Worshiping Video Game gods?

[CrazyAfterlife]

Just wondering if anyone actually worship video game deities. I mean, there a lot of things being worshiped like a spaghetti monster and the force from star wars.

[toxicyarnglare]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

If I'm not mistaken, that falls under the realm of Chaos magic, and wouldn't be surprised if there's people here or there who worship them.

[MaskedOne]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

There are a few followers of the God-Emperor of Man floating around though they haven't posted in a while. Granted, 40K extends over all kinds of media but the GEoM is referenced in various video games as well as books, RPGs and tabletop strategy games.

[Fier]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

If I'm not mistaken, that falls under the realm of Chaos magic

Or pop culture paganism.

I don't know of anyone who actually worships video game gods, but I have read blog posts on the subject of video game gods and how and why one might worship them. Pretty interesting.

[habbalah]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

I don't know any personally, but there have been some games with interesting and compelling pantheon. I can see why one would be drawn to them. Apparently, "Praise the sun!" from Dark Souls has caught on, but I think that's more of a meme/fan thing than actual worship.

[Serria]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

You might find that many of the gods in video games are based off of real ones from various cultures. I am willing to say that most gods in video games are based off of something because the creators have to draw ideas and influence from somewhere.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

I'm a hard polytheist, so I wouldn't actually worship a video game god, but I can absolutely, 100% see how video game gods (just like any pop culture icon) could be useful and profound manifestations of a more soft-poly, pantheist or Archetype worldview. Technically, the way I see it, I could actually work with video game gods if I wanted to, while being a hard polytheist... because the video game gods would be ways for my brain to categorise, organise and put a name to certain Archetypal concepts from the human group consciousness (as opposed to being actual gods). It just wouldn't be 'worship'.

I have flirted with the idea of trying out something like this with the Daedric Princes from the Elder Scrolls Universe (hah, I'm a Demonolator even in the realm of fake gods!) I've spent what probably amounts to thousands of hours immersed in the Elder Scrolls universe over the last fifteen years (four games)... some of the Daedric Princes (and several of the Aedra) are as familiar to me as the actual gods that I work with. I can absolutely see why this is an attractive prospect for people.

[Medusa]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

I'm a hard polytheist, so I wouldn't actually worship a video game god, but I can absolutely, 100% see how video game gods (just like any pop culture icon) could be useful and profound manifestations of a more soft-poly, pantheist or Archetype worldview. Technically, the way I see it, I could actually work with video game gods if I wanted to, while being a hard polytheist... because the video game gods would be ways for my brain to categorise, organise and put a name to certain Archetypal concepts from the human group consciousness (as opposed to being actual gods). It just wouldn't be 'worship'.

I have flirted with the idea of trying out something like this with the Daedric Princes from the Elder Scrolls Universe (hah, I'm a Demonolator even in the realm of fake gods!) I've spent what probably amounts to thousands of hours immersed in the Elder Scrolls universe over the last fifteen years (four games)... some of the Daedric Princes (and several of the Aedra) are as familiar to me as the actual gods that I work with. I can absolutely see why this is an attractive prospect for people.

At first glance of this topic I wanted to just be all 'no!'
But your well explained thought process seems sound. I mean from a non theist, I already assume Thor is as fake as I dunno Mario whatever his last name is, does he have a last name? Does Thor? I digress. I figure Thor was probably seen as a pop culture icon during his time (whichever time that would be). So yeah. Roll with it. I'm a Satanist. But the view I have in my head of the Satan I use as an archetype is pretty much Milton's view. Or sometimes Jon Lovit's.

What I do always wonder is does the person who is using that image know it's not real? Like not when they tell you yeah, it's real. And they wear their cloak and whatever stuff. But like to themselves. In the dark. Where the 'no bs' stuff lives. Where you sometimes we don't want to go because knowing it's all just made up might totally cause us to loose faith. So we just live in the pretend I believe world. Living in there long enough, hoping no one questions so then I don't question and then end up as an atheist.

That stuff above is my actual experience with getting out of the pretending I had a belief in a deity at the time.

Sorry if I just rambled away. I just sorta woke up from a nap and watching Constantine.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

At first glance of this topic I wanted to just be all 'no!'
But your well explained thought process seems sound. I mean from a non theist, I already assume Thor is as fake as I dunno Mario whatever his last name is, does he have a last name? Does Thor? I digress. I figure Thor was probably seen as a pop culture icon during his time (whichever time that would be). So yeah. Roll with it. I'm a Satanist. But the view I have in my head of the Satan I use as an archetype is pretty much Milton's view. Or sometimes Jon Lovit's.

What I do always wonder is does the person who is using that image know it's not real? Like not when they tell you yeah, it's real. And they wear their cloak and whatever stuff. But like to themselves. In the dark. Where the 'no bs' stuff lives. Where you sometimes we don't want to go because knowing it's all just made up might totally cause us to loose faith. So we just live in the pretend I believe world. Living in there long enough, hoping no one questions so then I don't question and then end up as an atheist.

That stuff above is my actual experience with getting out of the pretending I had a belief in a deity at the time.

Sorry if I just rambled away. I just sorta woke up from a nap and watching Constantine.

There is also the fact that for some people, they are actually more immersed in the lore of their video game gods than the lore of real world gods. Because if you're a gamer, you live those games for those hours that you're playing. The lore specifically relates to you (in the guise of your character) in ways that mythology just can't. So if you're looking at it from a purely atheistic viewpoint, where ALL gods are fake and video games are just the new generation of storytelling... in a lot of ways it actually makes more sense to 'worship' a video game god then a real world god.

As for the other bit... it depends. Most people who I've seen who work with pop culture icons (from video games, books, movies, cartoons etc) know that they don't exist outside of those stories. I'm not gonna say 'aren't real', because that just gets us back to the reality of gods debate... and in answer to that, I love Thalassa's story about Phee and Tinkerbell. Even if something doesn't exist in this physical world, it can be 'real' in ways that profoundly affect the psyche. Fictitious characters affect us in all sorts of ways. So what it comes down to is not whether the figure is real, but whether it's effect on us is real.

Is Satan real? As far as you're concerned, no he isn't. But that doesn't stop you being affected by him, his mythology and the worldview that someone created from that mythology and symbolism.

[Medusa]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

True. What sits at the back of my head is when a lot of that 'let's go for real' stuff affects us in very very very bad ways. As in the news of late. I mean yeah, no one has been murdered in the name of Spyro. But you know I just have that fear. History and facts of that history has shown us people aren't always so smart in how they deal with their make believe stuff. :=I:

[thalassa]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

Not video games, per se....but under the wider umbrella of pop culture, yes.

[Näre]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

Hypothetical question: Would worship in a video game be counted as actual worship?

[Kviskrar]

[Näre]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

I meant both, specially on the blurred line when your character does something but you as a real life person are involved with it. Because I suppose everyone has a tiny bit of themselves in their character and we do get all kinds of emotional responses from gaming, so why not also spiritual ones?

[anunitu]

Re: Worshiping Video Game gods?

So,is there a posted cheat to move the Joy stick certain ways to cause your input to be a prayer to this cyber deity.