Title (eng)
Proliferation of cults in post-apocalyptic videogames
Author
Description (eng)
Organizations resonating with the popular image of cults are so widespread in games
belonging to the post-apocalyptic genre that we must question the reason for this popularity,
how exactly this changes the popular understanding of religion in general, small religious
movements in particular, or secularity as something derived from it. This article attempts to
answer those questions by analyzing the representation of cults in one particular game rife
with cultic imagery—Metro: Exodus by studio 4A.
We apply the concept of religious dimensions proposed by religious scholar Ninian Smart,
intended to organize different aspects of religious tradition, to establish which parts of them
serve as more fundamental elements of the cults presented in this game. This allows us to
notice that, despite their numerous stylistic and ethical outward differences, all three cults in
the game function, first and foremost, as forms of social engineering. This, in turn, serves as a
way to implicitly create an opposition between “normal” modernity, exemplified by player
characters, and any alternatives encoded as fundamentally connected with the conscious and
dishonest actions of cultic leaders.
Keywords (eng)
Metro: Exoduscultsresonancedisenchantment
Type (eng)
Language
[eng]
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Title
Gaming the Apocalypse
ISBN
978-3-903470-30-9
Publication
University of Krems Press
Publication
University of Krems Press
Date issued
2025-11-14
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