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Christian game makers rise to new heights [GameSpot]

FoneBone

Member
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/07/06/news_6101873.html

For example, in Eternal War: Shadows of Light from Two Guy's Software, players are sent by God to clear out the demons in the mind of a suicidal teenager. Instead of killing the demons, however, main character Mike banishes them in a burst of light. Even more explicit in its religious leanings is Ominous Horizons from developer N'Lightning. The game's story follows a paladin who must recover Gutenberg's Bible and repair his printing press so, as the game's Web site puts it, "the Word of God will be made available to all." The player never kills anybody--smitten forces of evil fall to their knees and pray. Quite a bit different from slaughtering hordes of hell spawn in Painkiller, isn't it?
I kind of doubt that these games are even any good. I can't be the only one who's reminded of games like these:

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=206
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=215
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=487
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=1661

[As always with SA stuff, do NOT post pics from these articles.]

Not to mention Wisdom Tree's "classics," of course.
 

fennec fox

ferrets ferrets ferrets ferrets FERRETS!!!
The player never kills anybody--smitten forces of evil fall to their knees and pray.
The same thing happened in Spiritual Warfare, and that was a very good game! Screw the hatarz!
 

Fularu

Banned
belgurdo said:
I want to play a game where you're a demon and you have to hunt angels....
In Nomine Satanis. The BEST french role playing game (table one, not video game)

There's a US version called In Nomine. With friends it's a blast to play (and a good dungeon Master)
 
Screw that. Chrisitan morals? I think not. We can have games with good messages without getting all religious crazy. I'm all for different genres of games, but don't bring all that religious and political bull shit into games and start breaking up the market into that.
 

Ozchin

Member
They should make Passion: The Video Game... hunt down Jesus; stone, flog and whip him into submission; the make it all the way to crucifixion! :p

...all he does is turn the other cheek!! lol
 

skip

Member
kitchenmotors said:
Screw that. Chrisitan morals? I think not. We can have music with good messages without getting all religious crazy. I'm all for different genres of music, but don't bring all that religious and political bull shit into music and start breaking up the market into that.


kitchenmotors said:
Screw that. Chrisitan morals? I think not. We can have literature with good messages without getting all religious crazy. I'm all for different genres of literature, but don't bring all that religious and political bull shit into literature and start breaking up the market into that.


kitchenmotors said:
Screw that. Chrisitan morals? I think not. We can have movies with good messages without getting all religious crazy. I'm all for different genres of movies, but don't bring all that religious and political bull shit into movies and start breaking up the market into that.

hmm.
 

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
meh, I dont mind a game that seriously deals with religious issues.. but these are the video game counterpart to the Omega code, and we dont need that shit in any medium.
 

NotMSRP

Member
I don't mind a game with heavy religious themes and tones, but I do not want any propaganda shoved down my throat.
 

shpankey

not an idiot
Don't like it, don't buy it, but spare me the lecture on the reasons why you think it should not be made. They have just as much right to make this game, and for it to be on the market as anything else.

And nobody is shoving any propoganda on anyone against their will. You would of course have to buy the damn thing in the first place.
 
I don't see why there can't be great Christian games. Paradise Lost, Bach's Mass in B Minor, the Sistine Chapel, etc etc etc... there are great Christian works in pretty much any other field of expression, why not video games? I even came up with a bunch of ideas for Christian games, but I dunno if it would be a good idea to try and make them seeing as I'm not Christian.
 
I don't really see a problem with them being made. I just hope it opens up the door for stuff like Four Horseman. If ones ok the other should be too.
 

shpankey

not an idiot
Of course. They all have the right to be made. That is freedom, for good or bad, you have to take it all.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
I don't want to sound like an asshole, but I'm sure people would be saying "wtf?" if a jewish or muslim game studio were founded. :/
 

etiolate

Banned
I like the idea of non-violence. I love bashing crap to death, but a dream of mine is a mature game that is non-violent. Mature as in more serious situations and dramatics, not mature as in bloody and vulgar. It would be interesting to play as a character that takes some sort of negative effect from killing people.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Those games probably won't be very good. The concept of the first one isn't even Christian, according to Matthew 12 it's the Holy Spirit that casts out demons. It's rather obsequious to make a game with Christian-like themes without actually being accurate to Christianity.

The same thing happened in Spiritual Warfare, and that was a very good game! Screw the hatarz!
Actually that was a very good game for NES, kinda of like Zelda but better in some ways.

Except for this....

Me: *thinking to self* "Hey, I go in every other building and convert people, and there are tons of heathens pouring out of this bar, if I go in and convert the whole place maybe it will turn into a church"

*walks in bar* *angels drag you out*

Angel: "You should not go in there, I am taking your breastplate of righteousness" (which reduced damage to 1/4 if I remember correctly)

Me: Noooo, I wasn't going in for debauchery! Jesus sat with sinners! You should get kicked out of virtual heaven for hindering the gospel!

Hell and fighting satan was the best part though. The mazes with TONS of demons flying after you all the time, some invisible ones that just left footprints, the strategy using your full arsenal to beat satan and the tons and tons demons in the last battle, it was pretty cool even though the concept was silly (God punishes satan, not people)
 
This thread reminds me of the best thing Old Man Murray ever wrote:

It seems that people who deliberately deconstruct religion, then exorcise it from their lives, eventually realize that maybe they're not so much smarter than everyone who's ever lived after all. When they inevitably discover that faith has a purely utilitarian value as a way of mitigating the mounting existential dread that arises from simply being alive, they generally resort to creating some kind of half-assed religion substitute. This leads to spiritual philosophies that embarrass everybody, like aromatherapy and everything Jewel believes.
 
thanks for reminding me of how I got so god damned depressed since my last half-assed religious substitute was shattered in '03. i've made some fitful attempts to start work on a new one, but i just can't seem to get into the groove. half-assed religious substitute development really takes a lot of luck and inspiration.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
... but I don't believe in Jesus. :|



*waits for someone to reply with, "But Jesus believes in you!"*
 

Flynn

Member
Ozchin said:
They should make Passion: The Video Game... hunt down Jesus; stone, flog and whip him into submission; the make it all the way to crucifixion! :p

...all he does is turn the other cheek!! lol

Sounds an awful lot like Chiller!
 

Dragmire

Member
GaimeGuy said:
I don't want to sound like an asshole, but I'm sure people would be saying "wtf?" if a jewish or muslim game studio were founded. :/
Yes, but the US just happens to be a slice of the world where Christianity is true. I, too, was once a Christian. You know... 'cause it's true they say.
 

john tv

Member
JackFrost2012 said:
This thread reminds me of the best thing Old Man Murray ever wrote:

It seems that people who deliberately deconstruct religion, then exorcise it from their lives, eventually realize that maybe they're not so much smarter than everyone who's ever lived after all. When they inevitably discover that faith has a purely utilitarian value as a way of mitigating the mounting existential dread that arises from simply being alive, they generally resort to creating some kind of half-assed religion substitute. This leads to spiritual philosophies that embarrass everybody, like aromatherapy and everything Jewel believes.
:D
 

firex

Member
i really need to find that site that had a muslim themed SMB ripoff. it was either a really well designed joke or intentional, which makes it even funnier.
 

Minotauro

Finds Purchase on Dog Nutz
Ozchin said:
They should make Passion: The Video Game... hunt down Jesus; stone, flog and whip him into submission; the make it all the way to crucifixion! :p

They could license one of the more popular rhythm games and allow you to whip Jesus to the beat of an authentic Roman soundtrack.
 

xabre

Banned
Enough of the endless barrage of biblical inspired Christian games. In the interests of religious tolerance and equality we need some games based on Islamic fundamentalism. There'd be plenty of shit to do, that's for sure.
 

Minotauro

Finds Purchase on Dog Nutz
xabre said:
Enough of the endless barrage of biblical inspired Christian games. In the interests of religious tolerance and equality we need some games based on Islamic fundamentalism. There'd be plenty of shit to do, that's for sure.

headrip.jpg


Sub-Zero was an insurgent before being an insurgent was cool.
 
The Promised One said:
I'm a total Born-Again Christian, and even I would play these crappy games. These dev's need to get a clue.

I'm glad you found religion, but you should still be looking for grammar! ;)
 

human5892

Queen of Denmark
It seems like every few years I read a new article about Christian videogames "coming to the forefront" and developers finding new, non-violent ways to make videogames fun, but nothing significant ever comes of it...and then the developers get their faces rubbed in it when a GTA game comes along.

Don't get me wrong -- I have no problem with these types of games (even though, not being religious, they're not all that interesting to me from a non-gameplay point of view), but it doesn't really seem like they have a significant future at this point in time.
 

Ranger X

Member
kitchenmotors said:
Screw that. Chrisitan morals? I think not. We can have games with good messages without getting all religious crazy. I'm all for different genres of games, but don't bring all that religious and political bull shit into games and start breaking up the market into that.

Shit man i stopped read the topic at your message!!! So true!!!!!
This whole thing can only leads to bad things and go against free will. Someone can be kinda brainwash and become religious under this "politically correct" move. I guess it's not right because this person may not know what she's really doing. It's like when a child grow through a religion instead of CHOSING one.
 

skip

Member
Wyzdom said:
Shit man i stopped read the topic at your message!!! So true!!!!!
This whole thing can only leads to bad things and go against free will. Someone can be kinda brainwash and become religious under this "politically correct" move. I guess it's not right because this person may not know what she's really doing. It's like when a child grow through a religion instead of CHOSING one.

this is the dumbest thing I've read on this forum in quite some time. and I read the O.T.
 

Mock

Banned
Say what you will, but I'd rather have Christians making games than Christians sitting around and just complaining and remaining ignorant about video games entirely. If they want to use the medium for their message more power to 'em.

I mean, c'mon, people are going to the theatres right now and paying money for a 2 hour political ad for John Kerry. I don't see how this could be any better or worse.
 

Prospero

Member
For example, in Eternal War: Shadows of Light from Two Guy's Software, players are sent by God to clear out the demons in the mind of a suicidal teenager. Instead of killing the demons, however, main character Mike banishes them in a burst of light.

The sad thing is, this is actually a pretty badass idea for a game. The only problem I see (well, based on the one sentence I've read about it) is that the vanilla Christian Fundamenalist agenda is crippling the game's aesthetic quality. Whereas if a talented secular developer ran with this idea, it could turn out like that movie The Cell, minus Jennifer Lopez and plus lots of surreal puzzles, Resident-Evil-style survival horror, occasional FPS carnage, and a couple of scenes ripped off from The Exorcist. ("The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!")

But in its current version the title stinks, the name of the main character stinks, and the apostrophe is in the wrong place in "Guys' ".
 

Chrono

Banned
For example, in Eternal War: Shadows of Light from Two Guy's Software, players are sent by God to clear out the demons in the mind of a suicidal teenager. Instead of killing the demons, however, main character Mike banishes them in a burst of light.

Isn't "banishing them" just a nice way of saying killing them? It's not like we see the banished demons kicking it in hawai after the game ends. Or do we? It's more like Wind Waker when link kills/destroys an enemy you don't see their dead body on the floor but they disappear in a "puff of smoke." Once again, Nintendo is ahead of the competition. ;)
 

human5892

Queen of Denmark
Mock said:
I mean, c'mon, people are going to the theatres right now and paying money for a 2 hour political ad for John Kerry. I don't see how this could be any better or worse.
Your post was good up until right here, at which point it descended into ignorance.

C-.
 
Chrono said:
Isn't "banishing them" just a nice way of saying killing them? It's not like we see the banished demons kicking it in hawai after the game ends. Or do we? It's more like Wind Waker when link kills/destroys an enemy you don't see their dead body on the floor but they disappear in a "puff of smoke." Once again, Nintendo is ahead of the competition. ;)
no no no!

not *killing*!!

BANISHING THEM TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL!!!

there's a difference...
 
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