Spring Break
Video games, now with God
Ashley Wayne
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: News
He shoots three times. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The enemy is down; he blows up three rocks to his left and victory is his.
This sounds like a scene from the popular video game, "Counter-Strike," but it is not. It is from "Exodus," a popular Christian video game created by Wisdom Tree.
The aforementioned "he" is Moses, and he is shooting glowing "W's" that symbolize the word of God. He is on a mission to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
Diana James-Cairns, an employee of Digital Praise, a California-based company founded in 2003 that creates faith-based entertainment, said in response to the controversy surrounding the approximately $10 billion video-game industry, Digital Praise is trying to replace gory and violent video games with Christian games like "Exodus."
James-Cairns said the company's mission is different than other video game companies.
"The mission is to glorify God through the development of software for children, teenagers and families that spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ while entertaining, enlightening and encouraging faith," she said.
James-Cairns said their best selling game is "Dance Praise," which it is similar to the popular game "Dance Dance Revolution."
" 'Dance Praise' puts a whole new spin on today's high-energy dancing games by combining two of today's most popular entertainment trends - contemporary Christian music and dance arcades," she said.
Ralph Bagley, chief spokesman of the Association for Family Interactive Media, a group of Christian interactive entertainment industry professionals, said he is positive Christian video games will be able to compete in the market with more mainstream games.
"Christian game developers are just trying to get the cash to make a top-notch game that is able to compete graphically and in the game play with games that have a $20 million development budget," Bagley said.
While companies such as Digital Praise and Wisdom Tree are optimistic they will gain popularity in the video game market, Patrick Ewell, president of the university's video game club, Genshiken, said he is skeptical.
This sounds like a scene from the popular video game, "Counter-Strike," but it is not. It is from "Exodus," a popular Christian video game created by Wisdom Tree.
The aforementioned "he" is Moses, and he is shooting glowing "W's" that symbolize the word of God. He is on a mission to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
Diana James-Cairns, an employee of Digital Praise, a California-based company founded in 2003 that creates faith-based entertainment, said in response to the controversy surrounding the approximately $10 billion video-game industry, Digital Praise is trying to replace gory and violent video games with Christian games like "Exodus."
James-Cairns said the company's mission is different than other video game companies.
"The mission is to glorify God through the development of software for children, teenagers and families that spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ while entertaining, enlightening and encouraging faith," she said.
James-Cairns said their best selling game is "Dance Praise," which it is similar to the popular game "Dance Dance Revolution."
" 'Dance Praise' puts a whole new spin on today's high-energy dancing games by combining two of today's most popular entertainment trends - contemporary Christian music and dance arcades," she said.
Ralph Bagley, chief spokesman of the Association for Family Interactive Media, a group of Christian interactive entertainment industry professionals, said he is positive Christian video games will be able to compete in the market with more mainstream games.
"Christian game developers are just trying to get the cash to make a top-notch game that is able to compete graphically and in the game play with games that have a $20 million development budget," Bagley said.
While companies such as Digital Praise and Wisdom Tree are optimistic they will gain popularity in the video game market, Patrick Ewell, president of the university's video game club, Genshiken, said he is skeptical.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Jacob Thomas
posted 3/11/08 @ 1:07 AM EST
I am Jacob Thomas and I am the treasurer of Genshiken. There have been Christian themed games made before with one result, a really bad game. I think most of what these developers are harping on about is the rise of violence and sex themes in certain video games. (Continued…)
Marissa O
posted 3/11/08 @ 1:36 AM EST
"The large game development companies seem to remake the same game over and over again and stuff it down consumers' throats," he said.
I disagree, i think they make DIFFERENT games and dont stuff it down your throat. (Continued…)
Noah B
posted 3/11/08 @ 4:05 AM EST
Actually Marissa O, I tend to agree with what was stated in the article about games that frequently appear on the market today with strikingly similar basic mechanics or story just rehashed enough to pass as 'not the same game'. (Continued…)
Kris G
posted 3/12/08 @ 12:01 PM EST
Does anyone remember the Left Behind game? It was sort of sim-city like where all non-believers were left behind after the apocalypse or something like that. (Continued…)
Tim Strab
posted 3/14/08 @ 12:19 AM EST
Speaking of copying a more popular game, every game made by Wisdom Tree (as far as I can tell) is a copy of a better, more innovative game with all the characters and items replaced with Christian oriented ones. (Continued…)
Ben Mortlock
posted 3/18/08 @ 12:51 PM EST
It is not right to make videogames more contreversial then they are right now with a direct look at religion.
Lori
posted 5/03/08 @ 4:18 PM EST
maybe games based on the bible instead of "christianity" would be more acceptable to the main stream. you have plenty of violence, sex, disasters both natural and man made, you name it it's in there. (Continued…)
johannabartley
cfd providers
posted 8/05/08 @ 8:42 AM EST
I don't get this obsessions for games that teenagers have. I know it's not only them but their mind is still young and closer to games than ours.
johannabartley
cfd providers
posted 8/05/08 @ 8:44 AM EST
I don't get this obsessions for games that teenagers have. I know it's not only them but their mind is still young and closer to games than ours.
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