Games blasted for "satanic" themes

By Oli Welsh Published 1 March, 2010

Dragon Age! Nocturne! Guitar Hero?

"Philadelphia's family newspaper", The Bulletin, has issued a warning 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".

The paper interviews Lance Christian, a 32-year-old Christian and "avid gamer" who feels that the devil's influence over the videogame medium "has been going on for the last 10 years, but especially in the most recent games".

"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," Christian said.

His list of the most satanic titles includes some older games - Deception: Invitation to Darkness for the PSone, Nocturne and Shadow Hears on PS2 - but also last year's Dragon Age: Origins.

"The game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world," runs the Bulletin's précis of the BioWare fantasy epic. "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." Spoilers.

Other satanic games listed by Christian are Dante's Inferno (something literature students might find ironic), Devil Summoner, Bayonetta, Darksiders and Guitar Hero (what?).

The article also has a pop at American ratings board the ESRB for not classifying games for their religious imagery alongside sex, violence and language. "We checked these summaries and although they proved helpful, few mentioned the overt satanic content of the games," wrote the author.

The devil has all the best tunes, they say. Maybe he's expanding his media portfolio.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (111) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • BiscuitBase #1 2 years ago

    lolchristians

    Guess the Devil just has the best games, as well as the best tunes
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 10:35

  • Zidargh #2 2 years ago

    To paraphrase the Waterboy: "GAMING'S THE DEVIL"

  • Quint2020 #3 2 years ago

    lulz?

  • RobotRocker #4 2 years ago

    Newspaper needs outrage to expand readership and advertising. Prints puff moral panic piece devoid of fact and full of dog whistle politics to grab readership. Gets huge interest from panicing Christians who need a folk devil and angry gamer idiots proving their point. Readership shoots up and more companies want to advertise through it. Job done, since they get their point across and spike their readership.

    Stop falling for this and don't give them attention. It's exactly what Fox News and the Daily Mail does.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 10:40

  • VicViper #5 2 years ago

    well when you read bit of dragon ages plot out of context they don't sound so good, I can see why they wouldn't go over well. Still anyone with a brain has the ability to properly detach this from reality.

  • gjgjg #6 2 years ago

    "Philadelphia's family newspaper", The Bulletin said that? I'd better stop gaming and just shoot everyone from that bell tower

  • Optyk #7 2 years ago

    I was unsure about getting Dragon Age Origin or not, but this article has sold it for me. Ill pick it today when im in Uni.

  • ignatiusjreilly #8 2 years ago

    Who would have thought that by the time we reached HD consoles and multi-core processors, we'd still have to deal with people who believe in witches?

  • Fab4 #9 2 years ago

    Well God isnt averse to playing dirty either.

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=w2vZZ54mygo
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=w2vZZ54mygo
    [/link]

  • DrStrangelove #10 2 years ago

    Lies, all lies.

    Hail Satan!

  • Ged42 #11 2 years ago

    \m/

  • MiniAmin #12 2 years ago

    Yes, he's right, because every single game which features supernatural elements does so only to invoke the wrath of the Christian God, and to appease Satan. That is all. It has nothing to do with entertaining millions of secular people around the world at all.

    Idiot.

  • Vortex808 #13 2 years ago

    /rolls eyes and sighs resignedly after reading article.

  • sneetch #14 2 years ago

    Lance Christian? Sounds like secret instructions from Satanists to me! Must... Lance... Christians! ;)

    Seriously, Oli, why spread this nonsense? A random rag produces a hate-filled article and you give them the publicity they're chasing.

  • sneetch #15 2 years ago

    Bye.

  • maguire12 #16 2 years ago

    i cant believe in this day and age religion has any place

  • KingOfTheC #17 2 years ago

    "I've always seem Eurogamer as a liberal left wing labour supporter who likes to put the boot into Christians while supporting gays, minorities, islam, abortion. "

    If a joke, this is really funny.

    If not, this guy is a nutcase.

    I've given you the benefit of the doubt and clicked + for you just in case.

  • menage #18 2 years ago

    @maguire

    I agree,

    Nothing worng with wanting to live a wholesome decent life, but butt out of mine. Always telling people want they can't and can do. I'm sick of them.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 11:06

  • MiniAmin #19 2 years ago

    @ Bioharzard

    So you find one random christian who dislikes gaming, and make a article about him so other can then poke fun at Christians. Why don't you make a article about Muslims who don't like gaming, or jews. Oh wait you can't as you're afraid of them. I've always seem Eurogamer as a liberal left wing labour supporter who likes to put the boot into Christians while supporting gays, minorities, islam, abortion. They even tried to play the race card on RE5. Guess I'll go find a gaming site that doesn't have a political agenda.

    Oh the sensational irony. Funny how you replicate the same paranoia which leads one interest group to interpret the independent actions of others as something which is entirely related to that interest group's agenda. Just like how Lance Christian sees video games as an affront to God. Besides that you've already stated the inexplicable "I've always seem [sic] Eurogamer as a liberal left wing labour supporter" which has clearly perverted your perception of this article. Perhaps it's better that you learn to change a mentality which forces you to read into a political agenda where there isn't one to be read.

  • Dylbot #20 2 years ago

    @BiohazardX

    Yeah, I can't get enough of how those damn minorities and gays are ruining gaming for us. Look at GTAIV! Outsourcing proper British protagonist roles to dirty immigrants! Well, I'm going to write a letter to the Daily Mail, see if we can't get this all sorted out.

  • Shrike #21 2 years ago

    Bit of a Dragon Age spoiler, that, but it might be late enough now that it doesn't matter. Still.

    I really, really wish I was capable of believing in Actual Satan who is actually underneath the ground attempting to corrupt me by ghost-writing novels, movies and games. As it is the world is a little short on totally unambiguous villains.

  • ignatiusjreilly #22 2 years ago

    I've always seem Eurogamer as a liberal left wing labour supporter who likes to put the boot into Christians while supporting gays, minorities, islam, abortion.

    You know someone at EG Towers is printing this out right now and sticking it to the wall of their cubicle :D

  • RobotRocker #23 2 years ago

    Quick, dont tell BiohazardX the games industry is one of the most socially progressive and liberal businesses on the planet!

  • Optyk #24 2 years ago

    We have parental controls on consoles. Are we going to have religion controls on consoles also?

  • Xerx3s #25 2 years ago

    "I've always seem Eurogamer as a liberal left wing labour supporter who likes to put the boot into Christians while supporting gays, minorities, islam, abortion."

    So what is your point? That they are not right wing religious lunatics that want to tell everybody else what to do with their own body and lives?

  • 00.00.01 #26 2 years ago

    Anagrams for the name 'Lance Christian':
    -
    Racial Techs Inn
    Carnal Ethic Sin
    Anal Rice Snitch
    Satan Clincher I
    Satan Chicer Nil
    Satan Chic Liner
    Satan Clinch Ire
    Satan Cinch Lire
    Satan Cinch Rile
    Satan Clinic Her
    Satan Relic Chin
    Satan Relic Inch
    etc.
    The site 'wordsmith.org' states: 32766 found. Displaying first 1000.
    C'mon, I take nothing from a guy whose name is an anagram for more than 10.000 words. That's just a joke!

  • Mnia786 #27 2 years ago

    This is unsuprisingly true. Many large corporation leaders are Luciferian and we have all seen the video of the Cremation of Care. Oh and I would if people knew that the largest cult followed by British police officers is that of the Luciferian occult...
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 13:39

  • ignatiusjreilly #28 2 years ago

    I call shenanigans. "Cremation of Kher" gets zero hits on Google...

    edit: although it is an anagram of "Canoe Hermit Fork", so maybe you have something there.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 11:38

  • maguire12 #29 2 years ago

    @menage

    well tbh, im a pantheist, and as such i believe all ideas 'good' or 'bad' derive from the same source. each to there own i say.

  • Bazbot_SP2 #30 2 years ago

    "Guitar Hero (what?) "

    Guess this is because you unlocked Satan as a playable character. His guitar was cool though.

  • RobotRocker #31 2 years ago

    Oh no, the company that makes it is run by Satan.That is what's offensive about Guitar Hero.

  • Powerslave #32 2 years ago

    I was about to post how funny I found this article, and then I read BiohazardX's comment.....

    haha Eurogamer rocks

    p.s. I love the crowd that follow News and Articles, you guys' comments rock too!
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 11:43

  • oupe #33 2 years ago

    But didn't you beat satan at the end of GH?

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #34 2 years ago

    All religions are boring. I recommend another hobby, such as the persecution of those who are different, the enforcement of archaic and stupid laws or maybe do some worshipping of a big, imaginary skyface. Hold on...

  • Shikasama #35 2 years ago

    I wish we could start having a go at Mohammad in games. I'll buy that.

  • Shikasama #36 2 years ago

    Interesting how offending Christians is a good thing but offending Muslims is a bad thing.

    One rights a strongly worded and factually incorrect article in a newspaper, the other causes riots and issues death threats to cartoonists.

  • AaronTurner #37 2 years ago

    Oh man Nocturne was great, thanks for reminding me of it, I may try to dig it out!

  • menage #38 2 years ago

    @maguire

    To each their own indeed, I wish religious people who get that simple message a bit more often.

    I have no problem with religion, just don't tell me what to do because you think you know "the thruth".

  • DiamondIce #39 2 years ago

    "Lance Christian"

    It's quite handy when your name says what you do.

  • ignatiusjreilly #40 2 years ago

    @Shikasama

    Devil worship is offensive to fundamentalist Muslims too, but I don't see any riots or death threats towards Bioware. Or even a strongly-worded article.

    And if you did, you can be sure EGers would be taking the piss in that case too.

    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 11:56

  • RobotRocker #41 2 years ago

    @shikasama

    If you are not troll posting. What is in those games should really be just as offensive to hard-line Islam practitioners as they would to evangelical Christians. Evangelical Christians just have a louder voice because they have a better media than the others so they can go spout off louder and more obnoxiously. Funny how that works eh?

  • Evolution #42 2 years ago

    Give me the Satan worshippers down the block, the ones with the good albums.

  • malloc #43 2 years ago

    This is a pretty poor article even for you Oli. Whilst I don't think some of the comments here have been expressed particularly well about not minding offending Christians cos they're an easy target whereas all other groups are left alone or vehemently supported they do have quite a lot of truth in them.

  • sneetch #44 2 years ago

    @Shikasama
    Interesting how offending Christians is a good thing but offending Muslims is a bad thing.

    Doing something solely to offend a group of people is probably nearly always bad.

    You make it sound as if offending Christians is the goal in these games, it's not, they're just games. That some people choose to take offence to justify their own agendas is not surprising. I have no problem telling the difference between fantasy and reality, the fact that this guy is unable to tell the difference between the god in the fantasy world of Dragon Age Online and the "real world" God is a telling indication of his own loose connection to reality.

  • MiniAmin #45 2 years ago

    @ Shikasama

    Erm, anytime Jesus is mocked the way Mohammed was there's a similar outcry from Christians. Some Christians have also committed the acts you've described in your posts, albeit against Doctors! So please don't go there.

    As for your comparison; hmm there's one odd man who's disgruntled about the general prevalence of supernatural themes in a cultural trend which is almost 60 years old.

    And then there's the instantaneous appearance of a cartoon designed to inflame (even if only in the mildest, satirical way) a canonical religious figure. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the flaws in your comparison...

  • Fletche #46 2 years ago

    He has a point, kinda, whilst I don't agree with suppressing this imagery (I mean, the devil etc has a pretty big part in the bible, so why can't he and his cronies be in video games) but it does seem that allowing something that is anti-Christian is ok, but anything anti-any other religion is not. Then again I'm an atheist so what do I care

  • RobotRocker #47 2 years ago

    they do have quite a lot of truth in them.

    They don't. Its just a veil of religious persecution because they "Dont like that" and are going to piss and moan until they get validation by others. I'm pretty sure of they had the voice, Islamic fundamentalists, Evangelical Catholics, Orthodox Jews and other religious orders (And some cults too) would condemn all those games if they felt it relevant to tell their churches and we would mock them for it too.

  • TeaFiend #48 2 years ago

    To many posters, you know the devil is still a sign of evil to other abrahamic religions, not just christians? He is still the father of evil and all that jazz.

  • deepspacefox #49 2 years ago

    Damn, rumbled.

    /runs back to Hell to think of another way to corrupt the young and innocent.

  • RobotRocker #50 2 years ago

    /runs back to Hell to think of another way to corrupt the young and innocent.

    You still have Disney your malevolence.

  • EraSerX #51 2 years ago

    it's true, if you play Mario Bros backwards, you hear a message from Satan

  • Shikasama #52 2 years ago

    The people marking me down (as if it matters?) need only to look at the comments above me to see how the point is proven.

    Sorry MiniAmin, you are correct. That was a perfectly reasonable response to drawing a picture of the Skydaddy of your choice. The base problem is in any conversation with a religious person, you're dealing with a lunatic. The good ol' 'but some christians have done bad things too!' argument is always a good one, the difference between a small group of religious nutters and religious nuttism as national policy should be clear.

    I'd make a game where you had Jesus having sex with Mohammad while Vishnu piloted the spaceship before the final encounter with Buddha. See, thats Mass Effect with the names of the fictional characters swapped =0 CONTROVERSY!

    I wonder how many people who believe in God laugh at the idea of aliens existing. Would be an interesting survey that.

    When will we get past all of this crap. Amongst historians parts of America and the Middle East are considered the closest we can get to understanding religion in 14th, 15th and 16th century. Go you!

  • makeamazing #53 2 years ago

    The reason why its the christian religion in these games (when it appears), is that these games are aimed at Europe and America which those that are religious are mostly christian... its not difficult to understand really.

    PS Also i dont care either way.

  • LiamK #54 2 years ago

    No, the problem is that you are bringing in a barely related argument to make a point about another argument. And I'm not sure what argument you are even making. "oh, we laugh at this silly Christian, but look at those crazy Muslims and their bombs!". How is that relevent to this?

    "Bad Timmy. You shouldn't have made fun of that kid".
    "But Miss, this other child punched another boy in the fact back in 2006 so there!"

    You are decrying the "but Christians have done bad things too" while you ORIGINAL ARGUMENT was basically "but Muslims have done bad things too!"

    I don't know what point you're trying to prove, but I'm fairly certain you haven't proved it.

  • warlockuk #55 2 years ago

    I'd buy a Satan Hero game. As long as Neversoft had fuck all to do with it :)

    As for having a pop at Dragon Age... maybe the jesus freaks have a problem with fantasy 'cos they already live in a fantasy world :)

  • dloob #56 2 years ago

    "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'
    Sold!

    @Shikasama
    "I'd make a game where you had Jesus having sex with Mohammad while Vishnu piloted the spaceship before the final encounter with Buddha."
    Also Sold!

  • Moribundman #57 2 years ago

    It's not a matter of "you wouldn't say this about Islam" or any of that crap that people cry out petulently. Most sane people are secular or mildly religious, and they don't believe that anything in music, films, games etc will warp the fabric of society.

    Right wing evangelical Christians kick up a fuss that we "wouldn't say that about Islam" with the subtext "because they're all nutters" without seeing the irony that they are the exact same point on the spectrum on the Christian side. Most extremist Muslims are not terrorists, but they say intolerant things most people don't like to hear. Most right wing Christians do exactly the same but they don't have the luxury of being able to call *western* culture the boogieman so they turn to the immorality *popular* culture at their target "other" of choice. Look at the history of fundamentalist Christianity forcing itself onto other cultures and you'll see it's another tangent of exactly the same argument Jihadi's have. I'm not saying Jihadis are right, I'm saying intolerance based on your religion being "right" and other religions/no religion being "wrong" is so full of shit that it has no place in the modern world, whatever your particular flavour of deity.

    People with this degree of hatred in any religion are irrelevant to the modern world. Maybe that makes me the same as them, but at least my side of things can be explained by scientific methodology rather than relying on faith. If God, Yaweh, Allah, Zeus, Satan or Xenu don't like what I'm saying, what games producers are doing or where modern culture is going, then I'm sure they'll punish us all. Except the worthy. For now I'll carry on gaming, reading, watching, drinking, eating, fucking, marrying whatever the fuck I want and provided I am not breaking any civil, rational laws I will do so with a clear conscience and no fear of any beards upstairs.

  • ignatiusjreilly #58 2 years ago

    Has anyone actually played Dragon Age? It has no more to do with Christianity than it does any other good/evil religion.

  • warlockuk #59 2 years ago

    @TeaFiend... the devil is a Christian construct to bastardise the icons of other religions in order to demonise them and facilitate the "soft" takeover :) Just look at Pan and all the other Gods that get shoved into the Satan Bucket (TM)

    And much like God, Satan doesn't exist either. :) Just remember Mark 3:29 and you'll be alright. :)

  • malloc #60 2 years ago

    I tihnk it's more the fact that this article seems to be more poking fun at someone expressing a view because this view is based on a religious perspective. When this is a Christian perspective it seems to be easier for various reasons to poke fun at.

  • Stop-gap #61 2 years ago

    "I'd make a game where you had Jesus having sex with Mohammad while Vishnu piloted the spaceship before the final encounter with Buddha. See, thats Mass Effect with the names of the fictional characters swapped"
    I'm totally up for this, as long as I can side with Buddha.

  • Moribundman #62 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly I think they're getting at the fact that the baddies have horns/do blood magic/are wizards (these people had a pop at Harry Potter too, remember) and that Morrigan is pagan with whom you can conduct a sexually-oriented dark ritual to spare the life of yourself and your fellow Grey Warden, in the process of which you produce a sinister progeny with overtones of "to be continued..." at the end of the game.

  • skullstorm #63 2 years ago

    "The game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world,"

    errr.... sodom and gomorrah? the flood?

  • kangarootoo #64 2 years ago

    @Moribundman

    Good post.

  • TeaFiend #65 2 years ago

    @warlockuk:
    The fact the devil was a creation of the old testament means nothing I presume? Satan is mentioned in the Torah and the Qur'an. It is not a creation of Christians. The names of the devil are decended from hebrew.

  • ignatiusjreilly #66 2 years ago

    @skullstorm

    That was the old God. The new God cleaned up his act and is a nice guy.

  • skullstorm #67 2 years ago

    yeah, but it still 'happened'

  • Xerx3s #68 2 years ago

    You peeps do know that we are all going to happily burn in hell, no matter how religious you think you are right? After all, nobody is without sin...

    \0/

  • FTM #69 2 years ago

    so...Dantes inferno, a game based on a poem about the descent into hell has satanic overtones..no shit sherlock!

    in other news, germany invades poland and rumour has it the pope is in fact, a catholic!

  • darleysam #70 2 years ago

    I can actually confirm that not all christians are like this guy, just like not all atheists are like Richard Dawkins. There's an amicable middle ground where people can be normal and nice to each other, and not act like colossal toolbags.

  • AphoticCosmos #71 2 years ago

    Oh no! Moral panic! What will we do!?

  • menage #72 2 years ago

    @darleysam

    Yeah, to bad we only hear about stuff like this from colossal douchebags. Normal people have better shit to do.

  • Power_n_Glory #73 2 years ago

    Slow news day for Eurogamer, I see.

    Quite a lot of anti christian comments so far. Maybe the writer has a point! lol

    It's not as if the guy has come out and said playing Super Mario is evil, he's just said a number of games have demonic and satanic themes. Is he wrong? No. It's just a simple obseravation.

    Eurogamer have posted this just to mock. Slow news day. Who cares about a local news paper in Philly?

    I'm sure they could have found something more interesting.







  • dirtysteve #74 2 years ago

    Nice bit of religious tolerance from Lance there, pagan automatically = devil worshiper.

    I've always like the three headed beast prophecy myself, comes from the east, lays waste to the world, always felt the big three Abrahamic religions fit the bill nicely.

    Ever wonder what life would be like if the middle east stuff stayed in the middle east?

  • JDFreeman #75 2 years ago

    mmmmmmmmm Morigan....happy place...

  • TitusCrow #76 2 years ago

    Man I wish all this god vs the devil bit was real - it'd be the greatest real world mythos ever created! I personally love films where the devil is trying to get free, or books with occult stuff in it :) It's one of my fav fantasy settings, up there with the cthulhu mythos and middle earth.

    But those settings have what all great fantasy settings have - authenticity and depth. Makes them more real as settings. Eek is that the time.. the darkness comes soon and my circle is not finished yet. I must away and prepare for another night of the forces of darkness trying to break through. *flees* Argh! *trips over robes*

  • RobotRocker #77 2 years ago

    Ever wonder what life would be like if the middle east stuff stayed in the middle east?

    We would still be living in muck and shit since a lot of scientific advancement came out of the Persian and Ottoman empires and spread through trading with the west.

    Pretty bleak eh?

  • Kanjin #78 2 years ago

    'seems stupidity and ignorance never go out of style'

  • skullstorm #79 2 years ago

    Because the middle east has always been a wonderful place.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 15:15

  • BigJonno #80 2 years ago

    Random thoughts while reading these comments:

    Extremist Muslims are too busy decrying the entirety of Western civilisation as Satan to pick on videogames.

    I want to play the clip of Ben Affleck saying "fictional characters" from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back at Lance Christian, before informing him that the fictional god of the fictional monotheistic religion in the fictional setting of Dragon Age isn't Christianity. I'd probably just say "fictional" a few more times for effect.

    There are few things more facepalm-inducing than people calling Christians insane/stupid/delusional/bigoted because of their alleged intolerance.

    People obviously think that Satan has too much time on his hands.

    Darksiders is awesome and more games need to draw on Judeo-Christian mythology for their inspiration.

  • actionfitz #81 2 years ago

    "The paper interviews Lance Christian, a 32-year-old Christian and "avid gamer" who feels that the devil's influence over the videogame medium "has been going on for the last 10 years, but especially in the most recent games".

    Well it didnt't do any harm to Rock and Roll :)
    so... bring on the P.A.G.A.N. parties!

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=NIm8qNirTOk

  • dirtysteve #82 2 years ago

    @RobotRocker Really? I don't deny the advances from the middle east, but it's a bit unfair to suggest we lived in 'muck and shit', not to mention that it suggests we couldn't have advanced on our own. If we look at our own pre-christian cultures, they were coming along fine. Oldest standing building in the world? Newgrange tomb. Man-made wonder? Stonehenge. The truth is before the dark ages we were pretty advanced, not the muck chewing peasants we get painted as.
    My question stands, can we imagine what things would be like if we hadnt imported our religions?

  • ignatiusjreilly #83 2 years ago

    My question stands, can we imagine what things would be like if we hadnt imported our religions?

    I don't think we can. So much of British history has a religious backstory that if Christianinty had never reached here or the rest of Europe, the world would probably be unrecognisably different. I couldn't even predict if it'd be better or worse.

    edit: I'm leaving that typo in there - "Christianinty" is clearly the video game version of our national religion :D
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 16:23

  • TeaFiend #84 2 years ago

    Egyptian pyramids are a lot older than Stonehenge? That is fairly eastern.

  • wizbob #85 2 years ago

    My guess is that the enlightenment would have happened about a thousand years earlier and man would have got to the moon about 1000 CE. "Verily, I claim this moon and name her New South Wales".

  • wizbob #86 2 years ago

    Newgrange is older than the Pyramids.

  • dirtysteve #87 2 years ago

    @TeaaFiend - the pyramids are in North Africa,not really middle eastern, and Stonehenge is older

  • ignatiusjreilly #88 2 years ago

    Well, Wikipedia suggests the actual stones of Stonehenge didn't go up until after the pyramids were begun. Before that it was just a round ditch, and even after, the pyramids are infinitely more impressive.

    But I don't really know what that shows one way or the other anyway.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 16:59

  • skullstorm #89 2 years ago

    Even if stonehenge went up after the pyramids that does not take away how advanced that culture was. Afterall, it's not like they took a cue from the egyptians. They did it without that influence and that is whats important.

    Ancient european cultures WERE advanced. Maybe not as advanced as some other far away cultures but they would have kept making advancements with or without outside influence.

    Stonehenge is more culturally significant to europe than the pyramids. The same goes for pagan/pre-christian religion.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/10 @ 17:06

  • StooMonster #90 2 years ago

    Iran calls the USA "the great Satan", and the UK "little Satan", perhaps the mullahs would call "all American" themed games evil. Satanic titles could then include Call Of Duty.

  • AOFanboi #91 2 years ago

    Satan is an ice hockey player. He plays on the Czech Republic's national team.

    If he has anything to do with games, that would be the NHL-licensed games.

    Someone can probably get in contact with this guy and correct his misconception.

  • Redeye #92 2 years ago

    I really, really wanted to make a deep, insightful and logical response to Mr. Christian's outpouring of skewed anti-game vitriol, but as much as I tried, it kept condensing itself to one word: "pillock".

  • dirtysteve #93 2 years ago

    "We checked these summaries and although they proved helpful, few mentioned the overt satanic content of the games"

    Not sure that'll ever be a classification. Religious content advisory maybe, but I cant see it being labeled as 'Satanic', the neo-pagans would have a fit!

  • LazyNinjaUk #94 2 years ago

    I'm so outragged that Dante's Inferno has reference to hell in it!!

    I haven't discovered it yet but rest assured when I do, I'm going to write to Gordon Brown so he can go and punch the president of EA in the face.

  • TheBoyChris #95 2 years ago

    Note to Christians, your own book tells you who creates the evil in the world...

    http://ww w.biblegateway.com/passage/?sea...

  • Sharzam #96 2 years ago

    "The devil has all the best tunes, they say. Maybe he's expanding his media portfolio. "

    Hehe great line

  • Thunderbolt #97 2 years ago

    Good to see that Brutal Legend didnt make the list. ;)

    No-one fucks with the metal!

  • Tehren #98 2 years ago

    God is Dead, motherfuckers.

  • Postumo #99 2 years ago

    And i thought that Hitler was the only one complaining about being the "bad" in almost every game out there...

  • autogunner #100 2 years ago

    there is a huge thread on amazon.com from some mid american housewife gushing about how delivery drivers shouldn't be allowed to smoke in their cabs as all of her products she bought 'stank' of smoke and would give her and her baby cancer. I know its droll to slam Americans but I find that and the views of the bulliten as scary as other cultures stoning adulterers to death.

    I count my self as a Christian,and try to follow Jesus' teachings in everyday life. It is so much easier to deny and destroy like these people are doing then to be constructive and positive - why not talk about the cultural value of these things, or the moral choices in dragon age (and mass effect 2 which has some real dosies). Or why not try and make your own games and spread the good word like some kind of information age missionaries? maybe something like this:

    [link url=http://www.l udomancy.com/games/today.php
    ]http://www.l udomancy.com/games/today.php
    [/link]

    or maybe just be deranged ignorant bigots, and be ridiculed your your worthless old fashioned ideas

  • SleepyDeathFred #101 2 years ago

    Can't we all just get along?

  • alcides #102 2 years ago

    riiiiiight, "god"....

  • DrStrangelove #103 2 years ago

    Searching for what games might be safe to play for believers, I stumbled across this site:

    [link url=http://gamers4jesus.org/
    ]http://gamers4jesus.org/
    [/link]

    And isn't it ironic?

    Don't miss the "Obamination of America" vid on the front page.

  • paulf #104 2 years ago

    God is a n00b

  • TheTingler #105 2 years ago

    They're on to us Cyril!

  • warlockuk #106 2 years ago

    @Teafiend - are you referring to the references to the serpent in Genesis? Or the references to people sacrificing things to "devils"? 'cos aside from that there's no mention of the devil or whether he did or, in fact, did not go down to Georgia until the New Testament.

    The Koran wasn't written until the 7th Century; The Torah is from between the 14th century BC and (probably closer) the 4th century BC depending on who you ask. The worship of Pan - I think - predates this (in Ancient arcadia), and while he wasn't "the devil" at the time his image is the closest to what we currently associate with the devil today (and before that, Serpents, Dragons, Winged Horned Beasts, The Chimera and pretty much any other scary looking creature that could be imagined).

    Just because some ancient morons thought it was right doesn't make it so.

    More to the point, I don't think you can take the bible seriously and accept things like games; the "word" for want of a better... well, word, has a list of stuff it says is bad and some of the subject matter in games covers that. It doesn't come down to whether or not you think a game glorifies evil but whether or not you actually believe something so amazingly draconian or if you want to take it with a pinch of salt and ignore the more insane blatherings. If it's the former, you're probably better off stepping away from the internet and living a purely pastoral life away from impure influence.

  • Digtrio #107 2 years ago

    Good to see that gamers are open minded. 'cause hey, Christians are gay amirite? But that aside, there is a completely valid point within the article. There are ratings that warn consumers of violence, sex and other things so why not have a warning about religious themes? Christians are obviously offended by this stuff and non-Christians can equally be offended so I don't see why this isn't already in place.

  • Zebula77 #108 2 years ago

    So, when are they gonna make a The Excorcist game? I can't wait to play that "Let Jesus f**k you!" scene.

  • chukcyQ #109 2 years ago

    SEITAAAAAN - WHAT A TROLL THAT JESUS GUY IS

  • TeaFiend #110 2 years ago

    What does a Greek god of polythesic belief system have to do with Middle Eastern monothesic god?

    As said, Torah was written pre-christianity. It mentions Satan.

  • Spekingur #111 2 years ago

    Sorry but God and Devil are not 'copyrighted' by christanity. Heck, Christianity is a young religion and the spoken imagery of the devil was often just used to strike fear into small-minded people. If a pope or a priest didn't like something or the other it became an 'item of the devil', etc etc.
    The devil as such was never around as 'the devil'. We see temptation alot though - but who is to say that it isn't God (whatever god you do believe in).
    AND, if you really believe that God created everything and is a part of everything then he obviously created the devil, the demons, sins and so forth - in fact, you could argue that God is the Devil. And vica versa.