Religious Cults in the Fictional World of The Witcher RPG

Abstract

This paper deals with religions found in the fictional world of “The Witcher” videogame. Within this fantasy universe, religious communities, institutions and conflicts are not constructed around theological doctrines, nor do they refer to the issues usually associated with religious faith (such as cosmology, eschatology, ethics or worship). Instead, their cornerstone appears to be the question regarding violence and their attitude towards the Other. In many respects, this game is a typical product of contemporary pop-culture: religions, religiousness, faith and believers are portrayed here from a secular perspective. As a result, it is the question of religious cults’ willingness to peacefully co-exist with each other and the world around them that comes to the forefront, while issues that are less interesting for nonbelievers are downplayed or ignored. This article aims to show one of the dominant strategies of representation of religions and believers in contemporary videogames.