I find the Christian game sub-culture endlessly fascinating. Perhaps it's the childhood of Catholic school, maybe it's the step-brother who's making Christian values movies in Hollywood. Maybe it's that I always root for the underdog, and God really is at a disadvantage in an entertainment medium which is perceived to deal with issues in a distinctly non-Christian way. One of these days I'll make it to the Christian Game Developers Conference and ask a few difficult questions.
In the meantime, the New York Times (reg. required) has a great article on the God Games development industry which explores the people making titles for a fast-growing population of moral thrill-seekers beyond the Holy Water gun in a Jesus first person shooter.
While some of the rhetoric that spouts from the mouth of Rev. Ralph Bagley (''We're going to hold the word of God up and illuminate the place,'' Bagley likes to say. ''We're taking the land back from Satan.'') freaks me out, the article presents a unique perspective on a medium that so many of us gamers take for granted.
…beyond the violence and witchcraft, there are more subtle theological objections having to do with gaming's unprecedented exercise in creative decontrol and free will.
This may be one of the reasons parents feel so afraid of this digital phenomenon which has invaded their living rooms. They don't understand it and until they discover that little Jimmy or Jane is playing with something they feel could be morally reprehensible, they don't appear to care what's going on inside. Somehow the current age ratings systems don't tap into this, but there are a variety of websites which feature reviews for parents and persons of varying moralities which explain in words that are relevant to those groups what is and isn't appropriate for the individual playing the game.
I don't agree with an ethos that rejects in-game choice. This is beautifully typified in Christian game developers' antipathy towards role playing games because they allow players to approach a problem from within a variety of characters' heads, some of whom may not be "upstanding". This seems particularly paranoid, as if stepping into a "devil" character would immediately convert someone to Satanism. By removing the choice in a computer game, the player isn't allowed to make his or her own decision. This fear – that the experience of playing a bad guy will create moral chasms – is illogical. Do all Christian kids only play the good guys in playground cops and robbers? Do the robbers always lose?
This brings me back to my step-brother, John, who is working in another industry which is similarly viewed as immoral (or was before Mel Gibson did his Passion). He is not making movies with explicitly Christian themes. Instead he is working within a template of "values" which most – if not all – religions and moral codes abide by. The plots have nothing to do with same-sex marriage, abortion or women's rights, and like the Christian games the NYT discusses, they avoid any discussion of Jesus, God or any of the other major players in that religion. They don't preach. The characters simply deal with their decisions in a way which imperceptibly follows a particular ideology. For this reason his work isn't insidious or subversive (if it can be called that) but an alternative to the traditional fare of sex and violence. There is a bounty of games which do this, but they're overshadowed by the phenomenal press and popularity of titles appropriate to older people. It's the same as 18-rated films: these are the ones that get the press because the target audience has a good deal of disposable income and they have the ability (government-determined or otherwise) to choose.
If the Christian Games community decides to create games which limit player choice, then the publishers' decision not to back them is perfectly reasonable. Contemporary gamers dig the chance to choose and expect it in their entertainment. If they're released on the mainstream market, they'll lose money. By giving their audience credit and allowing them to "experience" what it's like to play bad guys, they'll make games which may appeal to people who don't consider themselves Christian or actively reject it. They're making good steps towards the mainstream by not forcing the religion down gamers' throats with explicit references to God et al but by removing the elemental aspects of contemporary interactive entertainment they'll remain marginalized.
One other thing: why do people think that computer games are the only things that teach kids morality? Don't parents discuss these things with their children???
