BBC, ever-watchful of American trends, has a piece on the entry of Christian thinking in game development. What does
this mean exactly? Good question. It seems to mean that the Christian developers will make action games without the
gore and violence. Sounds good so far. However, the article ends with two quotes from Rev. Bagley, both striking in
their contrast.
"No blood, no guts, no gore," says Rev Bagley. "What we want are emotionally full games that don't just rely on
adreneline."
Awesome. I couldn't agree more. I enjoy Tetris as much as I enjoy Doom 3. Sure, in different ways, but
Tetris has as much entertainment value as any game out there. And if he wants to, say, make a Bible game that lets you
play in Christ's time, that could be really intriguing. But then Bagley goes on to say…
"We are trying to build the genre of Christian gaming. People are tired of having these violent, demonic games
dictating to their kids."
Okay, come on. Dictating what, exactly? Is he implying that the developers are channeling the devil? I think he is.
Does this mean Christians who work at Rockstar or id aren't Christians? Of course not. It's just a typical "Us vs.
Them", "Good vs. Evil" attitude that's taken this country by storm. I'll be happy when that falls out of favor. Okay,
I'll be happy when it even subsides a little. It's nonsense. Games are entertainment. If you're entertained by it, buy
it. If you're not, don't. And if you're in a religious family, then keep the violent games out of your kids' hands.
Outsmart them. It's in the job description.
