The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Voice of His Word - PC Game

Hello,
I'm glad that the Lord has brought me here in the highway forums because I am working on a game that can be used to spread the Gospel of Christ via internet to all those who are lost. Here is what I wrote about the game (VoHW):

Voice of His Word is a free Christian values and morals based online PC game which main goal is to make the player think about real life questions and God. Player's role is an adventurer who has left home to search for his/hers fortune and will have to deal with many fictional human fates as the game also challenges player to study Bible and think about his own life. The game entertains player on the adventure trough the wilderness and uncharted territories in his search for wealth and fortune. In game player can also play different kind of minigames like horse racing with players and of course interact with other player via chat.

The game is designed so that Christians should find interesting questions and answers that will help their growth at least in knowledge and also a good fellowship with other people, Lord Jesus in mind. For unsaved VoHW has important lessons of God's righteousness, questions and answers regarding Bible and of course Gospel represented throughout the game's quests and by other players (Christians).

More info can be found in the brief documentation in http://voiceofhisword.com/ and from the same site you find info on how to help.


I see this as a good way to reach all those people who spent their days playing secular video games but I need your help and knowledge of the Bible to build the message in the game.

Please ask any questions here or contact me by PM or email.

In Christ,
Jari.

Please ask any questions you might have, feedback would be great.

CJari,


Please don't hold my humble opinion against me, as your own opinion in this matter may be as good as mine. I believe I have a good idea about the immense amount of time you've put into this project with good intentions.

To me, however, I just can't reconcile my reverence for the Scripture with movies, contemporary (post-modern and rock and roll) music, television or video games. It all, to me, seems to cheapen or degrade and make common and irreverent the words that should be simply read or spoken to those that desire by God's Spirit and Grace to hear.

I may be all wet, but this is what I currently affirm. I truly believe that people should be lead into the Church solely by God's Spirit in union with the life giving words of Scripture and not the cleaverness of the flesh. (Calvin, Institutes 2-3-4)

Denny

Romans 3:22-24

Just remember that it is the Gospel that saves, not our cleverly devised ideas. If you forget that, you may get converts by using entertainment, but they will only be kept by giving more entertainment.

I do not have a problem however if the game is devised to help people learn the Word better. An example of what I mean can be found here.

Tom

Well Cjari as a dabbler into programming (Delphi mainly a some C++) I appreciate you wanting to turn your talents into something useful for the Lord. However, why a game? Do you feel that children will learn more through a game play than through something that would teach them by rote? Now I'm not against games per se my children had a game for the computer that taught them the correct order of the books of the bible both old and new testament. And this did help them learn the order. But for deeper things I went to standard methods of teaching ie: memorization, writing out the verses in the first person, etc... So what would make your methodology better than that? Or do you see it as a supplement? Now I've downloaded the software from your web site and I'll look at it but what I'd like to know is your reasons for creating it and to whom are you going to market it to.

Hi Boanerges, thank you for the reply! You have made good questions in there and I'll try to answer them well.



Because millions of unsaved people play video games which will only lead them futher away from God instead to Him so I want to offer something different for these people, something spiritual, a game that is not meant to feed gaming desires much as it's meant to give another desire and that is doing God's will.


Yes because children like to play games and they learn lot from games because of this and adapt what they see. So games are a great way to bring good message and teachings to kids and every one.


That seems like an excellent way of learning! And good news is that I believe we can use something like that in VoHW, a subgame where you have to complete verses in order move forward in the game. In fact we already have one subgame similar to this in planning.


You must have downloaded the editor which is just the tool for creating this game, available for all those who are interested in contributing. And this game isnt marketed since it's free for every one.

Hi Tom, thank you for the reply!


Amen! Jesus' cross will be center of the message (in other words Gospel) found in VoHW. You made also a good point about the entertainment, this is something (thank Lord) I have kept in mind.

Hi Denny, thank you for replying so boldly (wich is a right way)!


I don't understand what could I possibly hold against you.


I feel the same way about some music and movies, at least the way the movies are made, I dont agree on somethings I saw in passion of Christ movie not that I claim to know better way of representing Christ's suffering and other things, which is why I dont.
And I agree if we say that God's word alone is good enough, it is perfect and doesnt need to be "sold" in anyway.


I totally agree and this is why I want to make a VoHW a game which isn't like having fun while learning to know God nor a game with "prayer points" or "faith points". But of course this is still a game and the whole idea behind that is to provide something else in replace of the secular games.

I hope my answer gives a new view about this game because it really is meant to be different from secular games and rather lead players away from their computers to seek God than serve their desires of having fun.

CJari,


I may have prejudged your game by not knowing what it is about and lumping it together with all other video games. After all, who am I to judge the work of a servant of another?

Still, you don't have to lead me away from my computer as I hate them with a passion and sort of use them like a laborer uses a shovel. I didn't grow up with video games as the kids do now. I simply do not understand how they can sit there hour after hour playing games of absolutely no value, or worse with poor values, in front of a CRT. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bananas.gif" alt="" />

My concern, of course, was that the Gospel and the words of God somehow become just another "game" to play. Anyway, I hope your labor is fruitful and I wish you the best. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/BigThumbUp.gif" alt="" />

Denny

Romans 3:22-24

CJan,

I thought it was interesting that you linked to both Rapture Ready and The-Highway. Those aren't two sites I would expect to see together....

It's good to have such spontaneous feedback.


Yes it's bad and I was once addicted my self but thank Jesus not any longer.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Hi!


Please explain?
I know they arent exactly along the same line but I didnt notice anything alerting. I may have to read more articles from the rapture ready site.

Jari,

I hope you will be able to answer several questions about the responses you made in this thread and several statements in your documentation :


1) Are you able to give Biblical support for stating that the playing of video games EITHER leads people further away from God OR gives a desire to do God's will?

2) Assume 2 players, "A" and "B". "A" continues to make predominantly "right choices" and "B" continues to make predominantly "wrong choices". As the game progresses, would the information given to the 2 players differ? If so, in what way?

3) Within the game itself, not real life, is there any way for a player to move from "the wrong path" onto "the right path"? If so, what would cause such a move?

4) You mention giving the player "moral lessons". What would be an example of such a moral lesson?

5) Have you had any discussion about your game with the elders of your church?

6) Finally, whether or not your game communicates them directly to the "lost players" of your "target audience", what are the essential elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Hi Paul_S, I'm glad about your questions.



From my experience I can only tell for sure that if it did not lead me futher away from God it kept me far a away from Him and since all the bad (sinful) things I have seen and experienced in games go greatly against what is good and pure it sure feels like they had taken me to away from God, even I didnt know Him at the first place. It is like choosing evil over good to enjoy from the evil things happening in a game. Remember love does not rejoice on evil, love is pure and we shouldnt even think about bad things. (Phi 4:8)
It seems apparent to me that every one else can be effected the same way and I while I may be forced to listen plasphemy in music for example I may be able to think about good things "over" the songs words. Same thing aplies to games so I do believe they can be harmful for the spiritual growth.


Good question. This depends on the type of information for Gospel is Gospel and I cannot think any case right now where player would get somehow different info, we want to stay in the truth of course. It should be made clear in the game that if player chooses wrong he has missed the right answer or way of doing things.


One example is where player looks for earthly tresures, he can at any time start looking for Heavenly treasures as he should and this one teaching in the game.


Few examples:
Give to the poor and help people in general is the right thing to do
Man's greed cannot be satisfied and it's right to share
If you do what is right you are blessed but if do wrong you gain fortune only for a limited time


No I havent, I was hoping you could be my elders. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> For that's what I'm looking for, advisors.


That Jesus is God's Son and whosoever believes in Him will be saved from the punishment which is death that comes because of sin for in His blood (since He died for our sins) is the remission of sins.

Jari,

Thank you for so quickly answering the questions I asked. After reading some of your answers, however, I am concerned about your understanding of some essential elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the following, even though there are references to your game, my questions and comments are now entirely about real people.

Since you say


is it your understanding that, in real life, a person can at any time start looking for heavenly treasures as he should?

You have said that your "target audience is every lost person who likes playing on-line playable adventure games". You also said that an example of a "moral lesson" for players of the game is:


Will the lost players also be told that all of their "righteous deeds" are as filthy rags, and that if they fail, even once, to continue "doing what is right", they are actually under a curse?

When a non-Christian player "makes a right choice" in the game, how will your program know whether to tell him "you are blessed for doing God's will" or "you are cursed for hating God, honoring him with your lips, not your heart?"