Central European Journal for Contemporary Religion is a scholarly journal published both by the Hussite Theological Faculty of the Charles University and Karolinum Publishers, which aims to serve as a publication platform for Comparative Religion and related disciplines. It focuses mainly on contemporary religious phenomena with special (but not exclusive) focus on Central and Eastern Europe. It should serve both as a source of information on te religious life in the region and as a supply of scholarly studies focused on contemporary lived religion at large. It is published semi-annually both in print and online (free access). Its goal is to bring thought-provoking contributions related not only to current established religions and religious movements new and old, but also to contemporary spirituality in its wider context, including the New Age milieu, Neopaganism and pop-cultural spirituality. The journal also covers the latest theoretical and methodological trends in Comparative Religion, Ritual Studies and other disciplines. The editorial board consists of scholars from most Czech Comparative Religion departments, as well as experts on the most important religious traditions across the globe.
CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR CONTEMPORARY RELIGION, Vol 4 No 1 (2020), 23–49
Bioshock: Infinite as the Mirror of America?
Jiří Kothera
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/25704893.2021.2
published online: 11. 04. 2022
abstract
Few mainstream computer games have caused such controversy as Bioshock: Infinite (2013). The third instalment of the Bioshock series is set in the fictional city of Columbia in an alternate history of the early twentieth century, which at first glance appears to be a perfect social utopia. After a while, however, the narrative begins to uncover the multilayered problems of society oppressed by a fraction of the white elite and religious fanaticism. The popularity of the game is not only due to the attractive audiovisual processing and complex game mechanics. It is primarily a story that uses an unprecedented amount of religious symbolism – especially Christian symbols, historical references, polysemic story elements, and a story based on the concepts of frontier myth and American exceptionalism. This work will deal with analysing these phenomena, especially those directly related to the religious and nationalistic topics in the United States.
keywords: Bioshock; Religion; Politics; Videogames; American Exceptionalism; The Frontier Myth
Bioshock: Infinite as the Mirror of America? is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
157 x 230 mm
periodicity: 2 x per year
print price: 180 czk
ISSN: 2533-7955
E-ISSN: 2570-4893
