Why Christian Games are Bad… and How to Fix Them.

Here is a quick non-scientific poll:

1. Are there any Games you can think of, off the top of your head?
2. Are there any Christian Games you can thing of?
3. Are there any Christian Games you can thing of… that are good?

Now the first question should be easy, the second not so much, the third is nigh impossible. There is a blatant problem Christian games that affect a lot of games what have a propagandist bent to their themes. If you have a viewpoint in your games you want to convey, take heed that you don’t alienate your potential audience.

The word “alienate” will come up often in this. Just prepare for that.

There are a ton of reasons why propagandist games fail, Christian games in particular, and it’s mostly due to not understanding your market. It could be done by:

Being more content than Game-play

In the case of Christian games, it is very easy to make a game that is mostly bible stories and quotations.

The problem with this is that, in the end, making games of this type alienate people outside of the group you are part of. In this case, non-Christians with no basis in the faith would not have any interest in such games and will be alienated by them due to the lack of knowledge about the source material, as well as the jargon related to it. Christians on the other hand won’t find the games challenging, entertaining or immersive because there is no trainable skill involved outside of memorisation.

Being more Game-play than content

There are two problems that arise from this outlook:

When The Game-play is Actually Good…

Like in Super Noah’s Ark 3D, the glorious monster that it is, it is easy to slap on a theme onto the Wolfenstein 3D engine and pray for a miracle. The game is in inherently good (good may be a strong word) but not because it is a Christian game; it is a Wolfenstein 3D game pretending to be a Christian game. There aren’t many Christians I know who have actually played this game. Due to the fact it’s a game about the flood a lot of fundamentalists would shy away from it, purely out of misguided doctrine.

And when the Game-play is Atrocious…

I would recommend watching the video. Floaty jumps, horrendous animation and over-simplified objectives all to convey a message that, as a Christian, deserves more work put in that actually displays the dedication one has for the cause. A bottom of the barrel asset flip will not do. Children who are into platformers will not play the game because they have inherent quality control (somewhat). Adults who would ordinary want to play something like this would be appalled by the quality. Christians my consider this trivialising The Word and not want to play it out of disgust at the use of source material, and the game-play.

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These games have one Many-Headed-Hydra of a problem; they are lazily constructed. The Bible is not used in a manner that brings out the necessary qualities that pulls Christians into it: A historical narrative, life lessons, prophecy and an understanding of the Nature of the Creator. These are concepts ripe for the picking.

Christians also have the problem, mostly those that have been in the faith for a long time, of preaching to the choir (had to hold back using that phrase as much as possible). Making the stretch to figuring out other viewpoints can be difficult in a church based echo chamber. It can be seen as rather lazy to step out of one’s comfort zone into someone else’s shoes.

This adds another problem to game design; misplaced effort.

A lot of the time, Christians will prioritise “conveying the word of God” over “ensuring the user has a good experience”. A lack of balance in design due to pushing one aspect of propaganda over another, to the detriment of the medium.

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So, how do we fix Christian Games??

A slightly very complicated problem… but I have some solutions.

Don’t Take Yourself too Seriously

Part of what makes Super Noah’s Ark 3D so intriguing is it’s heavy comedic value (whether that was intentional or not is at the feet of Wisdom Tree).

As important as you believe your mission is in life, always be aware that some people will find fun in you exuberance. Not everyone finds your mission as important as you do, so allow yourself to be a little self deprecating.

Hire the Right People for the Job

Having some skill in game design might not be enough.If you need an artist, level design, musician or project manager, hire someone with professional experience. Also be prepared to hire people who don’t share the same viewpoints as you, they will make excellent testers. Also…

Get External Testers

Test the game you want to make extensively, by your target market, and people outside your target market. If you’re making games for children, have sample children from different walks of life to test your games, as well as their parents to ensure they are on board with the game idea and get feedback on both. If you’re trying to make games to entice hardcore gamers ( seriously, why would you?) invest in gaining feedback and Beta test with hardcore gamers. Again, don’t be afraid to get people who have a different viewpoint from yourself.

Research and Survey

Finally, research the game genre you wish to enter into. This may probably be the single most important lesson. Look at the technology required to facilitate the type of game you wish to make, sort out your budget, look into your target demographic, all in all, plan effectively. Put extra effort into your work. If you truly believe what you believe is right, then “good enough” should not be good enough. Make sure to understand the view point of others and avoid the echo chamber of your belief system.

In conclusion:

I’ve been a Christian for about 20 years (excluding lapses in faith along the way). It saddens me to see there aren’t any games that are enjoyable, as a Christian, that properly explore the lifestyle, struggles and joys of the life, that can appeal to those who don’t believe. I have a lot to discuss on the topic (including suggestions on what type of games could be made). Maybe someday, I could talk about those ideas. Till then, whether you believe or not, God bless.