Ethical gameplay can be defined as "the outcome of a game sequence in which players take definitive choices based on moral thinking, rather than instrumental thinking." Often moral problems presented by video games can be solved easily once the ethical framework of the game is understood, or on the basis of help from the visible moral feedback of the game, or simply by experimenting with the different outcomes by using the game's saving/loading system. In this article, I focus on the nature of the moral problems it presents to the player with the help of the notion of "wicked problems." Using four case studies from two games that heavily rely on ethical gameplay, I will differentiate between four kinds of moral problems arising from ethical gameplay: tame moral problems, semiwicked problems, real wicked problems, and super wicked problems, each of which present a greater (moral) challenge to the player.

revolves around an alternative interpretation of human history as an ongoing battle between two rival factions: the Assassin Brotherhood (modelled on the historical Nizar Isma'ilis) and the Templar Order (inspired by the historical Order of the Knights Templar). Both factions compete over the possession of mythical artefacts, called the 'Apples of Eden', which once belonged to a now extinct proto-human race. The possession of these artefacts gives the owner incredible knowledge and the ability to manipulate large numbers of people. The Templars strive for world domination, while the Assassins want to prevent this; their aim is to develop human consciousness and individual freedom. Considering games as 'playable texts', I make an inventory of three in-game rituals, two of the Assassin Brotherhood and one of the Templar Order. Both initiation and assassination rituals are quite elaborate given the context of the games in which they are displayed. Progression and regression can be observed in terms of ritual practices within the primary series of the game series, which stretches from ancient Egypt to modernity. This article describes the three ritual practices mentioned within the Assassin's Creed series, and links them to the larger metanarrative of the series.

In times of great distress, like in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, people look for relief from the existential threat by searching for some kind of interpretation of the crisis. Some people will look for scapegoats to put the blame on, while others will search for ways by which the crisis can also be perceived as something beneficial.As far as the COVID-19 pandemic goes, earlier this year, media and politicians pointed towards China, where the pandemic started, or to Italy, from where the virus spread over the European continent.Since the beginning of the crisis, we have also been flooded with gurus, motivational speakers, and mindfulness coaches who stimulate us to view the new common as an unexpected but much needed “reboot” of our day-to-day life.Intriguingly enough, these two individual and collective coping strategies are very familiar to those who are acquainted with the Christian philosophical and theological traditions. When confronted with the apparent paradox between the idea of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent deity on the one hand and the experience of everyday pain and suffering on the other hand, Christians have sought for ways to find a satisfactory solution. This is known as theodicy. As the Roman and Christian philosopher Boethius summarized the problem: si Deus, unde malum? “If God exists, wherefrom evil?”

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This research note analyses the experiences of Dutch Muslim soldiers during peace operations in Muslim societies. It is based on 19 in-depth interviews with soldiers and (non-commissioned) officers of different services, for the large part of Moroccan descent. It focuses on their interaction with the local population, mostly Muslims. The findings indicate four types of interactions with the local population: positive encounters, encounters with conflicting loyalties, masked encounters and hostile encounters.Al-gharieb a'ma, walaw basir. . . Even if he was smart, the stranger is blind. . . 1In peace operations, culturally sensitive interaction and communication with the local population is essential. 2 The relevance of culture to peace operations is quite evident: 'Consent will be promoted if the parties feel understood and are made shareholders of the peace process; intervention will be viewed as legitimate if the international community invests time to understand and support the local resources and institutions'. 3 An example of what may happen if the importance of cultural awareness is underestimated was the UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia, where cultural incomprehension increased the risk of large armed confrontations, mistrust by the local population, and excessive levels of racism by some of the troops in theatre. In studies on other peace operations, similar problematic findings were reported, indicating that the local population often see peacekeepers as 'foreigners', 'who are odd' and 'do not communicate with locals' because 'they are more concerned with their own publicity' and 'often have a condescending attitude'. 4 Thus, in order for them to operate effectively, it is essential that soldiers show respect and understanding of the cultural structures in peace operations. 5 This is particularly true for operations in a non-Western context because '[a] failure to understand foreign cultures has been a major contributing factor in multiple national-security and intelligence failures'. 6 There are clear differences in the way armed forces act towards local populations in areas of operations, as a study on Turkish -Dutch cooperation in peacekeeping in Kosovo and Afghanistan shows. 7 Whereas Dutch servicemen were reported sometimes to offend the local population by sunbathing half-naked,

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In the contemporary world, professional religion journalism is under pressure. De-institutionalization, individualism, and secularism have caused a steep decline in journalistic knowledge about the phenomenon of religion (both as a praxis and a confession) and the relegation by the mainstream media of “the religious” to the realm of the exotic and of human-interest stories. At the same time, religion has come to play an increasingly important role (again) in Western society, as it has worldwide, but this is mostly valued in negative terms. In this article, the author contemplates this apparent paradox within Western journalism with the help of the situation of religion journalism in the Netherlands, a country very much in the epicentre of secularism. The author identifies five contexts that have contributed to this journalistic paradox: a political-social context, a meta-journalistic context, a scholarly philosophical context, a religious-philosophical context, and a religious-anthropological context.