MANIFESTING REINCARNATION IN PUBG

Abstract

The study aims to explore PUBG-PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds through the lens of Plato's theory of Reincarnation. The objective of the research is to explore rebirth and the impact of this belief on the player’s performance and engagement. Furthermore, the study’s objective is to probe into the aftermaths of reincarnation through certain events in the selected game.  By linking the religious doctrine of rebirth to the digital realm of gaming, the research aims to provide an innovative view of digital spirituality. The significance of the study lies in analysing the religious philosophy of reincarnation and the concept of digital karma –in-game actions–and its consequences.  The research shows both the philosophical understanding of the concept and the academic discourse on how traditional ideas evolve in modern contexts and in the gaming arena. The study challenges the traditional understanding of video games, and it expands the scope of game studies by researching on game insights from the lens of philosophy and theology.

The primary tool of research is a game titled PUBG launched by Krafton. Whereas Reincarnation and the Law of Karma by William Walker Atkinson serves as the secondary tool of research. The study’s elemental drive is the dearth of scholarly research on reincarnation in the digital world of games, limited attention to the role of repeated failure and how it parallels philosophical concepts, such as growth through reincarnation. Future researchers can explore reincarnation inspired models for artificial life or simulated reality.  It can help philosophers in exploring digital ethics in AI. It is a qualitative, inductive and interdisciplinary research.