PlayStations of the Cross

theodp writes "Is there a place amid the witches, warlocks and diabolical monsters for Christian video games? The NY Times reports companies like Brethren Entertainment ('Entertaining for Eternity'), Digital Praise ('Glorifying God Through Interactive Media'), and N'Lightning believe that there is a market in faith-based video games. If the idea of Christian first-person shooters seems unlikely, so too did the idea of Christian pop music, which accounted for 7% of the total pop-music market and sold 43+ million albums last year."

Comments

(Organized) Religion is always a cash-cow

[Kosi]

I wonder that it took so long until someone saw the enormous potential to make money in sticking $RELIGION stickers on computer games.

Re:(Organized) Religion is always a cash-cow

[cyber0ne]

It's not really a question of just saying "this game is religious" that will make it sell. Generally, marketing based on that is best suited for parents buying games for their kids, usually young kids. Thus, such religious games tend to be geared towards a very young audience and, while they do sell, they're not really all that popular.

I would be particularly interested in religion-based games that target a more mainstream audience, as most other popular games do. Let's face it, if you take Western religion as an example, the Bible is full of violent conflict that would be great for a game.

The problem as I see it, however, is in the approach taken in designing such a game. It is often a project taken on by a religious group, not a gaming group. In their eyes, the story needs to be exact, otherwise it goes against their religion. After all, you can't risk letting a child see David actually get KILLED by his enemies on the screen, that would be heresy in their minds.

Thus, the games tend to play out more like a movie than a game, which goes back to being geared more towards small children than mainstream gamers. They have to be able to risk that bit of what they call heresy if they want the game to be interesting. If you're going to play David and fight all your enemies, there needs to be an actual risk of losing if the game is to be at all enjoyable.

Re:(Organized) Religion is always a cash-cow

[king-manic]

Just a notE: Cheek turnign isn't rolling over and playind dead. It's defiance. If someone beats you, make them kill you. Show you don't care what they do here because your reward is else where.

First Person Shooters?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know this'll get modded to troll quickly, because I'm daring to say something most Christians don't want to hear, but if a Christian is supposed to be like Christ, and Christ was the "Prince of Peace", then I can't help but ask, if Jesus were in the situations created in such a game, what would he do?

And wouldn't the goal, in a Christian game, be to do what Jesus would do?

So, yes, I would think any kind of shooter would be the antithesis of what Christ taught.

But I know few Christians that ever consider that, since it would be inconvenient.

Cha-Ching

[durtbag]

I have to believe that companies like this, providing they have the PS seal o' approval, will do well here in the U.S. Remeber during the last Presidential Election there was that map that had all that red all over it? Those are potential customers who want their children to have fun, but don't want to worry whether 8 year old Jebediah and 10 year old Ezekiel will be crushing a hooker's skull with a brick after fonicating with her.

Lots of money to be made

[moof1138]

There is a fairly large subset of Christians in the U.S. who really want to hide from modern society. They are threatened by secular society, threatened by contemporary culture, threatened by modern science, etc. Marketing escapist stuff that helps to reinforce their little worldview would certainly be a cash cow.

How about...

[Adelbert]

How about a Muslim themed game? Or a game based on Judaism? Sikhism? Buddhism? No?

Re:How about...

[cyber0ne]

How about a Muslim themed game? Or a game based on Judaism? Sikhism? Buddhism? No?

I guess I personally don't know enough about those religions to even imagine such a game, with the exception of ancient Judaism of course. But if it's diversity you're after, go for it. I know several Sikh teens whose parents would probably love to replace their GTA titles with a game that promotes their traditions.

Re:How about...

[HanClinto]

Probably a troll, but I'll bite.

I thought that many of the FF games had a buddhist/new age theology behind them? I didn't think that there was any shortage of Buddhist games. There are several puzzle games that are made specifically for main-line Buddhism as a relaxation aide -- 3 minutes of Googling should bring up 2 or 3 of these.

There certainly are a fair number of mixed-bag "pagan" games, combining ideals from wicca, witchcraft, buddhism, and other new age "roll your own" religion. Ultima and other medieval RPG's seem to do this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there a benefit to chanting "om om om" in UO at certain shrines?

As far as polytheism -- perhaps Black and White?

There's a fair number of Atheist games, GTA comes to mind for one embodying hedonistic ideals. (not criticizing, just noting. I happen to have really enjoyed playing GTA)

For Judaism, there are several games that love to play off of the classic "heaven vs. hell" war (without dealing with the person of Jesus as Christ). While I doubt Jews would want to play the games, many things are spun off of warped Judaic theology. Things that come to mind for this are Spawn (comic book and movie, not really a game), the Diablo series, and many other books/movies such as the "His Dark Materials" series and that one recent movie with Keanu Reeves in it -- the name eludes me atm.

As far as blatantly satanic games, you don't have to look too far for those. :)

Respectfully,
clint

Good News

[tealtalon]

When they have their own games to play they can stop trying to tame the rest of them down to feed to their sheltered children. Matter of fact, they should start their own satelite company. Instead of direct tv or dish, GOD TV. YES! Then they don't have to sensor everyone elses television. Don't forget movie rentals. It will be just like blockbuster, but without that pesky SATANIC Harry Potter to poison little Jimmy's mind with witchcraft. The posibilities are endless. The days of evangelicals craming shit down my throat are limited...

/me wakes up

Go ahead...mod it offtopic

Re:Non religious

[mbourgon]

Ya know, I didn't care either.... and then had to listen to it while eating lunch yesterday. Crappy rhymes? Check. Bad 80's guitar solos? Check. Derivative tripe? Check, check.

It was almost like watching the South Park episode - Cartman was right, they will buy anything marketed at them. I hate to say it, but I think the market's too big, it allows mediocre music to be successful. (Insert RIAA joke here)

Kick Ass=Christian

[StingRayGun]

Well, as a pretty devout and even hard line Christain I think this idea SUCKS. I don't like the popularized Bush type of Chistianity and I think this easily falls into that catagory.

From a Bible standpoint everything that is really awesome glorifies God. As a future game developer (it probably takes a religious nut job to have enough hope to think that I can get into the games industry) I will focus on making the most kick ass, intelligent and fun games possible. Sticking a Christian sticker on something doesn't make it Godly (please no Socratic dialogs on what is Holy please) or holy or anything. If it can't compete with other games then to me, it is actually LESS Godly then let's say, UT2004.

Please, leave God's name out of it. Just make something that is AWESOME. That goes for music, for movies and whatever.

(A good example of this idea is this: http://www.primermovie.com/ It's one of the best sci fi movies in a decade, mad by a Christian guy but nowhere does it say THIS IS A CHRISTIAN MOVIE anywhere on it. It's just a great film.)

Not about conversion

[bluGill]

These games are not about converting you to my religion, they are about giving me a passtime that doesn't violate all the principals of my religion.

My religion tells everyone not to watch (or own) a TV. There is nothing evil about a electron gun in a vacuum tube exciting a few phosphors (substitute your technology of choice). What is evil is what it is used for. Nothing is wrong with using a TV so you can take college classes from someone on a different continent. There is something wrong when you use TV to show sex, violence, and so on. (I picked two extremes, you have to decide where the dividing line is between them - if you even agree sex and violence is evil).

Video games are not evil of themselves. They can teach puzzle solving skills. A game of pac-man once a week has no value, but it isn't evil. (addiction to pac-man is evil, but that isn't the fault of the game itself) However most of the popular games go far beyond the line.

I'm not sure I agree that christian games are the solution to the problem. However the problem being solved isn't a reach out to non-Christians, it is a lack of things Christians can do.

Potential

[Bongo Bill]

I say go for it. Religion had so much potential for good stories and intuitive gameplay that I'm surprised it's gone untapped as long as it has. Maybe it's the unwritten rule that religious popular media have to be a sort of propaganda for their faith, rather than actually making something interesting out of it, I don't know. Nobody likes to play a condescending sales pitch or an evangelistic circle-jerk.

Take something out of Acts, for instance. Go around as Paul, talk to people and stuff. Make it a strategy game or something. Nice and slow-paced, let the story sink in.

For the action games, set it in Revelation. You're just some angel and they send you on missions and you get to blow shit up with divine fury rather than conventional explosives. Or maybe you're Michael and you get in a huge fight with this dragon that just won't die. Imagine the special effects - can any studio depict an amphibious creature with seven blasphemous heads and ten crowned horns and the body of a leopart and feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion, without making it look ridiculous?

There's no need to limit it to Christianity, either. Take Norse legend - pick a god, play out the story. Wanna be Odin and try to satisfy your undying thirst for knowledge? Go ahead! Wanna be Thor and pick a fight with the Frost Giant? Sure! Whatever you want!

I'd buy those games if they can keep the evangelism down.

Re:Non religious

[Icupnimpn2]

Although I am Christian and have some faith, I avoid Christian rock music because I don't always feel like hearing about religion all the time, all the time. Sometimes you just want to watch a sitcom or play a board game and it doesn't have to be about Christ. I also feel that a video game or a song that isn't explicitly about Christ doesn't have to be labeled as "non-Christian." I think that it depends on the message of the particular song or game. I'd hazard a guess here and say that the majority of English-language games, music, movies, books, etc. were made by people who either are or were Christian at one time or another and I don't feel that something has to be "BY BAPTISTS 4 BAPTISTS!!!" or such to qualify.