You get to singlehandedly end Hell’s invasion by ripping them apart, one by one. This is your personal fantasy and power trip. The central focus of “Doom” is not on Hell, demons, or anything of that sort. Worldview: Morality and the Human Power Fantasy “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.” Just some food for thought. Alternatively, one could see “Doom” as a mockery of the devil, not unlike Martin Luther spoke of. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV). Peter wrote, “Be sober-minded be watchful. There is perhaps an argument about the game trivializing the demonic. Some children may be disturbed, others may enjoy the games and even be able to open a dialogue about real demonic dangers. Not every child will be affected in the same way. When it comes to the violence or imagery in video games, it’s a judgment call that parents have to make about their own kids. And, anyway, they’re the bad guys.” Is the Controversy Too Much? evil than killing literal demons from Hell? One of the game developers Sandy Peterson, is a devout Mormon who famously said, “I have no problems with the demons in the game. What could be more black and white good vs. Ironically, the choice to fight demons was made partially to avoid controversy. There was no clear political or religious message intentionally baked in to make kids shoot up their schools or worship Satan. Id was only about a half-dozen guys in their 20s trying to make something new and exciting. Id Software was not a big corporate operation. The world of game development was very different in the early 90s. You won’t find any messages about theology or spiritual warfare anywhere in here. Later games in the series make it clear that this is Hell in more of a science fiction alternate dimension filled with monsters. It is worth noting that the game does not reference Satan directly. The only installment to significantly expand the format is the newest one, “Doom Eternal,” which I’ll write more specifically on next time. Later games have made only slight modifications to this basic structure. It seems that these scientists opened up a portal to Hell, letting the monsters in, and it’s now your job to go down to Hell and kill every last demon. Upon arrival, you see that the lab has been overrun by demonic beasts. You play as a space marine going to Mars to investigate a science lab. With that mentality behind it, you know you’re going to be in for a less thoughtful and more experiential game. Developer John Carmack infamously downplayed the need for story in video games by comparing it with the need for story in pornography. This is simply a worldview analysis of a popular franchise. What makes a piece of media Christian or Satanic? Most conversations end with either “It’s of the devil and should be avoided and burned,” or “It’s just a fun video game that nobody needs to worry about.” Is “Doom” a Christian video game, and what would make it one? We need to examine a few components, such as the story, the context, and the worldview.Īs always, this is not an endorsement, especially given the games’ controversial nature. This post may be a little bit goofier than usual, but there is some substance to it. This simplicity has led some to the opposite question. Hell’s demons are all pure evil, and it’s your job as the hero to destroy them. Does that make the game unacceptable for Christians? The game presents a very black and white morality. Now parents had to worry about guns, violence, and occult imagery. “Doom” added more to the controversy by incorporating demons and Hell. Although primitive-looking by today’s standards, the graphics and violence were shocking in the 90s. “Doom” was one of the first and most influential First-Person Shooter games. With the popularity came the controversy. 27 years later, the franchise continues to be popular with a new installment, “Doom Eternal,” releasing earlier this year. The popularity of the game spread like wildfire, at one point being installed on more computers than Windows. In 1993, Id Software released the video game “Doom” for PCs.
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