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Using thematic analysis of forum discussions from 2018 to 2023 on the ther/halo subreddit, the project examines how fans of the Halo franchise use and discuss the term religion. Preliminary findings show fans critically engage with religion’s portrayal, often linking it to real-world religious groups and intertwining religiosity with monstrosity.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":45,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/issue-20-articles-abstract-fanatical-alien-monsters-halo-and-religion-in-fan-forum-discourse/517337/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/issue-20-articles-abstract-fanatical-alien-monsters-halo-and-religion-in-fan-forum-discourse/517337.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-12","2026-10-07",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main focus of the project described in the abstract?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The project investigates how fans of the Halo franchise use and discuss the concept of religion in the games, drawing on forum discussions from 2018 to 2023.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the research analyze the forum content?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It applies thematic analysis to fan forum discussions collected from 2018 to 2023 on the ther/halo subreddit.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What do preliminary findings suggest about how fans relate religion to Halo?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Fans critically engage with religion’s portrayal in Halo and often draw parallels between Halo’s alien antagonists and real-world religious groups, intertwining religiosity with monstrosity.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},517337,1791417213,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":44,"category_name":45,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Issue 20 (2024)  \narticles  \nThe Subject of Games. Cartesian Anxiety in Game Cultures, Game Studies, and Gameplay  \nby Gerald Voorhees, 1  \nPirating Platform Studies. The Historical Impact of Latin American Clone Consoles, 1973-1994  \nby Phillip Penix-Tadsen, 35  \nGamification. A Conceptual Critique to Move Forwards by Lobna Hassan, 88  \nRole-Playing Games in the Classroom. Engaging Students with Ethics, Religion, and Games as Explorations of Society  \nby Christine Tomlinson, 114  \nreports  \nUnderstanding Modern Views on the Middle Ages Through Research-led Learning. A Teaching Report  \nby Philipp Frey and Joana Hansen, 153  \nIASGAR PhD day reports  \n“Fear the Old Blood.” Bloodborne, Christian Concepts of Communion, and Theological Reflection  \nby Ed Watson, 169  \nBlessed Are the Geek. Christian Gaming Content Creators and Digital Discipleship by Sophia Rosenberg, 179  \nFanatical Alien Monsters. Halo and Religion in Fan-Forum Discourse by Emma Milerud Sundström, 189  \n“Blood for the Blood God!” Engaging with Gods and Religion in the Warhammer 40K Universe  \nby Tara B. M. Smith, 201  \nreviews  \nVideo Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling: The Dynamic Game Character (2023) by Joleen Blom. A Book Review  \nby Gia Coturri Sorenson, 212  \nIASGAR PhD Day Report  \nFanatical Alien Monsters. Halo and Religion in Fan-Forum Discourse  \nEmma Milerud Sundström  \nAbstract  \nDespite Halo’s extensive cultural footprint since its 2001 debut, its religious themes have largely been overlooked academically, an oversite this project attempts to address. Utilizing thematic analysis of forum discussions from 2018 to 2023 on ther/halo subreddit, this small-scale research project aims to explore how fans of the Halo franchise utilize and discuss the term religion. Preliminary findings of this study indicate that fans critically engage with the portrayal of religion in Halo, often drawing parallels between the franchise’s alien antagonists and real-world religious groups, where religiosity and monstrosity commonly become intertwined. This dialogue extends beyond gameplay, touching on broader societal and existential issues. This project contributes to the understanding of how video games like Halo can influence players’ perceptions of religion and offer a platform for exploring complex moral and existential questions, and how players can perceive video game monsters in a manner that transcends simple game mechanics.  \nKeywords: Halo, FPS, Fan Discourse, Fan-Forums, Monsters, gamevironments  \nTo cite this article: Milerud Sundström, E., 2024. Fanatical alien monsters. Halo and religion in fan-forum discourse. Gamevironments 20, 189-200. Available at [https://journals.suub.uni-bremen.de/](https://journals.suub.uni-bremen.de/) .  \nIASGAR PhD Day Report: Introduction by Gregory Price Grieve  \nThe 2nd Annual Summer Graduate Workshop hosted by UNCG’s Network for Cultural Study of Video Gaming and the International Academy for Study of Gaming and Religion, titled Videogaming and Cultural Values, was held on 27 and 28 July 2023. Tailored for early-stage researchers and doctoral students, the workshop focused on media-centered approaches, perspectives from game developers and publishers, and  \n189  \ninsights from gamers. Participants engaged in discussions and debates on theoretical frameworks for exploring the intersection of religion, culture, and video gaming. Due to their outstanding quality, select presentations from the workshop have been chosen for publication in this issue as Emerging Voices in the Field.  \nIntroduction  \n“Halo both gives a sense of wonder and beauty of things beyond our understanding, but also tells a cautionary tale about blindly trusting leaders and dogma.” (Anon 1 2021)  \nSince the release of the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) in November 2001, the franchise has developed into a popular cultural phenomenon, spawning (among other things) TV-series, books, graphic novels, and tie-in games. The titular hero of the fr","cbCaiqn5ZRK69kFF","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqn5ZRK69kFF","pdf",374117,15,"English","# Issue 20 (2024)\n## Emerging voices in the field\n## Introduction\n## Research question\n## Fan discussions and preliminary findings","[{\"question\":\"What is the main focus of the project described in the abstract?\",\"answer\":\"The project investigates how fans of the Halo franchise use and discuss the concept of religion in the games, drawing on forum discussions from 2018 to 2023.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the research analyze the forum content?\",\"answer\":\"It applies thematic analysis to fan forum discussions collected from 2018 to 2023 on the ther/halo subreddit.\"},{\"question\":\"What do preliminary findings suggest about how fans relate religion to Halo?\",\"answer\":\"Fans critically engage with religion’s portrayal in Halo and often draw parallels between Halo’s alien antagonists and real-world religious groups, intertwining religiosity with monstrosity.\"}]","Issue 20 - Articles - Abstract - Fanatical Alien Monsters - Halo and religion in fan-forum discourse | PDF",1791338380,38]