God in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

As I played through the Sci-Fi romp Mass Effect, I thought of other sci-fi titles in other media that I have experienced. Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Gallactica and pretty much anything that takes place OFF our planet seems to leave God back on Earth. Seems a bit odd seeing as he's the Creator of the Universe according to our Faith. Everything in the heavens and on Earth, visible and invisible.

Science, the New god 

It was in a philosophy class IN a secular school that I re-encountered the notion of the "religion of science". Now this wasn't news to me, but the concept and reasoning was understandable. People are comfortable with the idea that Science will explain everything. Anything can be done through science. It has it's rules, laws and methods. The faith put into science is certainly greater than what a lot of people put in any one religion.

Science can be wrong but, it makes sense and follows logic. The mistake can be corrected by approaching the problem differently. It has a following of defenders that will vouch for science with a passion equivalent to an evangelical. But Science is not the enemy of faith. This Extra Credits video illustrates the point very well.

In most future settings, the only true god is Science. But it can't answer all questions. Some questions must be dealt with in philosophy or theology. BOTH these fields use reason and logic similar to science, however, it goes into metaphysics. Things that may not be readily observable.

Deities, the Old gods

On the flip side of the coin, many fantasy worlds have some form of religion and deities. Generally, these are set in "simpler times". There is no democracy, no off world travel. If there's flight it is by "magic" or flying creature, not invention. In this quaint setting, there is also an old quaint belief system. Maybe there's some formality to the religion but it's there often to govern magic. Thus giving the impression that religion is an "old-fashion" thing, something for a simpler people and a somewhat oppressive system.

I think the only "sci-fi" or space travel set story that uses any kind of supernatural force is Star Wars. (Ah...I said force.) That's why I often think of Star Wars as more of a "space fantasy" than a sci-fi movie.

Not to let fantasy off the hook so easily because often a fantasy story can be about defying the gods and killing the gods. (Killing God must be a human thing. *shrug*)

Mythology

Our modern mythology just goes to show how far away we have fallen. Now I only remember the quote from the TV mini-series of "The Odyssey" where Poseidon's "big moral lesson" was "Man is Nothing without the gods." All the punishment suffered was due to hubris.
Modern myth now glorifies man has the pinnacle, a creature that no longer needs the gods. C.S. Lewis describes us as being "men without chests" that is to say "no heart". We find our gods in our own intellect and heads.

That is not to belittle man, because humans ARE great. God himself took on our form and became human. If you believe such things...which I assume a Catholic geek would.

A Godless World

 There is something very unsatisfying for me about a world without God. It's empty or tragic or un-human. However, in our pluralistic culture, we don't want to exclude any one faith. Therefore, it's easier to just not include religion or make up a "safe" religion. In a strange way though, it makes a life-giving sacrifice almost more of a sacrifice. There is literally no promised reward. Just boom...dead, but everyone lives. You're the hero.

I guess the redeeming quality there is that luckily these games and worlds are open to interpretation. For me at least, like in the real world, I see a glimmer of God's work within human art and story. To me it is very significant that in Mass Effect the big bad Enemy is defeated on Earth (where God walked) by a human (a form which God himself has taken.)...or it could be taken as American Imperialism if you want to feel so cynical. Star Wars, while relying heavily on Buddhist philosophy, has an afterlife in which those in the past still affect the physical world. I'm not familiar enough with other Sci-Fi series (besides the comedy series Red Dwarf) I can't point to more examples.

Conclusion

Dear writers and authors, if you are of the Christian or Catholic persuasion AND not just culturally following your religion, I encourage you to write more. I'm doing my best. But I would love, love, love to read/write a book about a Catholic priest sent on a missionary trip to another planet with another race. I've already got Out of the Silent Planet that does the opposite.

Faith, Fun and Feminism

Intro
Recently, some hot button feminist issues have cropped up in my everyday internet romps. Feminist and Feminism is usually met with antagonistic response and anger...even violence. It is to the point where even a woman who is feminist does not want to be label as one. For me, I know I do not like being labeled with a negative term like 'feminazi' or 'feminist'. However, my reasoning is in part that I do not wish to be associated with what the word has come to mean.

Feminist 
Most of our concept of what a feminist should be or what she is comes from popular media. A feminist is usually portrayed as angry, violent, liberal, and male hating. But this really only captures a fraction of feminists. Not everyone is angry, BUT we are NOT satisfied and want to change things to something that will satisfy. We don't hate men, BUT men are at fault because of their position of privilege in society.
So the facets of equality in government and recognition of my human dignity regardless of my sex and gender are the parts of feminism I support.

But I'm not "liberal" politically and I am Christian. Oh and not only Christian, but Catholic. So this puts me in a conundrum. Currently Catholics are one of the only churches that will not recognize women priests. I accept the Churches teachings on this. Because it's not a matter of JOB equality it is a matter of Sexual Differences. For a more intelligent discussion on this point, I will refer you to Peter Kreeft's lecture on Priestesses.

I am also pro-life, pro-Traditional Marriage, and pro-Catholic/Christian.
At this point, I feel that if I declare myself as a feminist I am denouncing my identity as a Catholic woman...and a gamer.

Feminism is all about Sex
There's some clever word play at hand here. Sex, in our modern society, can mean both the biological sex of a person AND the act of intercourse. I'm very tempted to link another Peter Kreeft lecture because he explains things so well, but I will summarize instead: Sex has become not something you are, but something you do.
In my view Feminists tend to be a lot more inclined to the latter definition of sex than the first. I'm talking about the Sexual Revolution, how we as a society have separated the act of intercourse with procreation.

That's why this picture is funny.
Sex is suppose to be someone you are. Being sexual doesn't mean being "sexy", it means being male or being female.

Our culture is one addicted to pleasure and the highest form of pleasure is sex. So with the new "sexually liberated woman" now able to take that pleasure without risk, suddenly pregnancy becomes a disease or an accident or a side effect of sex. The pleasure and self-pleasing is more important and trying to tell someone that they're hurting themselves by thinking this way, they get defensive.

Why this Ties into Games
Right this has a play in video games in a BIG way. When it comes to in-game content, feminists have every right to be upset. Women have every right to be upset. There are lots of parallels between the arguments thrown at "feminist gamers" and the defense of "our fun".

First off, feminist gamers are not some stereotyped feminist just because they are unhappy with the state of the industry. As consumers of entertainment women have just as much purchasing power as a man. I want to consume game entertainment but marketing, content and other unfriendly atmospheres make it difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. It won't prevent new hyper-masculine games from being produced but we'd like our chick games too...and not pink either.

Second off, women are all individuals with different tastes, JUST like any other human. This means the feminists too. As I explain, I do NOT stand by many of the principles liberal feminists and popular feminists stand for. I support women's health with the radical idea that pregnancy is not a disease and that our sexual appetites are out of control. That said, with the wide array of game genres there are some that just are not going to appeal to the feminine mind in the same way it does for the masculine mind. But this is not a BAD thing. It's an interesting challenge in design.

There are a landslide of studies on the differences between male and female brains that are quite insightful for a game designer. Particularly when faced with HOW to solve a problem or puzzle.
As a female gamer, I do not feel social shame with looking up "cheats" or walkthroughs if I'm stuck. The information in the walkthrough is like a cooperation with an experienced player and I can move on through the game without the frustration of trial and error.
To many gamers, stooping to a walkthrough shows weakness unless the game IS really hard...and poorly designed.

Third off, interacting between men and women is different than interacting with someone of your own sex. Again with the literal biological brain differences. Females are able to pick up a LOT of cues from non-verbal communication and start to find extra meaning. Male brains will usually take things at face value.
(Thus much misconception around the idea of if we like each other or not.)
In some ways, you CAN say things to gamer girls like you would say them to gamer guys. We want to be one of the guys but at the same time recognized that we are in fact female. It's a conundrum. You really have to go with getting to know the individual first before you learn their comfort level for trash talking. We also don't want to be treated as a novelty. "OMG...a girl...PLAYING VIDEO GAMES?"
It's 2011.

Last off, improving as a player in a game takes time and practice. In general, trash talking will rile up a male player and competition will encourage him to try harder. Threats of sexual assault, violence and name calling are only things that will drive a female player away. It's not because she does not have the potential to kick your ass or play as good as one of the guys, but a female's reaction to hostility is to flee. We are the traditionally weaker sex. (Please notes that there are always exceptions to this. Many women THRIVE on competition.)

So how are women to practice games with others an improve? Certainly not by participating in a tournament where a poor performance will earn nothing but mockery. She won't try again. Some conferences are out there trying to get women comfortable with playing video games and getting better at it. Usually in all female groups. Which only serves to continue the segregation between the sexes in video games.

Conclusion
Feminism is never a real pleasant topic for anyone. There are a lot of hurt feelings, hurt people, and misunderstanding in both parties. Heck, even I get annoyed at feminists and feminism. But not True Feminists who respect and support women's human dignity. We don't want to be the same as men, equality doesn't mean the same.

I am a feminist, Catholic, Pro-Life woman and a gamer.

Angelo et Diablo

Intro
Let it be known that the following is heavily opinionated, but based on teachings. I personally struggle with taking stories in any medium that use angels and demons. I am a little more forgiving about depictions of demons but I'm still picky. I have yet to see or read something that really satisfies outside of Scripture or the lives of Saints or C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters.


Depictions of Angels - Tales of Symphonia, Bayonetta
Starting with Angels, I thought of two games both originating in Japan: Tales of Symphonia and Bayonetta. In both games, Angels are considered villains to fight. (It's more subtle in Symphonia). In Bayonetta they appear more abstractly while in Tales they are more human.

The theme is usually that angels are a race of arrogant beings that are hung up on virtue and exist solely to stop demons or prevent humans from becoming evil.



Depictions of Demons - Disgaea, Dragon Age, Dante's Inferno
Demons seem to have a wider range of interpretation. In Dante's Inferno and Dragon Age, demons were creatures/monsters that personified a deadly sin. They are always evil and always monsters. This seems to be a common theme in games with a few exceptions.
In Disgaea, you play as a demon trying to reclaim your throne as overlord of the Netherworld. Demons are depicted as petty and power hungry, but redemptive. Meaning they can repent and be "good".


East vs. West
The idea of Puritan, Tyrant Angels and good-hearted demons is more often found in games from Japan. This comes from a different cultural perspective in which spirits are neither good or evil. (Like fairies.)Yokai is usually translated as "demon" in English but does not mean the same thing as the Christian idea of 'demon'. Yokai are folklore monsters and shape-shifters that can be good or evil. In most Japanese games where you fight "demons" it is more likely you are actually fighting Yokai. The same could be said about Japanese Angels.

In Western culture, it is also common to depict demons as monsters, but stories and games never depict them as something that could possibly be good. Demons are always evil and never trusted. Dragon Age had a good visual representation on Western belief of demons and their relationship with humans. 1) They really could never be trusted they only want power for themselves. Possessing a human to move in the physical world was the goal. 2) Humans/Elves infected by a demon became deformed and ugly. (The effect of sin on the soul. ;))

Angels tend not to show up in Western games too much. Sure there are the "good spirits" in Dragon age as well, but I've talked enough about that game for now. Moving on. 


Catholic Teachings
There is this theme in the use of supernatural and that is its involvement in the natural world. This is probably the only point in which the depictions of angels and demons is true. For a Catholic, Angels and Demons are not creatures of myth or fantasy. These are real supernatural creations. As humans, it is impossible for us to understand their true nature as they are beings of pure spirit and perfect reason. However, we find lots of influence from history, art and Tradition in our understanding.

As far as Angels are concerned, meeting one was usually a TERRIFYING event. In Scripture, those who met with angels had to be comforted with the words "Be Not Afraid". This suggests that the sight of an angel is a lot for a human to bear. People usually fall on their faces.
The role of an angel is to serve God at his throne, but also to act as messenger. The word angel comes from the Greek word for message.

Demons are the other side of the coin. Demons are fallen angels in Catholic tradition. And meeting with a demon is as terrifying as meeting with an Angel. However, they are conquered by the Salvation of Christ. A demon can be exorcised or banished from this earth.

More about angels and demons can be read about here:
(TBA)

Conclusion
I am a fan of anime and Japanese games, but I am uncomfortable with teaching the concept that demons are just like people with bad habits.  A  healthy dose of caution is necessary to protect one's soul. Most of my problems with "incorrect" depictions is from my belief that these are not fantasy creatures made up by our ancestors to scare me into being good. The rules of fiction are looser for creatures of fantasy like unicorns and fairies. However, a creature that exists in reality does have a correct depiction and a wrong one.

Reducing the supernatural to myth is dangerous. Myth can help us by being a lens to understand reality.
However, that doesn't mean that angels and demons can not be in stories or video games. Just take the time to do the research.

Game Thoughts: Dragon Age Series

Introduction
It's no secret that one of my favorite games this year has been the Dragon Age Series by EA Games and Bioware. Titles by Bioware that follow this Choose-your-own adventure type design are often full of moral goodies that can really challenge a player's perceptions thanks to good writing. It was just this year that I finished playing Origins, Awakening and Dragon Age 2. I have played through Origins 3 times, Awakening 2 times and DA2...I'm working on my 5th or 6th play through. I've lost count.
In this post I'm going to highlight some Catholic thinking in these games.

Free Will
First concept I'd like to cover is Free Will. Free Will is the human freedom to choose evil or good in simple terms. Animals do not have free will because they can not distinguish good and evil, they act on instinct. Our ability to reason and qualify an act as good or evil and the ability to choose between the two is our Free Will.

 In gaming, this is often represented in "morality choices". I will speak more on this another time.

Much of the player character's Free Will is limited to in game dialog choices which allow for certain actions to take place. In Origins and Awakening, the choices were more numerous and often grey in moral standing. In DA2, things are made a little more limiting by labeling the choices as "good" or "bad" (peaceful or aggressive etc.) Between the two main titles, this change was a bit upsetting. The outcome was "freer" in Origins where the player was allowed to interpret for themselves what would be an "evil" or "good" response.

Morality
 Thanks to the writing and scenarios in the game, there are lots of moral issues that the player deals with in the game.  Immersion level really helps the weight of these choices to the player. However, the player is not only making moral choices but reacting to moral problems. The sheer number of scenarios make it difficult to pick and choose. However, there are several themes I notice in my playthroughs.

 Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity
  Most often, I will find the story saddles the player with the choice of either killing or releasing a person.  The lives of criminals and innocents alike are set before you. Will you let one live and the other die? Most often, it is a choice to let a criminal live or die. The crimes vary from petty theft to outright slaughter.
Catholic teaching respects ALL HUMAN LIFE. That also means the life of a criminal, murderer, rapist, and pedophile. In both the game titles, there comes a point where you must spare the life or kill a key character. One choice will upset a party member and they will leave, usually the one who was portrayed as the "morally straight and narrow" type. It's one of my FAVORITE points in the game because the choice remains difficult. Because both instances, there is a chance for the perpetrator to redeem themselves if they live. Which is precisely why the Church (and myself personally) stands against the death penalty...in a majority of cases. (Church's Stance on Capital Punishment...it's short).
HOWEVER, because of the game setting, (roughly the middle ages), such matters of justice were more common place. In some cases, within the game, the player IS a figure of authority and it would be appropriate to dish out death to protect the community. In other cases, it's a personal choice. (Oh the woes of bringing modern thinking into primitive society!)
 
 Sexuality
Yay my favorite thing to talk about in these games. One of the "selling points" of the game is the simulated romance and "sex scenes" (with awkward 3d models yay!). So where to start?
Well, let's talk about impact. Pursuing a romance in Origins offers more story related effects particularly to the ending of the game. At the same time, romancing each character in a play through offers a trophy award. A head mounted on the wall as it were. In DA2, the trophy award is simply "you romanced someone". I'm not sure if it qualifies as objectifying if its an object anyway but the concept of objectifying another person is still there. Church teachings are pretty clear about objectifying another person. (Hint: It's not good.)

There is one point in DA2 that somewhat GRINDED MY GEARS because it aptly shows a misconception rampant in society. That is the perception that CHASTITY = NO SEX. This couldn't be further from the truth in Church teaching. Celibacy...celibacy is the free choice to abstain from intercourse for life. Chastity is respecting and recognizing that sexuality is a gift to be given. It demands that you see others as a human being, not an object to be used. All people, married, single and celibate are called to Chastity. If you're curious, there is a point in a romance with the character Sebastian where he suggests a chaste marriage, suggesting there is romance but no intercourse.
Err...yeah, all marriages should be chaste but marriage is certainly NOT about celibacy. Dear God, it's so not! (Although there is a romance path with this character that ends in a non-celibate marriage too. :3)

Moving on to the concept of marriage. It's a bit "weird" in these game titles as the option to get married is only available in rare cases. It's kind of sad really. But I suppose that may be the comic guy(or gal) mentality sneaking in and not enough of the marriage is great guys(and gals). There are plenty of other popular beliefs about sex within these titles including, cohabitation, homosexuality, bisexuality, prostitution, and other such objectifying beliefs. These are usually viewed as "acceptable" actions in this world...well by most of your companions. That's the other nice thing is that each character's beliefs will be reflected in their dialog reactions.

All this said, sex is not bad or evil. It's very good. It's awesome and therefore special. It's also the one thing most actively attacked by Satan and used against us. It is a great lie to say that sex is bad and should be repressed. Also that its meaningless or only for your personal pleasure is a lie. There is a great deal of smarter men and women who write on this subject. I would point you to the blogs linked here to read more on Catholic Sexual Morality. (I just like talking about games.)


Good vs. Evil
 An overriding theme is that you the player are in a conflict of Good vs. Evil.  The theme is more obvious in Origins with the enemy is clearly defined as evil. In general, the player is always the "good guy" but things are taken a step further based on actions in key points during the game. How good was the Warden? Were things really that much better after the defeat of the Archdemon? Do the ends justify the means?

That's another big theme too. The Church teaching on this is that the Ends do NOT justify the Means.


Closing Thoughts
This really only scratches the surface of things I've gleaned from the stories in Dragon Age.  Often I try to utilize my personal method of making moral choices when choosing in game options. It's really hard for me to play as a "jerk" in these games but I do try for the sake of exploring that option. I won't really get into the whole "is it a sin to..." kind of discussion but I may in another post. Because it's something to consider.

And of course, the millions of humorous responses to events and choices never fail to entertain.
In fact, I've made stupid comics about them...enjoy: Tale of Mage Angelo and Warrior AJ