Warhammer 40000: Psychoanalysis

[catharsis]

Ever since I got into the entire Wh40k: Dawn of War and all the stuff after it, I have been psychoanalyzing the hitherto themes in the PC Game as well as the background stories and codexes. Wh40k, from my perspective is a direct message from the New-Gen of Neo-Nazi's trying to preach the Nazi doctrine.

One of the best-known quotes in the DoW game is:

"Only through the destruction of our enemies shall we earn our salvation."

Seriously, how whacked is that? I know it's a game and games are for entertainment. I can sense "the enemy from within" poking out at vulnerable, younger gamers who do not have the true maturity to understand such potent quotations. The quotation clearly states that: the only way to get closer to God in heaven - is to kill our enemies. This is almost the exact same intentions Adolf Hitler had when he was exterminating the Jews from Germany (and neighbouring captive territory). He believed that by killing the "inferior race", he would be closer to God when he died. It's strange how a single quote can reveal such evil.

The character that says this, If I remember correctly is Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens.

"Burn the heretic. Kill the mutant. Purge the unclean"

-General Motto of Warhammer 40000.

What does this quotation show us? It shows us that this could be a direct command from the Neo-Nazi's themselves. Heretics are essentially non-believers of the Ecclesiarchy's regime (German propaganda) and should be killed if they do not follow the "rules". Mutants are essentially the same thing as the unclean in the German context. People who didn't have blonde hair and have blue eyes were inferior. Excuse me, but this is where I laugh. Blonde hair...blue eyes? Aren't blondes stereotypically regarded as dumbs? (Citation needed, but refer to Goldilocks ... Golden Locks...geddit?) Adolf Hitler didn't have blonde hair...or blue eyes. Loser! *No wonder he lost the war, thank god*

Speaking of some of the armies available in Dawn of War and Wh40k, there are the iconic Space Marines (opposed by the Chaos SM), the Imperial Guard (notably the Steel Legion and Cadian 8th). During the rule of the Third Reich, Germany was literally an Imperium of Nazis. Imperium?!!! Isn't that a key part of the Warhammer 40000 game? Yes it is, it is viewed as the last real "kingdom" of Mankind left in the universe. Who leads the Imperium? The Emperor. In context of World War 2, the Emperor is represented by his majesty, the Fuhrer Hitler. What's also similar, the Imperium of Man has banners, propaganda, everything is siphoned off the German war effort.

The Space Marines are the so-called super-warriors of the Imperium of Man. What were the "super-warriors" of the Nazi's? The SS of course. They were responsible for decimating those who stood in their way.

A key organisation within the Imperium is the Holy Inquisition. The Holy Inquisition is a romanticized version of the Gestapo Secret Police, who went around doing their secret little errands.

The Imperial Guard isn't so much of a German influence, but the Steel Legion is. Their troopers look like as if they just came out of a German death camp.

One reference that I need to make is that the general morale tactics used by the Imperial Guard are heavily based on Russian techniques. Those who had low morale and retreated - were shot. As demonstrated in the Commissar's ability to execute one of the squad's members to regain full morale..at the expense of one of their friends. (They actually costed 50 Requisition..OMG)

I have much more to write, but feel free to post anything. I'm tired.

-catharsis

[Barlo]

Dude no offense, but that game doesn't stand out at all when compared to most others. I understand that the similarities with the Nazi regime are great, but that is a purely fictional game that as all others has some ideological likenesses with historical events in the world. I mean if you scrath the surface you can find many ideas of fascism hidding all around you. But that is a global problem and should not be just limited to a pc game...
In my opinion nazism is based, like all totalitaristic regimes, mostly on global prejudices and politicaly created hate towards other nations, but most then anything else on economic and cultural opportunities that even made it possible for fascism to "bloom". So in my opinion its only a matter of time when another totalitaristic rule will be born(if it doesn't already exist). So the game is not to blame for being realistic, and it surely doesn't spread nazi ideas:)

[catharsis]

Hmm. I thought someone would saying something like this. Personally, I don't really have anything against this game, since I've played it and its sequels ever it came out. I'm also a Wh40k painter-dude-thing.

[Noisms]

Well, The Imperium in Warhammer 40k was based on The Empire of Warhammer, which in turn is based on the Holy Roman Empire, so that's where the German aesthetic comes from. I think the style is intended to be Prussian rather than Nazi.

The thing about purging the unclean and destroying the enemy to earn salvation has to be seen in reference to the whole setting itself, which is to do with mankind being consumed from within by the corrupting influence of Chaos. In other words, it's an internal thing - removing the id-based desires within onself (or within The Imperium) that let Chaos get a foothold.

I love the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k settings, actually. I think that whole concept - Chaos slowly perverting everything from within - is a really simple but very interesting one.