I have noticed something in video games that has got me curious...A lot of games have enemies that are called ghosts that really should just be a monster...Take the boos from Mario...Yoshi can eat them! In SM64 you could punch them; In SMS you could spray them with water. In New Super Mario Bros. WiiU--Baby Yoshi could eat them, and the Blue Baby Yoshi could trap them in a bubble! Before I go any further, we should define exactly what a ghost is...a spirit in the physical world. They are not defeatable by physical means--only by spiritual means. Thank the LORD we Christians can rebuke them! HaHa! In the above instances, the creatures known as boos are not ghosts...but monsters. There is another one. In the Metroid Prime 1 game--after you get so far into the game you start to encounter the "chozo ghosts" These guys aren't ghosts either...Why?? You can shoot them! A real spirit cannot be shot. These creatures are rather a concoction brought about by the phazon. Most likely, the phazon corrupted the chozo's dead bodies and began to mimic their form. Whatever remaining energy was left in the dead corpse was utilized by the phazon to create more of a form than would otherwise be possible. Here something happens similar the attack of the X parasites. The "Chozo ghost"--first of all if it was a ghost, it would never have been corrupted by the phazon!--phazon is physical. They are just making monsters and trying to give them more of an edge by calling it a ghost instead of what it really actually is! At least that is my opinion. Anyone else have any thoughts on the false ghosts?

It really depends on the lore. I personally believe in spirits, but not ghosts. As a Christian, I find scriptural references to spirits, but it says a human spirit either rests or is held in captivity (somewhat of an obscure reference, but it's in first Peter) until the end of the world when judgement begins. Hence the Bible saying that Hell (the grave) would give up it's dead for judgement.

But this is about video games, not religion, so my apologies for going somewhat off-topic.


Basically, since I don't believe in ghosts, I feel that they should be treated as fairytale creatures much like goblins and elves, or Vampires even. For example, originally a Vampire could not enter your house unless invited in. However, many modern Vampire stories have forgotten this. So their behavior and such all depends on what lore you're looking into.

In some stories, ghosts cannot interact with physical surroundings, such as the new game Murdered: Soul Suspect. This is a more classic approach to ghost lore. However, in many modern movies, ghosts can interact with physical surroundings, and in some cases they can materialize into a physical form. Now if Mario's world uses the latter approach, then these ghosts can indeed be hit or eaten. And indeed it looks like this is the lore they use, as the boos will become invisible and intangible when you look at them (if they're facing you), and "solid" when you aren't (in most Mario games anyway). In this case, Boos really are ghosts.

However, Metroid's use of them is completely inaccurate. What those really are is Zombies. No idea why they called them ghosts unless it wasn't meant to be literal. Hopefully it was a translation error, but I doubt it.


Good topic here btw. I love a thread that makes me think before replying.

Eirinn : What exactly is the difference between a ghost and a spirit to you. I thought that they were one and the same...And as far as the lore goes...I still don't think so...just because people wrote or thought something different doesn't really change the truth. I believe a spirit can interact with the physical realm--think about the life of JESUS--pigs ringing a bell? What I am saying is that a supernatural power cannot be stopped with natural means. If it can be stopped by means of the natural--then it isn't a true ghost. Only a cheap copy. It's like saying that science can disprove GOD because science cannot find HIM and no one has seen HIM. It just does not work...Thanks for the reply. Glad you liked it.

The difference between a spirit and a ghost? A spirit is just a spirit in general. Whereas a ghost is the spirit of a deceased person. For example: Michael is an angel, and an angel is a spirit, so Michael is a spirit. However, the spirit of Marley in A Christmas Carol was a ghost since it had belonged to a living person at one point. As for Bible references, those "spirits" were typically referred to as devils or angels.


And it isn't really the same thing as saying God doesn't exist because certain theories don't back His existence. If indeed I'm correct that ghosts are merely creatures of fables, then they are and never have been real beings, but merely lore of different people. A good example of this is the fact that what ghosts are supposed to be like and be capable of varies depending on what country you live in. I'm not trying to disprove their existence, merely explain what I think about the misrepresentation of them.

So if ghosts are indeed fairy tale creatures, then they are subject to an author's interpretation. One more example would be that my extended family has a story that they pass around about a ghost "sighting" in which a chair began rocking on it's own, etc. Now other stories say that ghosts cannot interact with the physical world at all (and in my opinion, that's the only theory that makes sense). And in some other countries, ghosts can materialize, such as Ireland's Banshee. The basic idea is that if ghosts are not real, then there is no right or wrong set of rules to how they should be depicted, saving that they are spirits. This all hinges on the idea that they don't really exist. If they do, then the only way we could really know is to meet one in person ourselves as other peoples stories aren't reliable.

Eirinn : All right...thanks for the info. A lot to think about on that one. 

ghost. are not real. they just humans there making a costumes.

marianne26 : I didn't know that you don't think that I am real. I am hurt!

marianne26 : Hey, what's up with saying my friend does not exsist!??

yes ghostfishy: no i'm not super scared anytime
FaithFighter : what? bro?

Wait I don't understand really
so I might be interrupting so very sorry for that
,but are you guys wondering
if ghost exists?
If it is then my valid answer
is....no

Banenzo : Not that I am wondering if ghosts exsists, but that often games call things ghosts that I do not feel really are...

FaithFighter : yeah. *sprays ghost with water* *rabbit punches ghost in the face* *eats ghost* seems legit.

FaithFighter : So the game developers call their
bosses and  enemies ghost And your 
complaining that they don't seem like ghosts to you.
Seems to me that its not such a big deal. I would
rather focus on playing the game itself. It's just a name
bro don't make too much of a big deal.

Banenzo : I'm not really actually trying to make a big deal out of it. Just trying to make an interesting thread. I also wanted to see other people's thoughts on it.

Well okay then. But you sound like its such
a big deal. Anyways back to your normal
lives citizens.

If you are looking for a game that has actual ghosts, check out the fatal frame series. Those actually function like real ghosts. No physical object can harm them. The only thing that can is a ritual camera you use to trap them in the 2 dimensional world of a photograph.

2LiterGamer : I'm surprised this thread is still open. Anyways, no I'm not really looking for a game with actual ghosts in it, but thanks for the offer. That does sound like a neat concept though. 

Feel free to bring any wierd gaming ghost stories to the thread! If I'm not mistaken, I heard there was a ghost somewhere in the megaman  franchise? Is that right?