The strange censorship of religious names in the video game Diablo III

Double standard? The question arises since the launch, May 15, the blockbuster Diablo III, a video game where all religions are not censored in the same way. To play, users must create a character and give it a name, some are banned, especially those "at the slightest connotation on the major religions or religious figures (ie Jesus, Christianity, Buddha)", says the charter of the flat platform Battle.net online gaming. In fact, it is impossible to name their avatar "Catholic", "Jew" or "Muslim". However - this is where the rub - there is no reason that a player gives him the name "Protestant", "Buddhist" or ... "Scientologist".

The American blogger Jim Sterling relays the first information on a site specializing in video games. A colleague, Conor Elsea, had reported on Twitter that he could not name his character "Atheist". After some testing, Jim Sterling finds that most religions are banished, including the first name "Christian" which means "Chrétien" in English. "Mormon", "Hindu" or "Jesus" suffered the same fate. "Muhammad" or "Muhammad", by cons, no problem. Soon, the story Buzzed in a gaming community estimated at more than six million people.

This policy of restraint is somewhat inconsistent, especially as Diablo III, as its name suggests, draws heavily on religious themes. Among five archetypes of characters, one seems devoid of any reference to a cult: the "barbaric". Otherwise, players can choose to play as a "monk", a "demon hunter", a "fetish" - sort of voodoo warrior - or a "wizard". Moreover, it is impossible to name their avatar "Atheist", nicks connotation Satanist, they are perfectly tolerated. An attic, since the goal is to defeat ... the devil.