Hi poppyseed,
Thanks! Just to be sure: you absolutely are the 'target demographic'. I'm not looking for the kind of elusive 'hardcore' gamer or anything like that. Just people that play games.
Just out of interest: which games do you play that you'd say contain some kind of religious element? Guild Wars has different religious systems, gods, and priests, for instance.
I'm interested what you think of those, in that game and others.
I'd be interested in a lot more (like what kind of character you play, whether they have a name, if and how they fit in the lore or whether you play 'you' and your own beliefs, and so on), but maybe that would be difficult to ask in this thread?
Also still interested in anyone else's experiences if they're willing to chime in
These days, the only thing I play is Guild Wars 2. The Nintendo Games I own are pretty kid-friendly, so they don't have any religious elements - New Super Mario Bros, Boom Blox, Fortune Street, Mario Kart 8.
I like GW2 for a few reasons: There's no monthly fee to play; you can go at your own pace; there are a lot of cooperative/team components; the graphics are pretty; I like to be able to customize my characters' appearance; and I like the fantasy aspect. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings, of which I'm a big fan. This game feels like a very rich and multi-layered fantasy world. I also like that the game is not overly violent, and the "enemies" are not generally people - they are dragons, undead, or some other kind of fantasy villain.
GW2 lore does contain six gods, but they don't play an active role in this game. They seem to have disappeared in the generations since the original Guild Wars (which I also played). I don't remember the history exactly, but in GW2, the characters are on their own to defeat some very hostile dragons.
There are 5 "races" of characters in this game, one of which is the Norn (the others are humans, Asura, Charr, and Sylvari). Nature worship is a big part of Norn warrior culture, with shrines to raven, bear, and wolf. I guess you could say this is a type of idolatry. Personally I'm not bothered by it, but I understand if other people refuse to play due to this. I see it as just part of the fictional story of a fictional culture, and it has no influence on me and my own beliefs.
I haven't played any other MMORPGS or games such as God of War or Demigod, which both feature the "god" aspect heavily. I'm not interested in playing a game where my character is somehow part-god or descended from gods. I like playing characters that are just average people, who go on an extraordinary journey after much training. It feels more "realistic" this way, if you will.
I prefer ranged combat over melee, so my main character is a ranger. I also prefer "physical" damage, not magic like using spells and the like. All my characters are female, but only because I think the armor styles look better on females. All my characters have a name - it's required in the character creation menu. I like names with alliteration. Basically I just come up with a girl's first name that I like and pair it with an alliterating last name that somehow corresponds to her class, or profession. I don't spend too much time on name selection. The game has a huge variety of armor styles and colors for dyeing them. One of the things I like best is customizing the look of my characters.
My main character is a human ranger. I chose human simply because it makes the most sense to me, and the original Guild Wars only allowed you to create humans. This ranger is supposed to be a descendant of my original GW character. I don't consider her "me". I see her as more like a character in a story I'm reading or movie I'm watching. She is the kind of protagonist I'd like to watch - a loyal and smart woman, who by chance happens to befriend people who could use her help in saving the world. The plot has a "destiny" aspect to it, but it's kind of cheesy and hard to suspend disbelief for that. In my mind, she just happens to be skilled at what she does.
The main storyline of the game leaves a lot to be desired at times. There are plot holes, and the dialogue can be corny. For the most part though, I enjoy it, and the controls feel natural to me, no awkwardness. I like that you can choose to play however much you want, and there's no penalty. You can also play alone or with friends.
I actually play with my husband. It's a nice activity for us to do together in the winter months, when we're stuck in the house. I find the game relaxing, and I enjoy socializing with my "guild" since I don't talk to a lot of people in real life. Although the game is fun, I don't feel compelled to play all the time because there is no monthly fee.
I hope I answered your questions!
