the general anti-religion content themes and using them as a draw for buyers. For instance, Electronic Arts launched a catchy ad campaign to sell its new hell-inspired game, Dante’s Inferno. Buyers interested in the game were greeted at the site by a phony new game called, “Mass: We Pray.” When they clicked on the link, they were declared a heretic and re-routed to Dante’s Inferno. After ordering, fans were offered a “Number of the Beast” discount of $6.66. The same game was advertised during the Super Bowl with the teaser, “Hell awaits.”
Game publishers such as Electronic Arts and Midway Games have not responded to The Bulletin’s requests for comment.
Even though most of these videos are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as “M” for mature audiences, many are rated “T” for teens. But regardless of the ratings, they can easily fall into the hands of children from older siblings or parents, Mr. Christian says, and points to a recent YouTube video of an eight year-old playing a popular adult Satanic-themed game.
Paul Bury, editor of Family Friendly Gaming said the envelope is definitely being pushed with these games. “Role playing games (RPGs) have progressively gotten worse over the years,” he said. “It is difficult to find a role playing game that is not ‘T’. . . . There have been some ‘M’ rated ones where all kinds of decadence is allowed.”
Another problem is that the ESRB has been “shifting” its standards much like movie rating bureaus have been doing. “Compared to movies in the past, they are now allowing more for a PG rating. I have noticed the same thing from the ESRB. Games that in the opinion of Family Friendly Gaming that should receive a ‘M’ rating, are getting a ‘T’ rating. They are letting more through.”
Eliot Mizrachi, spokesman for the ESRB, says their rating system focuses on violence, language and sexuality and is based on what the average consumer’s expectations would be about content.
“The ratings are only intended to be a guide,” he said, “but if someone has sensitivities about particular content, the first step would be to check the rating summaries on our Web site which provide a very detailed description of the content that factored into the rating.”
We checked these summaries and although they proved helpful, few mentioned the overt satanic content of the games.
Mr. Mizrachi says concerned parents should use the rating system on the package only as a guide and advises them to do their homework. In addition to checking the summaries available on their Web site, they should also consult game reviews on parent-focused Web sites.
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