Story Behind the Story

            Religion is so deeply ingrained into virtually every culture that it manages to weave its way into people’s lives, both religious and nonreligious. Personally, I grew up in a nonreligious household, but even then, I noticed that throughout my primary and secondary schooling, I had become increasingly familiar with popular Christian folklore simply by noticing and analyzing commonly recurring symbols in books and movies. It seemed to me as if almost every other story would allude to the Bible in some sense, whether it be extremely subtle or plain as day, and often times, I felt as if I might’ve been missing out on the “deeper meaning” of certain situations due to my limited religious understanding. This likely stems from the fact that stories build upon each other, and it is difficult to truly grasp the full picture without understanding what has previously been or is being built on. Take a book series, for example – even if the sequel may be complete in itself and enjoyable alone, it’s almost certain that you won’t be able to understand it thoroughly without the preceding elements.

            So, why is it that religion is so pervasive in our society? We, as people, use stories to teach lessons, preserve history and culture, and ultimately, communicate our own values to others. Richard Kearney concluded that “telling stories is as basic to human beings as eating. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/17/9e/eb/179eebb20c1861b5cd2af7063f61a0b4.jpg"; src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/17/9e/eb/179eebb20c1861b5cd2af7063f61a0b4.jpg"; style="float:left; height:280px; margin-left:12px; margin-right:12px; width:236px" />More so, in fact, for while food makes us live, stories are what make our lives worth living.” The Bible itself is essentially a huge compilation of timeless stories – the kind of stories that have infinite meanings. With this being said, it’s no surprise that one can find biblical allusions scattered all throughout art and literature. Yet, as pervasive as Christianity is in our contemporary society, it is difficult to bring to context without bringing about flaming opinions as well. The thematic versatility of the stories is what keeps people interested, but it also provides room for immense controversy. People are likely to become attached to their personal interpretations of the story, or beliefs, often making religion a sensitive subject to openly critique. This is when they begin to take the given story, expand and build upon it, and make it their own. Storytelling is not solely a form of entertainment, but a chief form of expression as well. All forms of art and entertainment (games included) are, by popular definition, outlets of expression that allow for the creation and sharing of stories. “Games are abstract, mathematical systems. They are aesthetic and material systems. They are social, linguistic, and semiotic systems. And they are part of larger systems of history, politics, and culture” (Zimmerman). RPGs, especially, are a prime example of storytelling through games. “The story arch for these games are fairly similar and predictable: ordinary character becomes extraordinary, faces conflict, rises above conflict, and emerges victorious. These types of games will have more social or political commentary, or be more religiously driven than a MOBA” (Boren 20).

Binding of Isaac: starting screen (Steam)

Game designer Edmund McMillen took his own subjective views of Christianity and artfully expressed them through the creation of Binding of Isaac. He stated that “when I designed Isaac's story and overall theme, I went in wanting to talk to the player about religion in a manner I was comfortable with -- that is, with dark humor and satire.” Binding of Isaac, as the name appropriately suggests, is a Biblically-inspired Indie game where the player is initially embodied in an ordinary, young boy named Isaac and guides him in a quest of self-preservation. While the game itself is not a traditional-style RPG per se, it still possesses the central RPG element — a single, main “quest” or objective built upon a storyline. In the case of Binding of Isaac, that quest, in short, is to defeat your own ultra-religious mother, who has become obsessed with the idea that in order to prove herself faithful to God, she must sacrifice her own son. When this conflict arises, in both stories, the story arch ensues as Isaac is forced to go from “ordinary” to “extraordinary”, gathering the courage and strength to save himself. The game’s main storyline is clearly based on the original Binding of Isaac (the religious text, not the game), a bible story about devotion in which Abraham must kill his son, Isaac, to prove his love to god but eventually is stopped.

            The game itself begins as Isaac throws himself through a trapdoor and into an underground dungeon in attempt to escape his mother, allowing McMillen to bring Binding of Isaac to more of a roguelike (in the dungeon-crawler sense)-bullet hell hybrid, similar to the setup of Legend of Zelda games. McMillen wanted to convey satirical Christianity to the player, but he knew that in order to fully do so, the player would have to have a reason to listen, or in the gameplay sense, progress. Roguelike is “a subgenre of role-playing video games characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated game levels, turn-based gameplay, tile-based graphics, and permanent death of the player-character”, and although Binding of Isaac may follow a form of the basic Hero’s Journey archetype, the roguelike features motivate the player to continually play out the story (Wikipedia). A successful RPG “explores the notion of good vs evil, but will blend the notion in ways that may challenge assumptions of the player,” and Binding of Isaac is successful in doing just that (Boren 22). The global presence of the unknown drives the player forward. In terms of gameplay, randomized dungeon layouts and gameplay modifiers, such as power-ups, alter the player’s combat experience with each run.

Binding of Isaac: gameplay; Zelda-styled roguelike (ArsTechnica)

The most appealing unknown element, however, is the story outcome itself – the sheer randomness of how the story progresses and ends, all of which the player cannot control. The game feeds into the player’s curiosity and rewards him or her for being open-minded. Not only are the levels and items randomized, but the final ending of the game is just as unpredictable. McMillen’s reasoning behind this stems from his appreciation of the Bible and “how so many people can find different meanings in one passage”; the game’s multiple final endings aim to serve this value, allowing the player to experience many possible interpretations.

            Nearly everything in Binding of Isaac serves to enhance the story, or stories, the game tells. Items, enemies and characters derived from religious relics and figures provide additional insight to the player, similarly to how symbols and allusions may allow a reader to delve into deeper understanding of a novel. The catch here, however, is that not every player is bound to have that religious background to refer to. “A lot of the content in Isaac is extremely dark and adult. It touches on aspects of child abuse, gender identity, infanticide, neglect, suicide, abortion, and how religion might negatively affect a child, which are topics most games would avoid” (McMillen). These topics are commonly frowned upon because they represent the negative face of society and often times, are subjects people want to completely ignore. Games serve more than a single purpose -- although they are made to entertain the players, they also have the potential to teach and share ideals. Opinionated responses regarding such controversial topics, as mentioned previously, are very risky in the sense that they essentially provide a breeding ground for attacks and harsh criticism from opposing viewpoints. Sure, there are those who play Binding of Isaac simply to enjoy a surface-level understanding of the story, but there are also those who do have the background knowledge and are capable of analyzing the deeper meaning. The latter group is split between those who are more open-minded, focusing on using their knowledge to enhance the story provided by the game, and those that are unable to accept negativity. Due to the provocative nature of Binding of Isaac, the game has received a lot of critical feedback. Commonly labeled as “anti-Christian” and demeaning, Binding of Isaac banned from the 3DS by Nintendo due to the its “questionable religious content” (Kollar).

            Despite the offense people find in the game’s not-so-subtle take on religion, Binding of Isaac receives considerable support and attributes its success to the very same reason it is frowned upon. “I'm not saying everyone who played Isaac did so because they cared about these themes, or that they even understood why they were in the game, but I strongly believe that this adult conversation I dove into with Isaac is what made the game stand out to people and kept them thinking” (McMillen). Binding of Isaac gives the gaming community something unique: an uncensored theme founded on the designer’s personal values. McMillen’s fragmented beliefs are clearly expressed in the stories he created for Isaac, illustrating both positive and negative influences the religion had on his upbringing and life. He wanted the game to “embody the duality” he experienced with religion -- although the game itself is dark and obviously questions aspects of Christian faith, it is equally appreciative. Amidst the stories’ dark allusions, McMillen leaves room for the light, comforting characteristics of faith as well. “While Isaac can become demonic and powerful if he picks up certain things, many of the best items in the game are actually holy relics based in Christianity” (Davis). Generally, the darker items allow Isaac to become stronger, but the holy ones offer health and protection, something extremely valuable in a game with permanent death.  

Binding of Isaac holy item and description (Youtube)

            McMillen’s successful self-expression in the Binding of Isaac is something that games often lack. A story that stems from strong personal principle “extends beyond itself like tree roots and tangles into matted carpets of narrative and meta-narrative, confused ideas about what it means to exist and to be a person,” and perhaps this is why Binding of Isaac is so special (PMachine). McMillen communicates his ideas to the player, making the game experience something meaningful. The player’s perspective is expanded, and he or she is able to make sense of what McMillen conveys. The themes become relevant to the player because stories, as mentioned earlier, build upon each other and are open to personal interpretation. McMillen takes his opinion on religion and makes it relatable-- the player is able to understand the story, despite whether the he or she is religious or not, because the player can experience the story in the eyes of Isaac. Games are capable of telling stories in a very engaging manner, but many of them lack depth. Many designers today are afraid to argue their values, but expression is undoubtedly appealing to the gamer community. If McMillen had been concerned with the negative feedback he would receive from the uncensored nature of Binding of Isaac, the game would’ve lost its complexity and appeal. “Game enthusiasts want what they haven't seen yet,” and Binding of Isaac offers an environment that many are afraid to create themselves.

            Binding of Isaac serves as a prime example of how games can be used as a storytelling medium. As interactive media, gamers are given a different, more immerse experience than those who may watch a story unfold through film or text. While the plot often takes an unfortunate backseat to gameplay mechanics in the design process, games like Binding of Isaac that manage to seamlessly integrate both elements end up telling a more compelling story, one in which the player more easily relates to the protagonist. Ultimately, Edmund McMillen’s game – and story – are interchangeable, and goes to show that the industry as a whole has great potential as an expressive medium. If games do not tackle controversial ideas such as religion, they will only be able to tell a specific, limited number of stories that do not properly reflect a society’s values. Limiting the type of stories games can tell reduces the amount of diverse experiences available to players. Game designers must be free to speak freely, through their games, about life’s issues in order to spark discussion on topics that, if discussed, may help better society.

Works Cited

BonelessJones. Binding of Isaac Items: Holy Water. Digital image. YouTube. YouTube, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDQTwMEjlOk>;.

Boren, Joshua. "Playing God: An Analysis of Video Game Religion." Thesis. Claremont, n.d. CMC Senior Theses. Paper 1424. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2372&context=cmc_theses>;.

Davis, Ben. "Faith in Gaming: The Influence of Christianity in Videogames." Destructoid. N.p., 29 Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <https://www.destructoid.com/faith-in-gaming-the-influence-of-christianity-in-videogames-289614.phtml>;.

Kearney, Richard. "Where Do Stories Come From?" On Stories. London: Routledge, 2002. N. pag. Print.

Kollar, Phil. "Binding Of Isaac Blocked From 3DS Due To "Questionable Religious Content"" Game Informer. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/02/29/binding-of-isaac-blocked-from-3ds-due-to-quot-questionable-religious-content-quot.aspx>;.

Kuchera, Ben. The Binding of Isaac Takes on Religion. Digital image. Ars Technica. N.p., 29 Sept. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/09/the-binding-of-isaac-takes-on-religion-in-a-randomly-generated-zelda-styled-roguelike/>;.

McMillen, Edmund. "Postmortem: McMillen and Himsl's The Binding of Isaac." Interview. Gamasutra Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

PMachine. "Thoughts About The Binding of Isaac." Problem Machine. N.p., 14 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <https://problemmachine.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/thoughts-about-the-binding-of-isaac/>;.

Shannon Turlington. "Why Are Stories so Important?" N.p., 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <https://shannonturlington.com/2010/06/03/why-are-stories-so-important/>;.

"The Binding of Isaac." Digital image. Steam. Valve, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/113200/header.jpg?t=1447354527>;.

"The Binding of Isaac." The Binding of Isaac Wiki. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://bindingofisaac.wikia.com/wiki/The_Binding_of_Isaac>;.