Notable Games: F.E.A.R. 2, Assassin's Creed series, Shadow of the Colossus, Half-Life series, ummm... Limbo
Notable Religions: Catholicism (until 2007), Islam
While the concept of purgatory is not central to any major religion, it has roots in many modern theologies. The widely accepted belief is that before progressing to a more elaborate stage of the afterlife, one must exist in an ambiguous state and atone for their life's misdeeds.
Video games often have endings which leave the characters to an ambiguous fate. Note that these frequently seem to exist for the sole purpose of setting up a sequel. In fact, if it weren't for this obvious posturing, "Limbo" might be lumped in with the general concept of "no afterlife" or even "Heaven." But some games end in such a way that implies there's more to the story, you just aren't told what it will be. Several of the 10 Most Irrational Video Game Endings of All Time twist the plot in such a way that the player is left in this precise state of confusion.
Interestingly enough, the concept of Limbo was (for lack of a better term) a "rules construct" for Catholicism. The place was generally seen as a way for unbaptized infants and Old Testament ancestors to avoid an eternity in Hell. Limbo was removed from the tenets of Catholicism by the Pope in 2007. So, the Pope can be seen as the metaphorical G-Man, with millions of unbaptized babies representing Gordon Freeman, naturally.
So, Why is This?
Specifically explaining the chain of events and circumstances which have created such a striking juxtaposition would require a remarkable understanding of the field of sociology, one beyond what I've attained. As such, I can only attempt to suggest general rules which would enable such parallels to take place. That said, I suppose two main reasons why post-ending games bear striking similarity to modern views on the afterlife.
A. The Player Identifies with the Video Hero
The notion that the hero of any narrative media -- whether interactive or not -- must have characteristics with which the reader/player can identify is such an intrinsic part of storytelling; we need not look far for ample supporting evidence. In the oft-cited The Voyage of the Hero: The Self and Other in One Narrative Tradition in Purulia, author Roma Chatterji suggests that the protagonist is a symbol of the person experiencing the story, and that this is the main purpose of the hero in any narrative, from stage productions to video games. This is probably one of the most succinct ways to express why many games spend millions of dollars simply expressing the environment from an accurate first-person perspective.
If one takes this notion -- that the player identifies strongly with the game's protagonist -- as truth, then it's a simple logical leap to assume that the game hero's fate be intertwined with the believed fate of the player. After all, video games frequently reference real-life events to bring about an emotional attachment -- death, love, friendship, and birth are all common themes in games and in life. Therefore, it's not be a stretch to include afterlife on this list.
B. Videogames Borrow Heavily from Modern Storytelling Conventions
Video game plots are rarely considered the avant-garde of artistic evolution. This statement is not intended to put down video game writers, but rather to illustrate the common belief that recycling plots is an unavoidable part of storytelling. Indeed, analyzing and compartmentalizing the various types of artistic plots has practically become an art form in itself.
I don't mean to advocate the cliched notion that "there is nothing new under the sun." In fact, it's not out of the question to see a video game push a storyline in a rare or unheard-of direction. However, for the most part, games follow conventional methods of storytelling. From there, it's easy to discern why games would take a similar approach to their post-ending environment.
Perhaps what is most interesting is to observe how the two listed factors contribute to the passing down of storytelling traditions from old to new media. Like classic fables being re-skinned as modern big-screen blockbusters, plot conventions seem able to jump from format to format with the ease and grace of Ezio Firenze jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I don't believe that video game creators intend to mirror such conventions when they design post-game environments. However, due to mitigating factors which circumvent their storytelling intentions, the parallels between the ends of video games and modern afterlives are strikingly similar, and should humble anyone who entertains the idea that our society exists in a technological bubble completely independent from our past.
Evan Hoovler has a free online serial novel, Jesus Christ is Dead: A Murder Mystery. He co-wrote the National Lampoon book, Pimp It Yourself, and is fortunate enough to write for many websites.
