Virtually Sacred: Myth and Meaning in World of Warcraft and Second Life

by Robert M. Geraci

Millions of users have taken up residence in virtual worlds, and in those worlds they find opportunities to revisit and rewrite their religious lives. Robert M. Geraci argues that virtual worlds and video games have become a locus for the satisfaction of religious needs, providing many users with devoted communities, opportunities for ethical reflection, a meaningful experience of history and human activity, and a sense of transcendence. Using interviews, surveys, and his own first-hand experience within the virtual worlds, Geraci shows how World of Warcraft and Second Life provide participants with the opportunity to rethink what it means to be religious in the contemporary world. Not all participants use virtual worlds for religious purposes, but many online residents use them to rearrange or replace religious practice as designers and users collaborate in the production of a new spiritual marketplace.

Using World of Warcraft and Second Life as case studies, this book shows that many residents now use virtual worlds to re-imagine their traditions and work to restore them to "authentic" sanctity, or else replace religious institutions with virtual communities that provide meaning and purpose to human life. For some online residents, virtual worlds are even keys to a post-human future where technology can help us transcend mortal life. Geraci argues that World of Warcraft and Second Life are "virtually sacred" because they do religious work. They often do such work without regard for-and frequently in conflict with-traditional religious institutions and practices; ultimately they participate in our sacred landscape as outsiders, competitors, and collaborators.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2014

About the author

After 19 years in NY, I'm now the Knight Distinguished Chair in the Study of Religion and Culture at Knox College.

I'm pretty sure that everyone loves robots, which is why I've written a book about them. People love games too, so I wrote another book. I'm also interested in the toadstool circles, the ancient temples, the soaring cathedrals of our religious imagination. Likewise, the dark tunnels of mining and rapid transit. I visit mountains, deserts, temples, laboratories, factories, virtual realities...the places where magic enters the world.

I grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, and my generation conquered American culture. I take considerable pride in the fact that the games we played as kids were the seminal influence upon so much of modern entertainment and so many of today's most influential thinkers, writers, and innovators. I'm grateful to be a part of that tradition.

Reviews

[Giulio Prisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to all those interested in the history and sociology of religions online, and online religions (there is a difference), and also (especially) to those who wish to participate in new, forward-looking, cosmic religious movements.

The central thesis is that VR worlds, like World of Warcraft and Second Life, can play the role of sacred spaces, places of power where believers can engage in compelling forms of ritual behavior and form new online religious communities.

In his previous book, “Apocalyptic AI – Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Virtual Reality,” Geraci argues that transhumanism, the hope that we might one day upload our minds into machines or cyberspace and live forever, is a new religion. In this new book dedicated to religious practices in VR worlds, more narrowly focused than the first book, Geraci doesn’t waste time with caveats and, following Julian Huxley, considers transhumanism as fundamentally religious.

One of Geraci’s central points is that shared virtual spaces provide a sense of place, direction, and orientation, which has profound implications for religious practice. Contrary to flat web pages, in virtual reality we can build holy places, cathedrals, and sacred objects, which act as a “physical” scaffolding to hold virtual religious communities together.

See full review:

http://skefia.com/2014/06/13/virtuall...

[Kme_17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as a first read. This was a interesting book. It definitely showed me a different way to look at these games. The book is very well researched. I think those that are interested in these games in their history would be enjoy reading this book.

[Tanna Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the first reads give away and it was definitely an interesting read. It had some good points and I liked that It came from a different view point.