A long-time video gamer and devout Catholic is sounding the alarm about a new breed of satanically-themed video games that target God and the Catholic Church, invite players to make pacts with the devil, and elevate Satan to hero status. Although this warning came almost ten years ago now, updated versions of many of these games still exist, there are plenty of new additions to this list.“This has been going on for the last 10 years, but especially in the most recent games,” said Lance Christian, 32, of Alton, Illinois. “It wasn’t until last month when I said, ‘enough is enough!’ I’m a gamer, but I’m deep into my faith and I think God is showing me this so I can make other people aware of it.”
He has seen games gradually become more occult-based, promoting Satan and even the persecution of Christians. For instance, in one game, players kill the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael before going on to destroy God. Another game requires players to sell their soul to the devil and rewards them for “killing unbaptized infants.” All these games seem to have one central theme - God is the enemy and the devil is the hero. One game guide blatantly states: “The Judeo-Christian God is portrayed as the prominent villain in the series . . .”
“This is just the tip of the iceberg in what I have discovered,” Mr. Christian said. “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.”
He provided us with the following list of the most egregious games:
1) Tecmo's Deception: Invitation To Darkness – Players "make an unholy pact and sell their soul to Satan in exchange for power" with the object of the game being to ensure the resurrection of Satan and obtain his power. (This game is rated “T” for teen.)
2) Nocturne - A game in which the hero (a demon) destroys the three archangels St. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, then goes on to destroy God.
3) Devil Summoner – Involves communicating with and recruiting demons. One demon tells the player “That Catholic Church is such an eyesore” and in the end of the game, blows up the Church.
4) Shadow Hearts - The hero uses his power to intercept and destroy God and "save the world.” Some games in this series are rated “T”.
5) Dragon's Age Origins – Game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world. A witch attacks believers and players can “have sex” with her in a pagan act called “blood magic” so she can “give birth to a god.” Another scenario allows player to have sex with a demon in exchange for a boy’s soul.
6) Dante's Inferno – Loosely based on the Divine Comedy, player travels through nine circles of Hell, fighting demons, "unbaptized babies" and other tormented souls. (This game is being considered for a movie by Universal Pictures.)
7) Guitar Hero (Playstation) – Players use guitars decorated with pentagrams. God is repeatedly mocked by the devil and in the end, the devil is the hero of the game. Women dressed as Catholic school girls are degraded. (Rated “T” for teen.) Other games with Satanic themes are Darksiders, Koudelka, Trapt, and Bayonetta.
Some of the more recently released games include:
Wizard 101, which is marketed to pre-teens, is filled with sorcery and spell-casting.
Dragon Ball Z features a character named Goku who is supposedly a good person who has God-like powers that are sourced in chi- a universal life force. The 666 symbol appears in the videos and witchcraft dominates a variety of the episodes. In the final fight between Goku and the evil Buu, the citizens of earth chant, "Satan! Satan! Satan!"
Yu-Gi-Oh, one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, is an overtly occult story that centers around a Harry Potterish character named Yugi who was given broken pieces of an ancient Egyptian artifact known as the Millennium Puzzle by his grandfather. When he assembles the pieces, he becomes possessed by another personality who is later discovered to be the spirit of a 3,000 year-old Pharaoh named Atem who has no memory of his own time.
Afterparty features two teens and best friends, Milo and Lola, who die and find themselves in Hell. If they can outdrink Satan, he will grant them re-entry to Earth.
There are at least a dozen more recent games to add to the list. Visit this site to read more.
Even though most of these videos are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as “M” for mature audiences, many are rated “T” for teens. But regardless of the ratings, they can easily fall into the hands of children from older siblings or parents.
Paul Bury, editor of Family Friendly Gaming said the envelope is definitely being pushed with these games. “Role playing games have progressively gotten worse over the years,” he said. “It is difficult to find a role playing game that is not 'T'. . . . There have been some 'M' rated ones where all kinds of decadence is allowed.” Another problem is that the ESRB has been “shifting” its standards much like movie rating bureaus have been doing.
“Compared to movies in the past, they are now allowing more for a PG rating," Mr. Bury said. "I have noticed the same thing from the ESRB. Games that in the opinion of Family Friendly Gaming that should receive a 'M' rating, are getting a 'T' rating. They are letting more through.”
Eliot Mizrachi, former spokesman for the ESRB, said their rating system focuses on violence, language and sexuality and is based on what the average consumer’s expectations would be about content.
“The ratings are only intended to be a guide,” he said, “but if someone has sensitivities about particular content, the first step would be to check the rating summaries on our website which provide a very detailed description of the content that factored into the rating.”
We checked these summaries and although they were helpful, few mentioned the overt satanic content of the games.
Mr. Mizrachi urged concerned parents to do their homework before choosing what games their children can play. In addition to checking the summaries available on their website, they should also consult game reviews on parent-focused websites.
Parents can consult reviews on the Focus on the Family’s "Plugged In" website at
To voice your concern about the content of video games, check video summaries and access mobile ratings, click here.
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