"Fear the Old Blood." Bloodborne, Christian Concepts of Communion, and Theological Reflection

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48783/gameviron.v20i20.247

Keywords:

Theology, Bloodborne, FromSoftware, gamevironments

Abstract

What might it mean to read video games as a source for critical theological reflection? This project explores the extent to which FromSoftware’s 2015 classic Bloodborne can be read in just this way for at least two reasons. Firstly, the game makes visible foundational but often taken-for-granted Christian themes, as well as their internal paradoxes. Secondly, Bloodborne’s gameplay is structured through these themes in ways that invite the player to take on a mode of theological reflection which allows them to think creatively beyond the conditions giving rise to these paradoxes.

Author Biography

  • Ed Watson, Yale University

    Ed Watson is a PhD candidate in Religious Studies at Yale University. His research focuses on how religious beliefs transform learned practices of meaning-making, especially in terms of conceptualizing racial difference in light of Christian accounts of grace. He also loves video games, and is currently working his way through Shadow of the Erdtree whilst finishing his first honor run on Baldur's Gate 3. 

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Published

2024-07-13

Issue

No. #20 (2024)

Section

IASGAR PhD Day Reports