CrookedCrow
Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2015
- Messages
- 2
Hey there, another person making an account specifically because of this thread.
I am a firm believer--have been for twenty years. When I first saw this game, I thought it looked neat--I've played RPGs for a long time. I bought it, played it, and was, at first, taken aback by some of the content. As state--yes, Persona 3 does involve several things that would likely make a Christian cringe--at first. I don't have much experience with Shin Megami Tensei as a series, but the Persona 3 (and Persona 4) are both games I have played multiple times through to 100% completion.
First and foremost, remember this game is made by a Japanese company. The Japanese have a history of not being fond of organized religion and have a bad history with Christianity in particular. Concepts that we Christians understand and accept are foreign, if not completely opposite to what the Japanese believe. So we already have a cultural difference here. They see the demons of Christianity in the way we see the oni and gods of their religion--fictional. This is absolutely important to remember.
Now, let's take a quick look at Christian authors; C.S. Lewis specifically mentions gods that are NOT our God. Monsters and demons that were directly opposed to Aslan (Jesus) and the Emperor Across the Sea. Christian literature directly references these things and yet you don't stop your kid from reading it, right? Why? Because they are the VILLAINS. The bad guys. The monsters 'Shadows' as they are called in Persona, are not demons at all but rather mental manifestations of the human mind. A result of negative thoughts and feelings of humans. In fact they are based entirely off of Jung's psychological principles. It literally has NOTHING to do with demons. The Persona that are used to fight these creatures are also mental manifestations; the 'Persona' that is used to fight and live against situations that we typically would fold under. Again, symbolism--not actual practice.
Now, I will admit, the 'Evokers' are a bit dark, something that Shin Megami is known for doing and I honestly am not a huge fan of it, though this too is explained--the only way (and this is in Jung as well) to force a Persona to appear is under extreme duress. Jung's theory was that we wear personas to the world as a means to safeguard ourselves. We act in ways to protect and live--so to, our protagonists force themselves to take on these Personas to defend themselves. The fact that they look and bear the names of mythological figures is based (again on Jung) on the notion that archetypes of fantasy, myth and stories are imprinted onto the human mind. That all myths and stories bear a common thread because they are a reflection of Man's nature and history.
All of that said, that leaves the question of the story and how it should be seen by Christians. Your protagonist spends his time building up others; he teaches a greedy Executive to look outside himself. He helps a dying man follow his purpose and write a book to fulfill his dream. He goes and helps an elderly couple deal with the passing of their son. These are all activities that Christians would be proud to have under their belts because these are things Christ would have us do--this behavior is encouraged and rewarded. In fact it is VITAL to succeed. The 'demon' part is actually a small portion of a much larger game. What's more, the game encourages the player to spend their time wisely--studying for school, keeping up with friends and growing a person. You only have a year in the game to make this all happen.
At the end of the day, you (hopefully) beat the final boss and save the world. Personal sacrifices are made, people weep and it's a good ending.
Does it use Tarot cards? Yeah, it does. Does it encourage fortune telling? No. Tarot cards are nothing more than an extra set of cards added to a standard deck of cards and Tarot is actually a game, a deviation of the word 'Trumps' which is what those cards are ACTUALLY for. Cartomancy (fortune telling via cards) was simply something people had been doing for a while and the Tarot cards simply became synonymous with it. Tarot cards and decks were not created to be used for fortune telling, fortune telling simply picked up the deck and used it instead. People use the Bible to tell fortunes too (even Christians did this about a hundred or so years ago), but you still read it, right?
Will this game send your child to hell? Probably not. Will this game encourage your child to perform profane acts or engage with demons? Again, probably not. Will it show him that friendships, growing as a person, making the right decisions and spending his time wisely are all important skills in life? Yes. Will it let him/her learn a bit more about cultures beyond their own? Absolutely it will.
But, as Abel above me said, I strongly recommend that they be at least 18 so that they can fully grasp the themes of the game and take away from it what they are actually meant to take away; not simply a shallow 'let's save the world' story.
there is a part of game where you fight demons (in-game name: shadows) and summoning 'Personas' to defeat them. It is a truth that Personas name and model were taken from Demon Compendium. But, try to ask your child, what does Persona do? In the plot it is personas were used to defend humans that will die if they accidentally enter a 'dark hour', and cannot summon Personas (complicated, I know reallly). Great thing, right? Consider yourself as a lucky man, as your child playing a good game. And uh... Using tarot card? Tarot card is just a symbol. Not more, not less. Symbol of social link, I might add. Well, this game also taught players to socially interacting in-game, so your child maybe can learn how to socialize with other people using this element of game, this game is complex. Having simulation, role playing, dungeon crawler, even dating sim! Man, I should have been single now if I'm not picking this game out and try it. You should let your child play it, the best game ever was, taught a good moral value about friendship, sacrifice (heavy theme for an western audience.), and your child can use these life hacks in real life, too. I also reccomend to bought another sequel that came out at 2012 called Persona 4, not a direct sequel but has some reference between the series inside. Maybe you were thinking because your child is summoning 'Demons' he/she will go to hell? If yes, the answer for me, at least, is no. You should ask your child the purpose of it. I hope you will choose the right desicion like this game taught. 
