Gaming with a Twist

Parents have long been concerned with the idea of what images their children are exposed to when playing video games. With kids spending exorbitant amounts of time online or gaming, there are concerns about how those images may affect them as they grow up.

Now occasionally, I’ll admit, that I enjoy the battles found in God of War, or going to a buddy’s house to play Halo.  But I’m not 16 anymore, and I’m not the one playing these games for up to 13 hours a week.

So, it’ not too far fetched to believe that parents in the Christian community who have children playing video games want games that, in some way, teach positive lessons and don’t somehow add to the level of chaos that already exists in mainstream pop culture.

Christian groups and game developers came together to discuss the possibility of new game play content and values at the Christian Game Developers Conference held earlier this month.

Taken from the National Journal Community of e-Experts and an excerpt at the Christian Game Developers Conference in July, “We live in a culture that is often being driven by entertainment. Culture is most defined by arts and entertainment because this is where people’s values can be shaped and games can play a major role in reinforcing Christian values,” said Os Hillman, president of  Marketplace Leaders and author of Change Agent.

“I challenge creators to develop games that provide a means of thinking differently by engaging in entertainment that can incorporate wholesome fun and stimulation for the mind, but also stimulate their thinking in new ways.”

For all intents and purposes, I think Mr. Hillman is right, but the final vote will really come down to dollars. If developers can strike the right balance between mayhem and morals, there are huge profits to be made. In the meantime, we’ll just have to wait and see if the future of “gaming with a message” actually has a prayer.

Christian video games? Will anyone play them?