Christian Games: where do they succeed? Where do they fail?

[Mr. Saturn]

after responding to one of the posts regarding a proposal for a christian game I wondered if it would be a fruitful discussion to look into posing the question of what qualities make for a good Christian game. I'll leave the topic open for now to broad discussion but would like to start off by posing the following question:

If traditional Christian media such as books and film/tv and music and visual art can find forms of crossover success (think The Lord of the Rings, The chronicles of Narnia, music like Bach and Hayden, the art of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo.) why is it that video games seem to have such a hard time?

While I think the medium is still in it's infancy, I believe the one striking difference between all previous forms of media and this form is the inclusion of 1 major factor: the participation and morals of a player and the ability to incorporate this into gameplay. where morally wrong games and the pedagogical bent of some Christians games fail I believes both universally lies in overlooking this important function of free will. this does not make the game any less fun. given an entertaining enough gameplay or story (preferably both enmeshed seamlessly) any game can be considered fun, but when incorporating an actual free will and realistic (or at least internally logically consistent) morals will go far in presenting the Christian concept. Of course this concept stands or falls on the internal morality present in the game. if the overall bent of the game goes into the territory of giving the player a more overall rewarding experience for bad moral behavior then it ceases in it's moral value, on the other hand if it dabbles to much into providing equal value for good and evil decisions it may fall into the territory of moral relativism, in which any moral good by the game becomes impotent and weak. (no spoilers but Deus Ex 2 is particularly guilty of this in some regards). that remains with then one thing, a game which incorporates choice but will lead the player towards making good decision that ultimately reflect Christian values, yet allowing enough leeway for a player to fall but recover. in this regard I think RPG's and games that incorporate RPG elements are the best kinds of games to incorporate these values into it. I am not saying they are the only ones, but in a general sense they allow enough depth in a story using the game system to develop a though provoking and rewarding experience. I should also point this out, I personally think it not strictly necessary to incorporate total free will or limited free will in order to make a good Christian game but find it an often overlooked and powerful aspect of the game medium that should be considered in the development process.

what are your thoughts and why is it you think that a good christian game can/cannot exist? what would the qualifications for such a game be, and do you believe the free will of a gamer necessary or vital to the success of such a title.

 

[tjguitarz]

Can a good Christian game exist? Yes, but there are three hurdles to pass first: realism, the Christian community, and funding. They are all connected.

For me, the biggest fault in a Christian game is the lack of realism. The solid fact is that people swear, people kill, people have sex, people abuse drugs, people sin. Not all these need to be portrayed in detail, but overlooking them can take so much out of a story. Christian games try to be too "fluffy" and unoffending. That's not real! The world is offensive and people are offensive. Sin is ugly, but how someone deals with their sin has an incredible potential for a story.

The "Christian community" directly affects the realism of a Christian game in a negative way. The "Christian community" likes to take hot topics--video games, swearing, alcohol, legal drugs, money, birth control, music choice, movie choice, book choice--and they "religious-ize" them; they force their personal convictions onto others: "No one should swear or use birth control!" "No one should play violent video games!" "No one should listen to Eminem!" God gave us a conscience to handle the issues not directly addressed in the Bible. Because of this "religious-izing," a Christian video game that portrays a Christian struggle in the real world can not happen. There would be a tremendous backlash from the "Christian community.” It also will go against the agenda of someone with deep pockets, hence the last point…

Funding is directly influenced by the "Christian community." Who else is going to fund a Christian game other than a community of Christians? If those people's desires and agendas aren't met, then funding will be pulled. That means that those people's personal convictions will be pushed into the game, thereby snuffing out the fires of creativity and realism.

I also think the Christian community is plagued by thoughts of the rapture and revelation. That cliche is overused and should be put to rest.

The idea of a Christian game poses another interesting question: does a game need to have the title "Christian?" Could it be that the label of Christian does more harm than good? That might be a question for a separate thread.

 

[Atown]

The idea of a Christian game poses another interesting question: does a game need to have the title "Christian?" Could it be that the label of Christian does more harm than good? That might be a question for a separate thread.

actually under that note, i pretty much steer clear of christian games, exactly for the reasons expressed. it gets so fluffy that its stupid and not well designed and looks visually unappealing.

I think the point of free will is extremely excellent too. I mean look at KOTOR, completely open ended to design yourself whatever way you want. If anything, a ff7 storyline could be adapted to fit the spiritual journey for someone as well. Theres plenty of good ways this stuff can be achieved, it just needs to be done without the nonsense of what is "moral" for a video game to have but on the notion of "what sells?" and adapt it to focus that is acceptable

 

[vibrokatana]

The barrier for entry into "realistic" 3d gaming keeps growing each year. For a point of reference look at the credits for virtually any game. Once you start chopping away at the resources you are using to make the game then it drastically impacts the end product.

In order to soley target a small market (ie Christians) you wont be able to get the funding necessary to fuel such a machine necessary to turn out a publicly acceptable product.

 

[Mr. Saturn]

Theres plenty of good ways this stuff can be achieved, it just needs to be done without the nonsense of what is "moral" for a video game to have but on the notion of "what sells?" and adapt it to focus that is acceptable

On the contrary I think that it is important that one not overlook the moral dimension of a work for using techniques which are popular. the two are not mutually exclusive. rather I think it is important to view these things in a "means and and ends" relationship. good technique as a means towards a christian end, the implementation of this is sometimes where failure occurs, but not the good end in itself.

The barrier for entry into "realistic" 3d gaming keeps growing each year. For a point of reference look at the credits for virtually any game. Once you start chopping away at the resources you are using to make the game then it drastically impacts the end product.

In order to soley target a small market (ie Christians) you wont be able to get the funding necessary to fuel such a machine necessary to turn out a publicly acceptable product.

I would agree with this. the starting entry point for 3D these days is prohibitively expensive. to this one should not forget there is plenty of leeway in the 2D world for the indie games market, or even a mod, still both are costly in regards to time but would ultimately be a much less expensive process. Personally my thoughts would be along the line when dealing with any creative medium, the work you produce must be able to be understood by those outside the faith in order to be appreciated. this is something I feel the "Christian Games" market has failed to realize as of yet. It is not impossible, but the more time spent preaching to the choir the less time anyone will actually spend playing their games.

1 Cr 9:20-22 (RSV)
(20)To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law--though not being myself under the law--that I might win those under the law.
(21)To those outside the law I became as one outside the law--not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ--that I might win those outside the law.
(22)To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

 

[Neirai the Forgiven]

Couple of thoughts.

First, Mr. Saturn, thanks for facilitating this conversation.

TJguitarz: The way to avoid the "Christian community" problem is to ignore it. I strongly feel that if you want to make a game that communicates Bible truths to the world in a crossover way, it's got to be something for the general world community and not for the Christians. As has been so strongly pointed out many times on this forum, Christian gamers don't play "Christian games." They play secular games, like Team Fortress 2 and World of Warcraft.

One aside: the three greatest pitfalls that can hit a Christian developer are the following:
1. "Clean" equals "Christian." Taking away all of the swears, skimpy costumes, demon-references, and blood will make the game somehow God-honoring in its core. Yet we forget that texture, tension, and realism are cool. It's the way it is. Rather, give me an M-rated game where people have real hardships, gamers are taught to respect rather than objectify women, evil and good are accurately portrayed (8-bit female demons is NOT accurate portrayal,) and the game is as realistic as possible. News flash: E-rated != Christian.
2. For it to be Christian, the game has to come from the pages of the Bible. When you take a game from the Bible, you're on shaky ground, gameplay- AND theology-wise. Are you going to make your Revelation-based game so that evil can win? Are you going to make "the exploits of David" so that strategy and tactics are more important than relying on God? Or vice versa -- are you going to make it so that evil can't win? that you can throw tactics out the window as long as you rely on "god" -- which is actually relying on scripted game events that aren't God at all? Neither ditch sounds like one I'd like to play in. Furthermore, "Apocalyptic Games" tend to do a lot of violence both to gameplay and to the Bible, and even more distressingly, to the message of the Gospels.
3. Believe it or not, characters do not need to get saved in order for a game to be Christian. Maybe the game takes place in a part of a character's life where they don't get saved yet. I'd love to see a popular 4-5 game series where the character gets saved in game 4. And still is the butt-kicking character we know and love. Maybe the game takes place in a world where Christianity is (gasp) irrelevant, but grace is still real. Maybe the character is (the filter might pick this word up, so I'm changing it) condemnable God at the end.


Back to TJ: Building games for the mainstream market is the path that I believe works for Christian games. Of course, that means backlash from the conservative Christian community. So be it. For a game to make a noticeable impact on popular culture, it's got to sell.

A game does not have to apostatize in order to sell. You can jam it chalk-full of Christian concepts, such as uninvited grace, respect for others, honor towards women, forgiveness as real, and God's healing power over broken lives. Yes, you probably need to get rid of any sort of didactic preaching, or forced morality. Oh well.

Atown: Funny thing is, statistics show that the new generation knows nothing about Christianity. But they love Final Fantasy and that kind of game. With that knowledge in mind, I think that it's a ripe time to make a real, good, and revolutionary/evolutionary fantasy RPG where Christianity is showcased.

VK/Mr. Saturn: Where 3d games are concerned, I think the place to start would indeed be a mod.

 

[BloodBought1]

Proper Games\ Proper Scenarios for Christian Games

The first thing you must ask yourself before you indulge yourself in anything labeled "Christian", whether it would be gaming or otherwise is ..."Is this God honoring ?" Games are games, and if we are to label something "Christian", it should be scripturally tight and not given to the filth and corruption of this world. People who call themselves Christians and think that the filth and corruption in this world have to be part of the game to simulate realism, are quite out of balance with God and their personal convictions before God.
(Proverbs 11:1) ¶ "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."
The unsaved world would not for the most part regard or understand the Christian perspective in gaming. So you would have to ask yourself, "Should the game be made to appeal to the (unsaved) world, or should it be made to appeal to the ranks of Christianity ?"

As well, if the game was made to be as a presentation to the general public of Christians and non-Christians it should be set up in a manner in which the situations which occur in it would not only have a scriptural basis, but also be used for a vehicle as a soul winning tool. If you get too far off into fantasy, You might as well not label the game as"Christian". You could possibly make a game with multiple Biblical scenarios such as the battle of Ai, Jericho, or something in the lines of David and Goliath. I guess you would have to call it a "First Person Slingshot Shooter". LOL Whatever the scenario, whether it would be Biblical times or Modern, It would have to be a mix of "Action" & "Scriptural Truth" if you were to label it "Christian".

Certainly the efforts to design a "Christian" game which deals truthfully & scripturally along God's guidelines, that holds the interest of the gamer who may be saved or lost is at best a difficult task. It would take a combination of great spiritual wisdom as well as gaming technology expertise. Maybe if enough of us around here put our heads together, we possibly could come up with something. I appreciate the thought stimulus in your article. God Bless You !
BloodBought1 said it !

 

[Neirai the Forgiven]

I think this scripture is relevant:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

I could add, to the fantasy fans I become as a fantasy fan and to the shooter fans I become as a shooter fan, etc etc.

I would agree, however, that if enough of us put our heads together, we might be able to solve the question of making a video game that appealed to both christian and secular players. I'm not sure it's all that hard, but doing so and having real content, that is hard.