Abstract
The primary aim of this chapter is to present a qualitative method, Petri Net Modeling (PNM), as a methodological and interpretative framework for the analysis of rule-based representations of religion in video games. In a nutshell, Petri net can be used for modeling, analyzing and designing discrete event systems.
It can be applied to many different areas; including the design and analysis of software applications and video games. In the case of video game rule-system analysis, PNM enables the graphical representation of actions players can take during the game and their possible outcomes using a formally-defined structure.
The case study presented in this chapter serves as an example that highlights the use of PNM on a concrete video game and explains possible further interpretative approaches. It analyzes rule-based representations of Catholic Christianity, Sunni Islam and Iroquois religious beliefs in the strategy game, Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs (Ensemble Studios 2006).
In particular, the research questions for my case study are as follows: (1) How is religion, in general, represented on the level of the game's rule-system? (2) What are the differences and similarities between the rule-based representations of Catholic Christianity, Sunni Islam and Iroquois religious beliefs in the game? The case study provides empirical evidence on how, on the rule-system level, all three religions are schematized and reduced to a system of effects and bonuses that makes players more economically and military powerful. Nevertheless, while rule-based representations of Catholic Christianity and Sunni Islam are almost identical and both religions are presented as essentially "European," Iroquois religious practice is othered and its representation manifests post-colonial bias.