Five Religions Offended by Video Games

Deathsythe | October 23, 2008 | Top List | PC Playstation 2

Our friends over at 1up take a comical look at how 5 prominent religions are offended by video games. With the recent LittleBigPlanet Scandal - this is becoming a growing issue.

Note - I do not intend to offend anyone by posting this, it is for satirical and comical purposes only. Any sort of flaming and bickering within the comments will not be tolerated and dealt with accordingly.

Quoted below are my two favourites, look for the rest after the jump!

3. Hinduism (Final Fantasy Series)

It's probably notable that Shiva, the many-armed god of destruction (and multitasking), is not, in fact, a hot blue chick who lives in an ice cube. The Hindu pantheon tends toward minimal dress and gender confusion, but it's still hard to imagine that portrayal going over very well.

Fun activity: In the games that prompt you to rename the Shiva summon, piss off whoever you like by transforming Jesus, Mohammad, or your religious figure of choice into a frigid, bikini-wearing Smurf.

2. Judaism (Xenogears)

Japanese RPGs in general and the Xenogears/Saga games in particular obtained their plots by tossing the Torah and some giant robot comics through a paper shredder before pasting them back together at random. They earn bonus points for the ultimate evil in the world being Jehovah himself. Double bonus for the fact that he turns out to be a broken computer that created human beings so he could snack on them later.

Fortunately, his one weakness seems to be getting punched by robots.

News Story attached to:

Castlevania [Wii, NES]
Devil May Cry [PS2]
Doom [SNES, XBOX360, Mac, Movie, SATURN, PSX, GBA]
Final Fantasy VII [PC, PSX]
Final Fantasy VIII [PSX, PC]
Xenogears [PSX]
Xenosaga Episode I [PS2]
Xenosaga Episode II [PS2]

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Comments

0 thumbs!
Storm | October 23, 2008

Well, Lord Shiva may not be a hot blue chick, but he is blue, and is known as the god of destruction. I can see why they chose Shiva as the ice summon's name.
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  Final Blade | October 24, 2008
  
  _{Though Shiva was supposed to have more arms and legs iirc. Either way FF Shiva looks far hotter.}
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    Storm | October 26, 2008
    
    More arms and legs? Well not really, most of his depictions are without the extra limbs.
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      Final Blade | October 26, 2008
      
      _{The depictions I saw they had him with extra limbs to represent something. But from my knowledge he always had those.}
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  ali3n | October 26, 2008
  
  Shiva isn't blue, Vishnu is. However they're both part of the same if I remember correctly, could be wrong though since I learned about most of this a while back. Shiva is depicted just as often with four arms as without, chances are more people are simply more familiar with him having four arms.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Storm | October 27, 2008
    
    Most depictions of Shiva are blue (as are Vishnu's depictions), and without the extra arms...I would know.
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      ali3n | October 27, 2008
      
      You're a Hindu? If so it's probably rather useless arguing with you over this. I was simply going by the ones I had seen or what I had learned.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Storm | October 27, 2008
      
      Yeah I am.
      I didn't know this was an argument.
    - 1 thumbs!
      ali3n | October 27, 2008
      
      Ops, wasn't really concentrating when I typed that out.
0 thumbs!
Deathsythe | October 23, 2008

quote
Japanese RPGs in general and the Xenogears/Saga games in particular obtained their plots by tossing the Torah and some giant robot comics through a paper shredder before pasting them back together at random.
Probably one of the best lines in the article...

quote
In the games that prompt you to rename the Shiva summon, piss off whoever you like by transforming Jesus, Mohammad, or your religious figure of choice into a frigid, bikini-wearing Smurf.
Is easily a close second though.
1 thumbs!
BANDITO ATTACK | October 23, 2008

i dont see a very strong link between most of those.. and unless this dude follows every single one of these religions, i dont see how he can say if it's offensive or not.
2 thumbs!
Jaw Knee | October 24, 2008

*bleep* religion. If you can't even play video games these days without being offended, then you need to take your bible out of your goddamn ass and stop sucking your pastor's dick.
0 thumbs!
black doom | October 24, 2008

What about Hyliaism? I mean one game from another series claimed to have Link's grave!
1 thumbs!
HisServant77 | October 24, 2008

Well as a Minister, I can say that people will get offended no matter what. To remove offenses we'd have to remove everything and every one in the world.

The only real issue is in those who let the games choose for them. Such as letting the games affect their real life beliefs--THAT is when the "offenses" become a problem. But then again that just brings up the whole desensitization thing and all that.

In any case, like I tell people especially with this LBP thing. If it offends you, don't play it. You can't expect everyone to believe the same as you, so don't be offended when someone else offends you with their beliefs. So long as you allow them to express theirs, just as much as you want to express yours.
0 thumbs!
Gothic Girl | October 25, 2008

I can see why Shiva from FF would be offensive. The other summons resemble the god/goddess they're based off, but turning one of Hindu's biggest gods into a bikini wearing hottie was a ... weird choice.

I'm a bit surprised Jenova (i.e. "Jehova") from FFVII wasn't mentioned, what with the whole "I'm a mindless alien who's sole purpose is to destroy everything and kill everyone". Another odd name choice on Squeenix's behalf.
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  Final Blade | October 25, 2008
  
  _{How would religious people get offended from that?}
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    Slumpy monkey | October 26, 2008
    
    Because there is a religion called Jehovah whiteness.