"Only in the last decade or so has computer entertainment started to mature into something truly worthy of being considered an art form. To some, this idea is still ridiculous. How could a medium that prides itself on virtual, bloody battlefields and fat, Italian plumbers be an art form? There are many different factors that could play into this argument, such as the very beauty of the virtual worlds themselves or the narratives that are growing ever more complex, putting other mediums to shame. Video games are reaching a point where they are achieving a great level of complexity. Truly, this is the exception and not the rule in the industry, but can't the same be said for Hollywood or the New York Times Bestsellers list? The main point of this article is to point to and flesh out a particular game franchise that is very near and dear to my heart: Halo. I think that looking at an example of a game that can provide entertainment and something more is a way to give validity to the industry.
The Halo franchise is a shining example of how something very mainstream can be something very deep, well made, and rewarding for many reasons. Millions and millions have played this massive property, and yet few have taken into account the subtexts of the story as a whole. I believe that there are many parts of the Halo narrative that point to the scriptures. I would even argue that the developers of the game intended the story as a Christian allegory. Perhaps they used this symbolism to craft an epic story and not as an evangelism tool, but the evidence is there. There is far too much to simply blow off and assume mere coincidence. I've done some research, and I can't find anything on the web that lays these Christian symbolisms out in any sort of a coherent manner, so here is my attempt.
There's no denying that Christ is truly the focal point of the entire Bible. He is the fulfillment of the many Old Testament prophecies and a direct influence (in human form) on the events of the New Testament and its writers. His sacrifice and the salvation it provides is THE reason for the gospel. It only makes sense to look for this Christ-like figure in the Halo universe and you don't have to look far. The Master Chief, the main character and hero of the franchise, fits this description very well. One thing that is often overlooked is the character's real name. We don't know his last name; we only know his military serial number, 117. Thus, he is often referred to as John 117. Prior to the release of Halo 3, the conclusion of the saga, the slogan "BELIEVE" became associated with the franchise. The main character, the Chief, was to be the hope and inspiration for all of mankind as evil was bearing down on them. This is where his name comes into play. This is John 1:17 (note the resemblance to John 117) from the NIV translation: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
This verse, and thus, the Master Chief's name, is clearly a reference to the saving work of Christ.
So what is he saving us from exactly? Well this is where things get complex, and I may lose some of the less fanatical Halo fans with all of these technicalities. Best start with the name of the franchise, which has religious undertones in and of itself. Halo is named after the many installations (known as Halos) that are scattered throughout the fictional universe. It is discovered relatively early on that they are designed for one purpose: to cleanse the galaxy of a life-ending threat. This threat is called "The Flood." The Flood is a seemingly ancient race of aliens that are parasitic in nature and reanimate those that they slay in battle. They multiply at such an alarming rate that they are basically impossible to destroy entirely, and many civilizations have fallen to them. They are savage and brutal, and operate as a hive mind, linked directly to their "leader", the Gravemind. The Gravemind seems to be a representation of sin itself, and even says so about halfway through the second game. He tells mankind that he is "A monument to all their sins" and his very name seems to point to the idea of death in sin, also known as Total Depravity. He also has certain characteristics of the devil and false prophets/ angels because he often begins his statements with the phrase "Do not be afraid." He often references himself as earth's "salvation" and "peace", which is no doubt a deception. He even corrupts the Master Chief's artificial intelligence, Cortana, at one point, and makes her spew out false prophecies like "There will be no more sadness, no more envy, no more anger." The Gravemind has every intention to destroy mankind through the power of the Flood.
Now back to the Halo installations. They were built by a now seemingly extinct race known as the "Forerunners." The rings, when activated (there are 7 of them, one of many 7s throughout the game) destroy all sentient life within the galaxy's radius, leaving the flood to starve from lack of suitable hosts. Interestingly, the technology of the Forerunners gives the Master Chief and all of humanity a chance to stop the flood, but at a serious cost: death for all (perhaps indicating that we are all headed towards death without a savior?). John the Baptist is often referred to as "the forerunner" in the gospels, so it makes sense that these Forerunners would aid the true savior, the Chief, through their past accomplishments (not to mention the many warnings of the Flood, (a.k.a. sin) that they left behind).
This is where yet another Biblical reference comes into play: the Covenant. The Covenant is a unified group of alien species hell bent on activating the Halo installations to bring about "The Great Journey". They are religious fanatics through and through (their ships even have religious names like "Truth and Reconciliation" and "Seraph"), and will stop at nothing to "cleanse" the universe. They ironically worship all Forerunner technology and consider it holy. They are blissfully unaware that activating these rings actually leads to mass extinction and not to true salvation from the Flood. The hierarchs of the Covenant are called "Prophets" (ironically named "Truth" and "Mercy"), and throughout the course of the series they are proven to be corrupt, irrational, and ignorant of the truth about the Halos. It seems to me that the Covenant is representative of the "law" because of their inability to provide true salvation through their endeavors. Because we are saved through faith and not works (remember, the creators of the game tell us to BELIEVE in the Chief) the law is not enough to save us, therefore the Covenant's activation of the Halos is not enough to provide TRUE salvation.
So how does one activate all of the Halos? Via the Ark. The Ark is a giant installation located at the center of the fictional galaxy that connects all of the installations together and can ultimately end all life, and therefore end the flood. This is where the Noahic covenant comes into play. In Genesis, God promises to never again destroy the earth with a flood by taking up a covenant with Noah. The Ark, therefore, is what saves all of sentient life from the Flood by instead destroying everything that the flood could consume. The Covenant wish to activate the installation and believe that this work will truly save them. Just as a belief which relies solely on the law, is not enough to provide true salvation, so is the activation of this false "Ark" not enough to truly bring about peace. The Ark leads to destruction and is not the true way to defeat the Flood (sin). In other words, the Covenant and their crusade is a false and empty one.
So either way, mankind is doomed right? Well, no, of course not, that would not make a very good video game story. Nor would it make a very encouraging life story. The only way for the Flood to be truly stopped is to annihilate the Gravemind himself. Well, it turns out the Chief does just that by descending into the pit of the flood itself on The Ark. This pit is representative of the death that Christ had to go through to be the ultimate sacrifice for out sins. Now in order to fully eliminate the Flood threat, the Chief has to actually perform the work that he was trying to prevent all along: activate the installation (a.k.a. perfectly fulfill the law, or the mission of the Covenant) out of range of mankind and sacrifice himself while destroying the Flood once and for all. So he descends, fulfills the works of "the law" and sacrifices himself in the process, ensuring TRUE salvation for all mankind.
Upon completion of this task, the Chief's last words with his long-time helper, Cortana are "It's finished." Tetelestai, which means "It is finished" in Greek are Christ's final words before dying on the cross. And finally, he says "Wake me when you need me." as he floats in the dark void of space alone. This seems to indicate an eventual "resurrection" of the chief in the future. Just as we think the battle with the Flood and the ensuing explosion was the death of him, we see that he did in fact survive and will one day return again. Lastly, Cortana sends word to earth of what happened to the Flood so that mankind will know that the Chief has done his job and will live on. This seems very representative of the work of the Holy Spirit, pointing to a finished salvation and a still-living savior. The series concludes at a memorial service for the Chief back on earth, as the surviving human race "believes" that he is truly out there. The last thing we see is the inscription "John 117" on the side of his memorial and the screen fades to black, a final reminder of the Chief as a Christ figure.
Whether or not all of that was truly intended by the script writers at Bungie I may never know, but it sure does line up well. Hope this has been eye opening and maybe even a little entertaining. Comments?"
All credit goes to Adam 360 from Bungie.net's forums.
What do you all think?
