It is perhaps unsurprising that cults in video games are few and far between given the potential controversy that including one could arouse. However, from the players' point of view, those that have appeared in major titles have been truly memorable for one reason or another, whether it be their unbelievably illogical principles or for the moments of sheer terror they provided.
The handful of cults that do exist in the video game world are an interesting mix of fictional organisations and groups which are clearly inspired by a real life movement. The purely fictional cults tend to have beliefs that are centred around another in-game concept, and are the brainchild of the writers of the game's script, whereas others are more closely linked to real life cults and religious groups and/or have real religious ideologies. Here is part one of our round-up of some of the most bizarre and extreme cults found in video games:
Church of the Children of Atom - Fallout 3
Shortly after breaking out of Vault 101, a shelter which has housed your character for his/her entire life up until this point, the player discovers the nearby town of Megaton. As you quickly discover, the settlement has been built entirely around an unexploded atomic bomb. It is also home to the Church of the Children of Atom, the group who have played a pivotal role in building the town.
Their main beliefs are based around the splitting of the atom as they believe that each atomic mass contains an entire universe within it. Therefore they are of the opinion that when an atomic mass is split, many universes are created. The Church's leader, Confessor Cromwell, is typically found preaching next to the bomb in the centre of the town and it is suggested in the game that he and the cult want the bomb to explode and send them to their destiny.
The player will then be given the chance to re-arm the bomb and then detonate it later on, destroying the whole town and the cult in the process. Or, they could do the exact opposite and disarm it.
Shortly after breaking out of Vault 101, a shelter which has housed your character for his/her entire life up until this point, the player discovers the nearby town of Megaton. As you quickly discover, the settlement has been built entirely around an unexploded atomic bomb. It is also home to the Church of the Children of Atom, the group who have played a pivotal role in building the town.
Their main beliefs are based around the splitting of the atom as they believe that each atomic mass contains an entire universe within it. Therefore they are of the opinion that when an atomic mass is split, many universes are created. The Church's leader, Confessor Cromwell, is typically found preaching next to the bomb in the centre of the town and it is suggested in the game that he and the cult want the bomb to explode and send them to their destiny.
The player will then be given the chance to re-arm the bomb and then detonate it later on, destroying the whole town and the cult in the process. Or, they could do the exact opposite and disarm it.
Tree Minders - Fallout 3 If worshipping a bomb wasn't unusual enough, the Tree Minders are on another level of craziness. Unlike the Church of the Children of Atom, they're not part of the main storyline and they can only be found by locating the "Oasis" and triggering the optional side quest of the same name. Essentially, they are a group of people who worship a mutant tree called Harold (pictured below). On condition of entering their sacred turf, the Tree Minders ask the player to undergo a ritual involving drinking a special sap to rid them of all evil to ensure that the one they refer to as "He" will be unharmed. They are a peaceful group but all of its members are armed with guns for the sole purpose of protecting their little world and "Him". | "He is the one who grows, he is the one who gives and he is the one who guides. No one speaks His name out of reverence for His majesty. Thanks to Him, the Treeminders have a home." - Tree Father Birch on Harold. |
Robert De Sable, Templar Grand Master in the first Assassin's Creed game. | Templar Order - Assassin's Creed series The whole Assassin's Creed series revolves around an epic power struggle between two cults, the Assassin's Brotherhood (the good guys) and the Templars. Whilst the Brotherhood constantly seeks to retain the freedom of the people, the Templars believe that allowing them to have such freedoms will only lead to the abuse of that right and that will in turn lead to war, hatred and death. Therefore, they are oppressive and look to control the human race as they believe that will ensure its safety. To do this, they require the Pieces Of Eden which have the power to control humans. Even though the series has had several changes in location, characters and historical eras, the Templars are the ever-present villains. Each playable character in the series has their own Templar targets to take down and these have included some real historical figures such as Robert de Sable from the Third Crusade and the Borgia family from the Italian Renaissance. Of course, the Templars were a real religious military order and you can find out more about them here. The Creed series does portray them accurately but some of the protagonists wearing the Templar symbol in the games were not necessarily a member of the order. |
The Order - Silent Hill series
At the centre of the many strange goings-on in the town of Silent Hill is The Order, a cult which does not believe in the concepts of "good" and "evil" but does believe in "chaos" and "order" as well as Paradise, sins, Purgatory and Hell. Their main aim is to bring about the apocalypse and deliver the faithful to Paradise.
The Order is made up of four smaller sects. These are the Sect of the Holy Woman, the Sect of the Holy Mother, the Sect of Valtiel and the Sect of Shepherd's Glen. The most extreme of these are the Sect of the Holy Woman - who believed that God would return to Earth one day and when that happened, she would trigger the apocalypse - and the Sect of Valtiel who would carry out The Order's brutal punishments and executions.
Los Illuminados - Resident Evil 4
Los Illuminados (from the Spanish meaning of "Enlightened Ones"), may appear to be a bit of a laughing stock and to some extent this is true as they can be very entertaining in their attempts to be scary but, at the same time, they are genuinely threatening - all of which means they are the perfect bad guys for a zombie game. Their main belief is that everyone should sacrifice themselves to parasites known as the Plaga which they thought was of great spiritual significance. In reality, the Plaga is a virus which turns those it infects into zombies. Those who did not obey to this are hunted down and horrifically executed.
At the centre of the many strange goings-on in the town of Silent Hill is The Order, a cult which does not believe in the concepts of "good" and "evil" but does believe in "chaos" and "order" as well as Paradise, sins, Purgatory and Hell. Their main aim is to bring about the apocalypse and deliver the faithful to Paradise.
The Order is made up of four smaller sects. These are the Sect of the Holy Woman, the Sect of the Holy Mother, the Sect of Valtiel and the Sect of Shepherd's Glen. The most extreme of these are the Sect of the Holy Woman - who believed that God would return to Earth one day and when that happened, she would trigger the apocalypse - and the Sect of Valtiel who would carry out The Order's brutal punishments and executions.
Los Illuminados - Resident Evil 4
Los Illuminados (from the Spanish meaning of "Enlightened Ones"), may appear to be a bit of a laughing stock and to some extent this is true as they can be very entertaining in their attempts to be scary but, at the same time, they are genuinely threatening - all of which means they are the perfect bad guys for a zombie game. Their main belief is that everyone should sacrifice themselves to parasites known as the Plaga which they thought was of great spiritual significance. In reality, the Plaga is a virus which turns those it infects into zombies. Those who did not obey to this are hunted down and horrifically executed.
By Nathan Hill