Deus Ex: Encyclopedia II - Deus Ex - Etymology

Deus Ex - Etymology

The game's name is derived from the Latin expression deus ex machina (pronounced Deh-OOS EKS Mah-Ki-Nah), literally meaning "god from the machine", i.e. "a person or event that provides a sudden, unexpected solution to a story". These most obviously refer to the game's protagonist JC Denton and the cybernetic themes of the game. Also, Warren Spector (producer of System Shock), one of the game's designers, has stated the name was a dig at the typical video game plot, which tends to be laden with "deus ex machina" artifices and other poor script writing techniques.

Some fans have speculated that the protagonist's name, JC Denton, is derived from the initials of Jesus Christ the savior sent 'from God' in Christian religions, leading some to believe that instead of refering to deus ex machina the title is actualy meant to be translated literally as 'from God.' The names of several main characters reinforce this interpretation. Paul Denton, for example, uses the name of Paul of Tarsus, an early church leader during the formative years of the Christian church. However, according to Sheldon Pacotti, lead writer on the game, the name "JC" was merely chosen for its unisex qualities when the developers were still planning to let the player choose the gender of the main character.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Etymology", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki