This Filipino priest is an avid fan of action video game series 'Diablo.' Here's why
Priests being passionate about video games is already a rare sight to see, but what more if they're avid fans of the action game series Diablo, which from the name itself is about demons and monsters?
That's the case for Fr. Antonio Zabala from the Philippines. By day, he works as a priest under the Order of Augustinian Recollects and an administrator at San Sebastian College, but by night, he puts on his gamer gear and immerses himself in the popular dungeon crawler game.
In a promotional video for Diablo IV's first expansion Vessel of Hatred, the priest recalled first encountering the game when he was assigned to work in the United States.
"I started playing it, I was attracted to it," he said.
While a game about demons is something out of the usual for a priest like Zabala to play, he reasoned that the AAA title is more than about these evil creatures, describing it as a "visual representation of the struggles of everyday people."
"Daily making choices to combat evil makes me realize that's how we face life. To be aware that there is a real 'Diablo' and the game itself gives a moral lesson. Once you realize this lesson, you learn how to apply it in your life," he said.
The series, which began in 1997, is set in a dark fantasy world called "Sanctuary" and focuses on the ongoing conflict between the humans living in Sanctuary and the demon hordes who are led by Diablo, the series' overarching antagonist.
"Diablo resonates in my being a religious priest. I help people in their struggles in the same manner Diablo characters help people in the game, all in the name of doing good," Zabala said.
One particular character that he highlighted is Neyrelle, a human adventurer, because of how she is "full of anger and hatred" after the death of her mom.
"I encounter people with the same emotion. It’s up to the counseling side of my ministry to convince them to be more forgiving so that in the end, you fight evil by doing good," Zabala said.
"Diablo resonates with us because we evangelize people to fight the evils in their lives," he added. "There's really a striking parallelism between the game and what's going on in real life."
The game features character classes that players can select for use in the game world, and Zabala's favorite one out of them all is the Barbarian.
"From Diablo I to II, III, and now IV, I always choose the Barbarian. Why? Because fighting evil means there is no mercy. Evil engulfs you, evil wins over you and takes you in. You go in there, fight them, and win the battle," Zabala said.
"That’s how I came to like the Barbarian. Storyline, finding the lessons [in it], and there are instances that I could use them in my classes when I teach. Diablo is a wonderful game, I'm looking forward to the expansion," he highlighted.
The local priest has only one request for his fellow Diablo players: "I hope that you gamers out there find that lesson, apply it in your life to be successful and happy."
The latest installment in the series, Diablo IV, was released in June 2023. Its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, was released in October this year and centers on the region of Nahantu that is overrun by corruption and dark forces.