Dr. David Howell spoke at the second session of the “Virtual Worlds Symposium” yesterday on “Religions and Virtual Worlds.” Dr. Howell said that after reading Synthetic Worlds by Edward Castronova, he was struck by the similarity he saw between the creation of virtual worlds and the creation of “real-world” religions. (Dr. Howell’s notes will be attached to this post… when I can get them from him…)

A few of the points raised by Dr. Howell for discussion during the session were:

1. Like the “coding authorities” of virtual worlds, the founders of religions (Moses, et al.) claim a special kind of authority for their interpretation of reality. What happens if the “players” of the religious “game” gain more control over this interpretation?

2. “Bots” (artificial life forms) play a large role in many MMORPG’s (massively multi-player online role playing games). Consider that in the “virtual world” game of religion, the gods are bots, that is, they are not human players of the game. They move the game along and mete out rewards and punishments. How does it make you feel to consider the supernatural elements of your religion (or another) as automatons programmed by the founders of the religion?

3. Why should we think that religions are “real” when they are so similar to virtual worlds? The idea of “the sacred” is seductive. Perhaps the followers of religions have been fooled by their “coding authorities” into believing in fantasy worlds, which promise power (in this world or the next) to their followers.

The attendees broke into two groups for discussion. My group noted the aptness of the analogy at least as far as how religious denominations form. The other group discussed the idea of “transcendence” as a way past the view that religions are not “real.”

I sincerely enjoyed Dr. Howell’s presentation, as did the other attendees. It will provide an interesting counterpoint to my talk on April 10, “Spirituality and Virtual Worlds.” Dr. Howell seemed to be suggesting that anyone who follows a religious/spiritual practice is in effect, fooling themselves. My presentation will take a different viewpoint in the hope that further excellent discussion will ensue.

Please come to our next installment of the “Virtual Worlds Symposium” on April 3 when Ed Francisco will start our discussion of “Pedagogical Uses of Virtual Worlds.”