14 DAY TRIAL // The Bulletin, an outlet, which describes itself as “Philadelphia's family newspaper,” has discovered that videogaming might be a fertile medium for the influence of Satan and printed a piece that advises readers to beware of the games that attack God and Christianity.
The main evidence of the Satanic undertones in gaming are statements from Lance Christian, who is 32 years old, an avid gamer and was probably selected for the piece because of his name. He says Satan's influence “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.”
The list the newspaper then cites is made up of titles like Deception: Invitation to Darkness, launched for the Psone, Shadow Hearts and Nocturne, which came out for the PlayStation 2 and also Dragon Age: Origins, the multiplatform role playing game that BioWare released last year. Dante's Inferno, Devil Summoner, Darksiders, Guiter Hero and Bayonetta are listed as drawing their players deeper into the dark arts as well.
It's interesting to note how The Bulletin describes Dragon Age. The newspaper says that “The game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world. A witch attacks believers and players can 'have [bodily contact]' with her in a pagan act called 'blood magic' so she can 'give birth to a god'. Another scenario allows players to have [bodily contact] with a demon in exchange for a boy's soul.”
Paul Bury, the editor of Family Friendly Gaming, is also quoted as saying that “Role playing games (RPGs) have progressively gotten worse over the years.” The Bulletin believes that the ESRB should expand its responsibilities to actually checking the games it rates for Satanic undertones, advising potential buyers about which are the worst defenders.