The day Pope Francis received Undertale: An unexpected bridge between the Vatican and Video Games

The Holy See and video games do not have a particularly close history. For the most part, the relationship between the two worlds has oscillated between extremes: sometimes video games are criticized, sometimes they are blessed, or even collaborations are as curious as they are unexpected. The recent death of Pope Francis recalls one of the most unique moments in the history of the Vatican and the gaming world.

The meeting sought to build a bridge of understanding

Video games are often surrounded by stereotypes and generalizations, often driven by prejudice or simple ignorance of what the industry really represents. In mid-2016, YouTuber MatPat of The Game Theorists channel posted a video recounting his trip to Vatican City. While there, he and a group of content creators from around the world were invited to a private audience with Pope Francis to talk about the power of the internet as a tool for connection and understanding.

In the video, MatPat mentions that they were asked to bring a gift for the Pope. Instead of something traditional from his country, he decided to bring a symbol of Internet and video game culture: a copy of Undertale. To him, this game represented the best of the gamer community and a message of what is truly possible in this medium.

His intention was clear: to change the negative perception of video games, often associated with violence or isolation. Instead, Undertale is a title that invites empathy, pacifism, and seeing “monsters” as individuals with their own stories and emotions. A message in line with the values promoted by the Pope himself: mercy, compassion, and understanding.

“[Undertale] is the single best representation of where we are as a community,” MatPat said in his video. Although the gaming world is divided into many subcultures, the public often sees it as a single entity. That’s why the gesture of presenting this game to the Pope became a symbolic act: a way to show the human, thoughtful, and peaceful side that this interactive art form can also have.

The truth is, we will never know if Pope Francis was able to change the Steam code or if he had a computer to play it.

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