Holy Gaming, Batman!

[FullAuto]

The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is based on a wildly successful series of novels about the struggles on earth after true believers ascend to heaven. Players can command the army of good - the Tribulation Force - against the anti-Christ's Global Community.

 

An alliance of liberal groups including the Christian Alliance for Progress, the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, and Talk2Action, have urged the giant retailer Wal-Mart, among others, to stop stocking the game, which was released last month.

 

"It's about religious warfare. The way to win is to convert or kill. You have both the Inquisition and the Crusades," says Frederick Clarkson of Talk2Action. "Anybody who is not a follower of Jesus is the enemy," he claims.

 

Mr Clarkson is particularly concerned that the $39.95 (£20) game - which is rated for teenagers due to violence - is being marketed through churches.

 

But the creator says:

 

"The game itself is just a great game. People of other faiths could play it and not know it's Christian," Frichner says. He freely admits the game aims to evangelise. "But it is doing it in a way which is very respectful, not Bible-thumping."

 

When players successfully complete a level of the real-time strategy game, "you get a vignette that has some kind of Biblical truth and a find-out-more button", he says.

 

That leads players to a website where they can discuss issues, say a prayer and "become a believer".

 

He thinks that will appeal to young people.

 

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6178055.stm

 

Great stuff all round. Will probably be as successful as Rock Against Drugs.

[Matri]

Nevermind the fact that despite what they're saying, this IS a Christian propaganda game, all the reviews I've read talk about it's horrible interface.

[Azrael Strife]

Disgusting.

[Bomb Bloke]

The interface, or...?

 

I'll bet some of the groups complaining about this game didn't much care about Postal or GTA. Go figure.

[FullAuto]

At least Postal and GTA weren't pushing religion.

[daredevil]

At least Postal and GTA weren't pushing religion.

 

But pushing drug use, anti-police violence, gang warfare is good? Let's face it, people read the boxes before buying games, and they know what they're getting. If religious themes offend you, then don't buy it. If crime based games make you mad, don't buy it. Censorship can be a very bad thing.

 

Now poor game design and bad interface, now that's a problem!

[Strong Bob]

I've not yet played the game, but I dunno... After reading about it's premise I thought it sounded like a very interesting concept.

 

I couldn't have cared less about the religious factors. Maybe we should pin down those games that the military hands out for free. After all, I think it's much more harmful glorifying war like that. As opposed to religious evangelism.

[FullAuto]

But pushing drug use, anti-police violence, gang warfare is good?

 

Was GTA made to encourage the use of drugs, anti-police violence, and gang warfare? No, it wasn't. Did GTA offer contact information, so you could go on the internet, and meet up with other cop killers, drug dealers and gang members? No, it didn't. Are the creators of GTA all drug dealers, cop killers, and gang members? It's a fairly safe bet that they're not.

 

There's a clear difference between a game's content and the creator's agenda.

 

If religious themes offend you, then don't buy it.

 

I don't have a problem with religion. I have a problem with people saying their way of life is better than mine.

[Matri]

I don't have a problem with religion. I have a problem with people saying their way of life is better than mine.

 

Exactly.

 

I have no problems with them. What you do in your fanclub is just fine by me. But I really don't care for your recruitment tactics. "Join us or burn in hell for all eternity".

 

Some choice.

[Bomb Bloke]

What you don't understand is that religion isn't some sort of hobby - It's a way of life. You don't get involved if you don't believe the religion in concern. Sure, there are exceptions to this rule - They're called "hypocrites".

 

If you believed someone is going to burn in hell unless they changed their ways, would you consider it rude to tell them that? And likewise, many other religions have quirks which outsiders might not like. Check Islams' wars laws, for example.

 

My point is, you can't seriously say you don't have a problem with people's rules and beliefs.... So long as no one actually carries them out?!

 

That aside, I'm not in favor of a game where you go around killing the non-believer (or the believer - keep in mind that you can play either side), but I'm doubting the web sites linked via the game have much to do with that sort of thing. If people don't want to follow the links, they don't have to. If people hit them by accident, they can close their browser. And if they do want to follow them, then what's the problem?

[Matri]

EDIT: Meh. My rant should've been in the other forum. Meh.

 

But I meant every word. And I'm feeling too apathetic to move it.

[zaimoni]

What you don't understand is that religion isn't some sort of hobby - It's a way of life. You don't get involved if you don't believe the religion in concern. Sure, there are exceptions to this rule - They're called "hypocrites".

Or "raised in the faith". It takes some heroics by the parents to keep the kids from thinking that merely attending religious services every week, makes them adherents.

My point is, you can't seriously say you don't have a problem with people's rules and beliefs.... So long as no one actually carries them out?!

That is precisely what multiculturalism signs off on. Tends to work out well as long as everyone acts out the belief that conflicts should be settled by debate rather than force.

[daredevil]

Just for the record, I'm not saying I'd buy or endorse this game, but I fail to see that a creator's "agenda" is more heinous than game content. Just because you don't agree with why the game was made, doesn't make it more objectionable than a game that features objectionable material. I enjoyed the murder, mayhem, and misdeeds of the GTA games, but am smart enough to realize that it's for entertainment purposes. I think one can enjoy a game w/ religious themes and not start a Crusade because of it.

 

I'm offended when special interest groups dictate what can and can't be sold by a store. Where do you draw the line? The Narnia books and Star Wars stories have Christian themes and symbolism. Do we ban those too? Do we tell book stores to burn down their religious sections. Anyways, I'm probably overanalyzing this whole topic.