IGN: 'Final Fantasy X's war on organized religion'

Toby McCasker writing for IGN:

The only thing keeping people together, curiously, is the church of Yevon. ‘Church’ is a misnomer seeing as Yevon is Spira. Spira is a theocracy, and despite how colourful and carefree its archipelagos and cities might seem, it is also a fascist theocracy. That kind of dualism is intentional, and represents FFX’s broader Buddhist subtext. Hey what? We’ll get to that. In the meantime, if you go against Yevon, you’re gonna have a bad time.

I played Final Fantasy X in high school. I was searching for an identity and was cynical of everything. The game’s opinions on organized religion, technology, and the afterlife had a profound effect on me. Every new motif locked in my attention as if Billy Madison was trying to express how I’m important it was.

Needless to say, FFX was the first video game that showed me the medium had a substantial voice and was about more than just fun.

A terrific read.