The mythology of Dead Space is centered on a religion called Unitology. The church actively recruits members, solicits money from its followers, and worships an alien artifact called "the Marker," with an aim to bring about the "convergence" or "unification." It's a large part of a Dead Space world, which spans DVDs, games, and books. It's also uncomfortably close to another, real-world religion.
"We never really approach that discussion with the intention of poking fun at a particular religion, or sort of making a social statement about something that's going on right now," Wright Bagwell, the creative director of Dead Space 2, told MTV. "For us, Unitology's purpose in the story represents people's illogical thinking about things they don't understand. It was never really intended to be a jab at any particular religion." That particular religion is Scientology, and he claims most of us think there's a link because the "names are very similar." That's not exactly accurate; the latest game in the series presented a pointed, ongoing attack on Scientology and its leadership. Let's take a look.
Warning: the following feature will contain light spoilers concerning the Dead Space series.
The books
In Dead Space 2, players fight through a church dedicated to Unitology, complete with advertisements for multiple books with the teachings of the church. Images of these books are specific, with a very well conceived look in terms of coloring, fonts, and overall style. We've pulled a screenshot from the game to show you what we mean.
Feel free to click on the image to really dig into the details.
Scientology is unique in that there is no single, strong "bible" of teachings and wisdom. The words of L. Ron Hubbard are published in a series of books, lectures, and supplemental materials that are sold to Scientologists to allow them to study the teachings of the church.
From Scientology's official site
In 2009 Scientology rolled out an updated series of books and materials for sale, with great fanfare. "And so it is that all materials of the Scientology religion, containing the answers that all humankind has sought for centuries, are now available in many languages, many formats, and forever, for the benefit of all," the church announced. "Indeed, here is the long-hoped-for goal of total knowledge."
Scientology puts great importance on the sale of this material, just as Dead Space presents the Church of Unitology as heavily pushing its own books. Take a look at both screenshots to see the similarity in the aesthetics of the books in question, and the science-fiction styles of the covers. The look of Unitology was clearly lifted wholesale from Scientologist texts and products.
Unification
One of the core beliefs of Unitology is the idea of "unification," when everyone's bodies and minds will be brought together as one. It's talked about in the book, and at E3 religious tracts were handed out to the gaming press, with the lesson inside being to keep your body safe and healthy for the time of convergence. These are pretty specific words, but they must have been picked just because they sound like something that would exist in an established religion... right?
This is from a series of lectures and a book called "The Unification Congress." Here's how this material is described: "This book delineates the exact, but previously unknown, anatomy and formulas for perfect communication. The magic of the communication cycle is the fundamental of auditing and the primary reason auditing works." Auditing is one of Scientology's central rituals, which has a member of the church focus their attention on a practitioner, using a machine called an "E-Meter."
The detail in the name is uncanny, but again, look at the book here, and look at the Unitology texts presented in the game. The pattern is hard to ignore.
Beings from the stars
Unitologists worship the Marker, an alien artifact that was originally discovered by a scientist who was later revered as a sort of prophet. Unitologists believe that human life may have come from space, and that by worshipping the Marker they can achieve eternal life.
It's said that Scientologists also believe that life on Earth was seeded by extra-terrestrial intelligences, except followers of the real-life religion seem oddly uncomfortable going on the record about those beliefs.
Interview walk-out
The existence of Xenu is a controversial topic for those inside and outside the church, but Scientology has had troubles escaping the science-fiction trappings of the church's beginnings, and the writing and teaching of L. Ron Hubbard. In this cleverly edited video, someone takes a look at the subject by mixing together an interview clip, scenes from a popular episode of South Park, and Mr. Hubbard's own words.
My favorite part is the pronunciation of the word "ruler"
Ranking
From the Dead Space wiki entry on Unitology:
The Church of Scientology likewise organizes its followers into different levels, with extensive cost being borne by those practicing the religion to go through the classes and rituals needed to "level up."
"The OT levels contain the very advanced materials of L. Ron Hubbard's researches and it is here the person achieves the ultimate realization of his own nature and his relationship to life and all the dynamics," Scientology states. "Abilities return as he advances up through the OT levels and he recovers the entirety of his beingness."
These ranks are a very easy way to confer prestige to members who are willing to pay for the classes.
In the game, you find documents on Unitologists, including notes on their willingness to pay for the religion, and how much time and effort should be invested with them vs. the opportunity for economic payout. While religions are never afraid to ask for money in the form of collection plates, donations, or tithing, Scientology requires direct and substantial payout from its members for them to continue to receive new information, materials, and guidance in the church. By linking these classes, study materials, and monetary payments to the hierarchy of the church, it sends a message that one has to pay to continue to be an active member of the community.
Click on the image above to see the detail—do you notice how that individual's personality is described in the game? With a low ranking in unassertiveness, a high tolerance for ambiguity, and low cultural disillusionment—this guy simply wasn't a good fit for Unitology. The game has a good grasp on the attributes cults and predatory churches look for to create unquestioning followers. The most important thing they're looking for comes at the end: a lack of awareness of group influence on individuals.
Unitology also counts politicians, celebrities, and other individuals of power as members of the church as a way to gain mainstream acceptance in the face of skeptical governments. It's also made clear that although the rich and powerful are Unitologists, anyone from any background, at any age, is welcome. This is a powerful message, especially when delivered by powerful people. Everyone should pitch in before Convergence.
Wait... what?
Why this matters
Dead Space may seem to simply be a survival horror game about fighting aliens and zombies and all sorts of baddies, but the subtext is about a group of people who sign up for a church that presents itself one way, while its leaders are using them for both profit and darker, violent purposes. In the game, Unitology is a profit-based religion that wants to use its followers, who have total faith in the system, to bring about the end of the world. Its leader is presented as a caring man with ideas ahead of his time, although in reality he was something much different.
Don't think, believe
The points made about blindly following your religious leaders are powerful, but by mirroring so much of the belief system and aesthetics on Scientology it changes into a direct attack on a very large, very powerful religion. It's understandable that members of the development team don't want to make this explicit—especially against an organization that has proven itself so resilient to attack and so relentless in its response—but the fact that this part of the game exists at all is fascinating. What other game has created an entire world that seems designed to mock a worldwide religion?
"It was really just an observation about what can happen to anybody who is fanatical and illogical about their beliefs..." Bagwell continued in his interview with MTV. "That's the commentary we're making [with Unitology]. In this complex, futuristic world, people are looking for ways to simplify their lives and put their faith in something that they don't have to think too much about."
That's a good, political answer, but I think the evidence is pretty clear that the people behind the game had a clear beef to pick with Scientology. It couldn't be more blatant, unless someone actually put a picture of L. Ron Hubbard into the game.
But that would be a little bit much, wouldn't it?
To LRH!
Big thanks to freelancer Timothy J. Seppala for grabing the screens we used for this feature. You can read his work in Official Xbox Magazine, @Gamer magazine and GamePro. Follow him on Twitter @TimSeppala
Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis talks about fear, violence, and Scientology
- From: news.com.au
- December 20, 2012
Dead Space 3 returns players to the space-shoes of Isaac Clarke, as well as allowing two-player co-op for the first time in the series. Picture: Courtesy of EA
WHY is horror such a successful genre in video games? Maybe it's because, like a roller coaster, it allows us experience the thrills and excitement of a terrifying ordeal while maintaining a sense of safety.
Or perhaps it's because it gives us a platform by which we can confront images and ideas that we'd usually leave safely tucked away. It may just even be pure voyeurism - we like to see other people in danger.
Whatever the reason, when the first Dead Space game arrived in 2008, and again when it's sequel was released in 2011, it was clear that horror games would never be quite the same again.
The games thrust players into the space-boots of Isaac Clarke , an engineer whose story begins on a small team sent to investigate the distress call of the USG Ishimura, a planet-cracker: a spaceship used for breaking entire planets apart to plunder their natural resources.
Within minutes of arriving aboard the vessel, it became clear that something was very, very wrong - the entire crew had been turned into gruesome, multi-limbed creatures called Necromorphs.
Gamers were instantly drawn to the Dead Space series' terrifyingly beautiful visuals and sound design, it's uniquely claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere, and it's rich and mysterious universe, which drew on a wealth of sci-fi influences ranging from Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey to the works of authors like H.P Lovecraft and Isaac Asimov.
And of course, it's genre-twisting mechanic of limb removal - Dead Space threw out the zombie staple of 'aim for the head' and instead forced players to decapitate the mutant limbs of their enemies to kill them.
But one of the game's biggest achievements came from the fact that, like the classic works of sci-fi and horror fiction, it was also full of subtler meaning - its developers wove in commentary on everything from environmentalism to religion - one of the primary antagonists of the series is the 'Church of Unitology', a cult-like organisation with which many have drawn parallels to the real-world Church of Scientology.
And as the Dead Space universe has grown, so too have the questions of its audience:
Where did the Necromorphs come from? What are the origins of the ominous, 2001-esque 'Marker' that seems to control them? What are the true goals of the Unitologists, and who is the shadowy figure behind EarthGov's experiments on Titan Station?
Where did the Necromorphs come from? What are the origins of the ominous, 2001-esque 'Marker' that seems to control them? What are the true goals of the Unitologists, and who is the shadowy figure behind EarthGov's experiments on Titan Station?
With the series' third installment, Dead Space 3, only a few months away from release, some players may be beginning to feel that they've been thrown a bucket of red herrings. But the game's executive producer, Steve Papoutsis, says that they're about to be given the answers they're so desperately seeking.
"We’re aiming to try to answer as many of the important questions as we can, because we’ve had a lot of great support from the players, and we want to answer their questions," said Mr Papoutsis is an interview with news.com.au.
"But at the same time, some questions are meant to be kind of open-ended - there’s a lot of Dead Space out there, and we want it to continue."
"So yes, we will be answering the burning questions, but maybe we will leave some stuff unanswered."
"So yes, we will be answering the burning questions, but maybe we will leave some stuff unanswered."
And yes, the team has known where it's been heading from the start. Or at least, they've known where it's all been heading for Isaac.
"In the bigger picture of Dead Space and the universe, we know where Isaac’s story is going. That’s what we’ve been crafting for the last six years now, we’re really just focusing on his journey, and his adventures.
"Dead Space 3 continues the themes around Isaac, around his personal journey and how that ties back into the Markers and ultimately the Necromorphs."The third game is the biggest Dead Space game we’ve ever made, hands down.
"It’s the longest, it’s got some of the deepest, most rewarding mechanics and features that we’ve ever put together, and most importantly for us it’s going to answer a lot of questions people had coming out of game one and two."
One of the most interesting things about Dead Space is the way the game approaches violence. The combat is tricky, disturbing and utterly gruesome.
And unlike many modern shooters, there's never a sense that you're separated, physically or emotionally, from what's happening - you're in a dark, claustrophobic corridor surrounded by primal horrors trying to rip you to shreds, and you've got to do whatever it takes to survive.
But when the smoke clears and the roars and screams have died down - we're often confronted with a painful reminder that these monsters were once human beings.
Steve Papoutsis says they wanted to use violence as a tool for engaging with their audience's emotions, without trivialising its severity.
"Violence is a very powerful tool when used sparingly and appropriately. It’s very easy to go overboard and desensitise an audience, or approach it in a way where you trivialise its severity.
"With Dead Space it’s always been used as a punctuation of what’s going on, but we’re not glamorising it.
"We’re tying it back to the relatability factor – one of the things that allows us to tap into emotions with our players is when you can utilise a character or a design that makes a person cringe because they can relate to what’s going on.
"When you see that violent transformation of a dead corpse into a Necromorph, it triggers an immediate visceral response. We’re not focusing on the sheer gross out factor, though there is a lot of violence in the game. But we don’t intentionally glamorise it."
It's difficult to describe the experience of Dead Space as 'fun', but it's certainly compelling. Mr Papoutsis says that a lot goes into creating a world that's violent, frightening, and unsettling, while still being a place that you want to spend time in.
"There’s a balancing act, the way that we set out the world, the characters, we want it to feel gritty and relatable, in order to engage with people on a primal level, or to get across that visceral feeling.
"There’s quite a bit of attention from the team spent on the pacing of the game, to make sure that we get that right.
"The first game was all about tension, being on the edge of your seat. The second game we started to experiment with a wider degree of pacing, we wanted to have highs, lows, really powerful moments, excitement, action and we wanted to couple those with moments of fear and dread.
"And with the third game we wanted to evolve the way we do it, to the locations that we take you to, through the quests that you go on, and ultimately to the answers you get through the story as you progress.
Date/Time: 2012:05:12 15:21:00
Key among those new locations is Tau Volantis, the ice planet on which a lot of Dead Space 3 will take place.
"We’re really excited about the snow planet, Tau Volantis, because when we started talking about it, it immediately conjured these images of survival, of low-visibility, of a different type of claustrophobia.
"Through the low visibility and harsh conditions, it’s claustrophobic in the sense that you can’t see what’s ahead.
"The frigid temperatures feel like something you immediately have to contend with, you need to overcome in order to survive."
So what about Scientology?
With so many people noticing strong similarities between the Hollywood-based church and Dead Space's Unitologists, Mr Papoutsis says that any similarities are completely coincidental, although it's an answer that's a little hard to believe.
But it's also an answer that's hard to blame him for: the Church of Scientology is reported to have a long history of litigation.
"There were no intentional parallels there – a lot of people like to draw that parallel but it wasn’t intentional.
"As you go through history – religion has been at the centre of many conflicts, and that’s one of the themes we chose to utilise for theDead Space world.
"It isn’t intended to be a stab at any real religion."
Dead Space 3 will be released on the February 7 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Dead Space 3 will be released on the February 7 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/gaming/dead-space-3-executive-producer-steve-papoutsis-talks-about-fear-violence-and-scientology/story-e6frfrt9-1226541353655#ixzz2FvOvLLS2
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