I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac
The game The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a game that incorporates criticism of religion. Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons. Both from the perspective of narrative and of game design, McMillen built The Binding of Isaac around the Biblical story of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-04-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/4/133 |
| _version_ | 1819000648826355712 |
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| author | Frank G. Bosman Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen |
| author_facet | Frank G. Bosman Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen |
| author_sort | Frank G. Bosman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The game The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a game that incorporates criticism of religion. Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons. Both from the perspective of narrative and of game design, McMillen built The Binding of Isaac around the Biblical story of Genesis 22:1-19, which has the same name in Jewish and Christian tradition, but he placed it in a modern-day setting in which a young boy is endangered by a mentally disturbed mother who hears “voices from above” that instruct her to sacrifice her only child. Multiple critical references to Christianity can be found in addition to the narrative: hostile embodiments of the seven deadly sins, rosaries, Bibles, and crucifixes, and unlockable characters, such as Mary Magdalene, Judas Iscariot, Samson, and Cain, who are all depicted negatively in both Jewish and Christian traditions. McMillen’s inspiration came from his own experiences with his family, which was made up of both Catholics and born-again Christians. The game describes both the dark creativity and the mental and physical abuse associated with religion. In this article, we analyse the narrative of The Binding of Isaac by performing an intertextual comparison with the Biblical narrative of Genesis 22:1-19. We then analyse the three-fold narrative structure of the game which enhances and nuances the criticism the game directs at religion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T22:36:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-11d68ac1b0de4ba88f790bdf70285fb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T22:36:40Z |
| publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-11d68ac1b0de4ba88f790bdf70285fb62022-12-21T19:24:34ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442018-04-019413310.3390/rel9040133rel9040133I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of IsaacFrank G. Bosman0Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen1Department of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The NetherlandsDepartment of Biblical Sciences and Church History, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The NetherlandsThe game The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a game that incorporates criticism of religion. Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons. Both from the perspective of narrative and of game design, McMillen built The Binding of Isaac around the Biblical story of Genesis 22:1-19, which has the same name in Jewish and Christian tradition, but he placed it in a modern-day setting in which a young boy is endangered by a mentally disturbed mother who hears “voices from above” that instruct her to sacrifice her only child. Multiple critical references to Christianity can be found in addition to the narrative: hostile embodiments of the seven deadly sins, rosaries, Bibles, and crucifixes, and unlockable characters, such as Mary Magdalene, Judas Iscariot, Samson, and Cain, who are all depicted negatively in both Jewish and Christian traditions. McMillen’s inspiration came from his own experiences with his family, which was made up of both Catholics and born-again Christians. The game describes both the dark creativity and the mental and physical abuse associated with religion. In this article, we analyse the narrative of The Binding of Isaac by performing an intertextual comparison with the Biblical narrative of Genesis 22:1-19. We then analyse the three-fold narrative structure of the game which enhances and nuances the criticism the game directs at religion.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/4/133studiesBibletheologyIsaacCatholicismcriticism of religionchild abuse |
| spellingShingle | Frank G. Bosman Archibald L. H. M. van Wieringen I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac Religions studies Bible theology Isaac Catholicism criticism of religion child abuse |
| title | I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac |
| title_full | I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac |
| title_fullStr | I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac |
| title_full_unstemmed | I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac |
| title_short | I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac |
| title_sort | i have faith in thee lord criticism of religion and child abuse in the video game the binding of isaac |
| topic | studies Bible theology Isaac Catholicism criticism of religion child abuse |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/4/133 |
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