Mormonism As Portrayed In "Fallout" Computer Game

[smac97]

Here:

I'm a 31-year-old, fifth-generation Mormon (member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) from Salt Lake City, Utah and I love video games.

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I must say that I was surprised how my religion was featured in the most recent Fallout I played.

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As a Mormon, I am much more accustomed to seeing my religion portrayed in unflattering and even disrespectful ways in entertainment media ("Fort Joe Smith" in Starship Troopers comes to mind, as does The Book of Mormon Broadway musical and HBO's Big Love series) than to seeing any positive or deferential representations. Hence, when I came across The Old Mormon Fort outside New Vegas it naturally piqued my curiosity as to how it would be featured. Would the game's developers at Obsidian take the well-worn road of clichéd irony by making The Old Mormon Fort some den of hypocritical debauchery or zealous extremism, or would they do something different?

I wasn't expecting anything necessarily pro-religion, let alone reverent. This is a Fallout game, after all.

I was nevertheless surprised and impressed by what I found inside The Old Mormon Fort: a struggling but hopeful sanctuary for the lost and ill-fated souls of the Mojave wasteland. I found a people whose purpose very much in harmony with the aspirations of Mormonism and Christianity generally. (For those who may have heard otherwise, we Mormons worship Jesus Christ and consider ourselves Christians.) While Mormons weren't the ones running the show-it was the Followers of the Apocalypse who had set up shop there-their noble goals and purpose, connected as they were (at least nominally) to the Mormons, gave me a strong feeling of appreciation. They intrigued me.

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Clearly the most significant Mormon character in the Fallout universe is Joshua Graham, also known as Malpais Legate and The Burned Man.

For those who don't know the lore, Joshua Graham was a Mormon missionary sent from New Canaan (post-apocalyptic Ogden, Utah) to preach to the tribes of Arizona. Like most real-life Mormon missionaries, Graham had to learn a new language in order to preach to the Arizona tribals and, like most real-life Mormon missionaries, was able to do so.

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I as a Mormon feel a deep sense of appreciation for the time and energy Obsidian clearly spent researching Mormonism historically, culturally, and spiritually.

Rather than taking the safe route in the entertainment industry of making Christianity, and especially Mormon Christianity, a punching bag or the butt of a string of jokes, Obsidian has shown that at least in post-apocalyptia, Mormons can get a fair shake.

The article is quite long (I skimmed most of it), but I thought it interesting that Mormons are portrayed in this way. Orson Scott Card addressed a similar theme (Mormons in a post-apocalyptic scenario) in his book, Folk of the Fringe.

Thoughts?

-Smac

[Yep]

I enjoy a lot of sci-fi and speculative fiction and often find references to us in these works. Two fictional worlds that I remember seeing us:

Star Trek (can't remember which, and I'm not sure it's even there)

L.E. Modisett's Ghost books (an alternative history/reality series where the revolutionary war was lost, and the Church holds Deseret)

[Saints Alive]

Wonder if any of the writers of the game were mormon?

[DarkScythe]

interesting

[halconero]

Fallout is a series based on life in a post WWIII world. New Vegas is about a mail courier traveling in the American West. It's enjoyable and portrays Mormons very positively.

They show case Zion National Park. The Mormons are known to give shelter and supplies to those who need it, as well as sending out missionaries.

Joshua Graham was a missionary who betrayed the Church, started co-founded a warrior slave army, served as its general, and was betrayed. He was burned alive, but survived to be rebaptized and become a Poter Rockwell-esque character bent on vengeance against those who betrayed him.

You also interact with missionaries, and actions you take can reflect on their success in the area.

[emarkp]

Note that the game is actually Fallout: New Vegas and takes place in and around a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. ISTR that the "Old Mormon Fort" in the game is actually a real landmark by that name. Since LDS founded Vegas IIRC it would make sense using that as part of the lore. The game makes use of the fort as a place to receive assistance and be charged with errands of mercy.

Overall a fun game, and the most positive presentation of any religious group I recall from video games.

[williamsmith]

It's likely simply a case of a mormon or more being involved in the development of the game.

LDS Artists in order to make a living and to use their talents are heavily involved in the Game Development Industry.

One of my two best friends growing up was/is a wonderful artist, and today he's successful with some gaming company.