Today's most message-filled video: Bibleman

by Zack Stern { Aug 14th 2007 at 12:00AM }

Games with a religious agenda aren't new. A trailer for A Fight for Faith: The Bibleman Video Game Adventure shows the latest way to teach gamers about Christianity. You've got Bibleman, Biblegirl, and Cypher making this Superfriends-style team that thumps enemies. It seems like a pretty standard PC/Mac action game, except even in the trailer, that agenda creeps in.

With an arch-enemy named "Wacky Protester," our Spidey ACLU-sense gives an idea of where the plot is going. We'll let you decide if this is better or worse than games with a military message. And how do games with subtle advertising compare? See the trailer after the break.

[Image credit: Bible and Traditions]

Tags: Bibleman, HottestVideo, religion, trailer

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

SuiXide @ Aug 14th 2007 12:06AM

To be honest, the game looks really crappy. However, the message is anything but bad. How is teaching about God and the Bible bad? I mean, we've got enough games and other media promoting the opposite end of the spectrum. In the worst, at least it's evening things out. In the best, it's promoting a good message.

However the game looks like it sucks.

colin @ Aug 14th 2007 12:22AM

it isn't necessarilly bad, but then again, it really is. the show is just horrible. horrendously horrible. i'm sure a certain someone is rolling in their tomb.

sometimes in life the end doesn't necessarily justify the means. e.g. you could develop a hardcore christian cult using little more than words and lysergic acid. but is it a moral thing to do, even if you don't do it for any personal gain?

as a kid, i lost my faith the day i found my baby teeth in an envelope in my parents closet. that was the day that the easter bunny, tooth fairy, santa claus, and god died. sometimes weird shit like bibleman can confuse impressionable minds.

Whubbsie @ Aug 14th 2007 1:21AM

SANTAS DEAD!!!!????

Otis Whitaker @ Aug 14th 2007 3:31AM

IT HAS A CHARACTER NAMED WACKY PROTESTER. That is bad. Very bad. Incredibly bad.

Hutch.. @ Aug 18th 2007 4:49PM

well you should check on imdb.com some of the comments take alot of offence.
for instance they have a super villain, a gay villian. now what theyre sending out to their demographic(ages 3 and up) is same gender marriage is bad. a complete christian stereotype

oz @ Aug 14th 2007 5:27AM

It's a bad thing because the Bible is taught as facts when it plainly is not.

Teaching kids that having 'faith' in fairy tales and religious mumbo jumbo is not a virtue. It is NOT a good thing.

Brainwashing kids that hell is real is basically child abuse - You're scaring them into believing your warped and fantastical version of reality. Crap like this should never be passed on to kids.

I see there are a few Christians here. Basically folks who been brainwashed as children. I feel bad for you guys and I genuinely hope you pull though.

Kye @ Aug 14th 2007 7:44AM

Colin, that was deep.
But I'm going to play devil's advocate (no pun intended)

Is it so wrong to let a child believe in make-belief? It is after all, only temporary.
Is it so wrong to want to see their faces light up in hope and anticipation, of Santa, the tooth fairy et al?
Is it so wrong to give them something good to look forward to, before the cold hard clutches of the world strip them of their short short childhood?
The world is selfish, evil place. Do you really want children finding this out as early as possible?

Disclaimer: I will not have my children believe in Santa or the Easter bunny or any other such nonsense.

Lifted 0ne 4l9 @ Aug 14th 2007 1:43PM

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

thats all i gotta say watch the 1st 1/3 of that video, watch the entire thing if you really need your eyes opened to what kind of world we live in.

Livin4God @ Sep 17th 2007 10:28PM

I am sorry many of you feel this way about people who believe in one God and believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. Many of us have not been raised this way as a child. Many of us have been all over the world. Many of us have experienced life at the top and at the bottom. I personally am from a long line of people who do not subscribe to Christian beliefs, but my life, again personally, has been much better since I have let God take over. I turn all of my problems and burdens over to Him and I am blessed each day with a life that is better than most. I truly thank God for His love and forgiveness for my past actions. Furthermore, Christian aren't on this blog bashing those of you who do not subscribe. I am raising my children with the knowledge of what is important, right, and will not only give them eternal life, but will help them be intelligent, productive citizens of this world. If this video game saves lives, then I am all for it. I believe that if one of you gave God half a chance, you would be amazed at the blessing you would receive. It would have to be a better life than some of you have and would help shape you into a person that studies history. The Bible is not fiction. It is actual fact. In fact our country that many of you were so blessed to be born in, our founding Fathers came here to escape religious persecution. Do some research! Go to wallbuilders.com and read some articles and do some of your own research. Do not just take my word for it. Well, it is getting late and I need some rest before tackling teaching classes tomorrow. I do pray for all of you and wish you the best. God Bless!

Jerk Face @ Aug 14th 2007 12:06AM

Holy fucking shit.

Bad religion. Bad, bad religion...

This is the shit that is ruining America.

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 12:11AM

Being Christian, I take offense to that. There do happen to be sane versions of Christianity, unlike some parts of the world. coughsouthernstatescough.

However, I've long since had a problem with the Christian entertainment industry. It feels weird. Overly cheesy. The message is fine as long as it's told right, but we haven't found a way to make it not seem....lame.

samfish @ Aug 14th 2007 12:33AM

"The message is fine as long as it's told right, but we haven't found a way to make it not seem....lame."

Duh. That's why they try to take characters like Superman and bolt a Christian message onto him.

Free Thinker @ Aug 14th 2007 2:27AM

How is the message of convert or die a good 1? Why is it that we have to be "saved"? Why can't we let people believe or NOT believe what they want to? Why is a protester bad?
What's next...Sexually Liberated Woman? Freedom of thought boy? Gay Man? Evielution Man?

In my opinion...forcing any ideals and beliefs down childrens throats (especially ones that discriminate and hate) is NOT a good thing.

Psaakyrn @ Aug 14th 2007 3:41AM

Seriously, the main problem about christian games is that they try to stuff it in your face. How to make a humble game which advocates (note: not promote, since that term's WAY overused) Christianity is anyone's guess, but frankly, I'd think a game following a disciple/follower of Jesus would work. (and even if you follow the bad side, well, there's a traitor at the last supper, so it also works out.)

Phillip @ Aug 14th 2007 9:56AM

@ Freethinker

First off, I am a Christian. Even so, I find this game stupid at best and appalling at worst. That being said, allow me to respond to your statements.

"How is the message of convert or die a good 1? Why is it that we have to be "saved"? Why can't we let people believe or NOT believe what they want to?"

The message of Christ is _not_ "convert or die". The message of Christ is that God loves you and wants to save you from a world which has gone wrong and will, in the end, be destroyed. God won't force you to believe in Him or accept his offer; If He forced you... if He made you a robot, how could there be any kind of loving relationship?

The message is not "convert or die" like (militant) Islam, but is instead "you are dead, here is true life. Believe in Me and I will give it to you." You do, however, have the choice to believe whatever you want to believe.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that.

"Why is a protester bad?" "In my opinion...forcing any ideals and beliefs down childrens throats (especially ones that discriminate and hate) is NOT a good thing."

This is one of the ways I feel this game is horrible. We, as Christians and as Americans, believe that people have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of belief (unlike Islam). Protesters can say amything they want (and it isn't even considered hate speech!). I admit that there are some wacky protesters out there, but this feels to me like stereotyping and it kind of scares me.

Furthermore, we will not force ideals and beliefs down anyone's throat. We will, however, instill our beliefs in our children and share our beliefs with others just as you will your beliefs, whatever they may be.

As for the comment that Christianity hates... we hate people's wrong actions, but we don't hate the person doing it (i.e. "hate the sin, love the sinner"). It's the same as if someone you loved had a disease ailing them: you hate what is in them, perhaps you hate what it makes them do and what it puts them through, but it makes you love the person all the more!

Jesus teaches us to love all as He loves (though I am the first to admit that some Christians have perverted this doctrine) and not to hate anyone.

In summary, the religion you are describing sound much more like many sects of Islam (no freedom of speech, no freedom of belief (at least not without taxation), forcing your beliefs on other with a convert-or-die mentality, etc.)

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to respond as thoroughly as I could.

Phillip @ Aug 14th 2007 10:02AM

I think that's the longest post I've ever seen on Joystiq. Sorry 'bout that. :)

Free Thinker @ Aug 14th 2007 11:15AM

I appreciate your comments. Christianity HAS been forced down peoples throats for many centuries. Look at the Spanish when they "found" the new world the 1st thing they did was to tell the indigenous population something like this..."we demand that you recognize the King of Spain the Lord of this land through his holiness the Pope, if you submit we will help you and support you...if you do NOT submit, we will powerfully enter into your country and make War against you, you wives, your children, we shall make slaves of you, we shall do all the harm and damage we can.

The Spanish read this proclamation in Spanish which the locals had no understanding of, they had no idea of the death sentence that was being read.

When you use FEAR to further your agenda...(repent sinner or you will suffer in Hell) how is that not forcing someone to believe? Especially an impressionable young mind of a child? When a parent tells their kids that they will suffer horrible tortures for eternity if they do not "accept" Jesus into their hearts...I ask you again, how is that not forcing a specific set of ideals and beliefs down their throats?

And so far, the Christian religion has been responsible for more Wars, torture, hate, discrimination, assimilation, bigotry, and separation of different cultures than ALL other religions combined. (look it up if you do not believe me)

Lastly, the 3 main monotheistic religions all worship the SAME God. Christian, Muslim and Jew. Yet they kill each other ever single day in the name of God.

Religion is an organized system of ignorance and oppression of free thought.

Lifted 0ne 4l9 @ Aug 14th 2007 1:54PM

Phillip you do not understand Islam so stop pretending, you apparently only know what the Media has told you, which is the view of a Muslim extremist which is no worse than a Christian extremest.

Grindstone @ Aug 14th 2007 7:07PM

I did look it up, "Free Thinker", and apparently religion is responsible for the Crusades and the Thirty Years' war. Can you think of any other major conflicts that are notable? Would it more prudent to say that people, in general, just aren't really that nice to each other, regardless of belief systems?

I'd say your name is a misnomer...

Neebs @ Aug 14th 2007 12:13AM

Wacky Protester...what the fuck, over?

Ray P @ Aug 14th 2007 12:14AM

Being a Catholic, I agree that the message is fine, its the outlet thats the problem. I mean, I love science, but I'm not going to try and make a video game devoted to teaching organic chemistry and trying to pass it off as legit fun.

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 12:18AM

You can make games that show Christian morals and the like, but it gets weird when you've got characters named Bibleman.

Neebs @ Aug 14th 2007 12:24AM

And a villain named "Wacky Protester."

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 12:27AM

Hahaha, yeah, that just doesn't make sense.

Geoff @ Aug 14th 2007 1:21AM

"I'm not going to try and make a video game devoted to teaching organic chemistry"

Just tell that to Will Wright. If Spore doesn't include such lessons, then it's only a matter of time before one of his projects does.

Zaidyn @ Aug 14th 2007 12:16AM

Oh my god, this isn't a badly timed April fool's joke!

DoomPlague @ Aug 14th 2007 12:30AM

At least the "religious agenda" is obvious (hell, you can't get MORE obvious). There are plenty of agendas being promoted in movies, music and even games and in very subtle or underhanded ways. I have no interest in this title and think the whole premise is silly but at least but you certainly can't say they're trying to brainwash unsuspecting gamers.

oz @ Aug 14th 2007 8:14AM

You may think it's obvious, but the impressionable and minors (which no doubt this game is aimed at) may not be able to so see the 'obvious' so clearly.

Nothing bar religion has the gall to state that a disbelief in the subject will send you to hell. There is no equivalent of this kind of lunatic thinking in any other subject. Puts all other potential agendas you may see around you in the shade.

Blurb @ Aug 14th 2007 12:31AM

No, the problem isn't the form, it's the content. Jesus Christ was a "wacky protester", yet now there are large groups of people who claim to follow his ideals only to completely co-opt them into an act of mere supplication to authority. Look at the church hierarchy, up to and including the current pope (who was/is directly responsible for the church's abhorrent policies on pedophile priests), and you'll see they are all about image rather than substance.

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 12:37AM

So, you're saying you've got a problem with the people who say they're Christian but don't follow through on it?

DangerMouse @ Aug 14th 2007 12:33AM

God! Give me strength and a lightsaber so i can rip these motherfucking protesters in half! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rod Munch @ Aug 14th 2007 12:37AM

I detest how these things describe themselves as educational. If I wanted to learn or teach about the Bible, I would read it, not play some game, good or bad. This kind of stunt just digs modern Christianity's own grave. And before you start to berate me, I am a Christian myself. I just can't stand these weak and biased interpretations of the Bible and the faith in general. Dear whomever thought this kind of crap would get new recruits for your failing church sect, if you need to stoop to crappy games or cartoons to garner a bigger congregation, you do not understand Christianity yourself.

samfish @ Aug 14th 2007 12:41AM

I want a sex game called Jesus Christ, Super Stud.

Yeah, so if anyone is looking for me, I'll be in the 8th ring of Hell, now.

Wilhelm @ Aug 14th 2007 12:45AM

Hahahahahhahaha

superberg @ Aug 14th 2007 12:46AM

What I find frustrating about this is that if one were to replace the Christian themes with, say, Islam or Socialism, this game would receive so much protest. Selective intolerance is great.

"It's okay as long as I believe in it!"

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 12:52AM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the posters who have claimed to be Christian don't like this game.

Just so we're clear, I don't approve of this game.

superberg @ Aug 14th 2007 1:00AM

More of a general objection than a specific one. Most of the replies here mocked the game, but so far we've had no real condemnation. We're getting "This is silly," as opposed to "This is an outrage!"

I don't mean that this board should be exploding with protest. Just that if the theme was a bit different, it might be. In addition, [Network name withheld] News would be berating us with a single message: "This game must be banned."

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 1:07AM

Gotcha. You're probably right. Mostly for the fact that the crazier the person, the more they'll be heard, if you understand me.

I, personally, wouldn't have a problem with a game about another religious or ideological viewpoint beyond whether it was a well made game or not.

Of course, I can't speak for certain media networks...

ridestowe @ Aug 14th 2007 12:59AM

KILL PEOPLE THAT OPPOSE YOU.

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 1:00AM

JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER VIDEO GAME.

ridestowe @ Aug 14th 2007 1:10AM

BECAUSE AN IMAGINARY MAN SAYS SO

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 1:11AM

JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER VIDEO GAME.

Jerk Face @ Aug 14th 2007 1:17AM

Imaginary man! Like Count Chocula! Ha ha..

Yahtzee! @ Aug 14th 2007 1:20AM

Yeah, you're right, Jesus was an imaginary man. Just like history says...

ZombieJesus @ Aug 14th 2007 9:56AM

History says, does it? Sure about that? I think what you mean is: the bible says. History has no record of Jesus and his magic tricks aside from a few widely discredited comments that would have been written years after the fact if they weren't fake in the first place. For a guy who was such a big deal he apparently wasn't newsworthy enough to get a mention in any histories written at the time. Even the gospels were written after his alleged death.

History says that based on the available evidence Jesus is an amalgamation of various myths and legends. There's probably a tiny kernel of truth at the heart of it all as there usually is with these things, but there's absolutely no contemporary evidence outside of the bible (which does not in any way, shape or form constitute evidence for anything) that comes even close to proving that Jesus ever even existed, let alone that he was the son of God.

Justin @ Aug 14th 2007 8:24PM

(I hope this comment winds up in the right place...)

@ZombieJesus:
Read the opening paragraph (and the rest, by all means) of this Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus

The only people I can find who disagree that the historical person of Jesus existed are ones with a pre-announced atheist or sceptic agenda. That is, they WANT there to not be a historical person of Jesus before they ever look at the fact because they actively disagree with Christianity and are trying to discredit it - rather then, you know, openly looking at historical evidence. They call into question documents other historians hold as the most accurate descriptions of the events of that historcial period, because they don't want them to be accurate. I mean, that's what skeptecism is all about, but their viewpoint certainly shouldn't be cited as accurate history.

You can say what you like about the divinity of Jesus, but historical evidence clearly supports the existance of a man named Jesus from Galilee, who was regarded as a teacher/sage/healer/etc., and who was crucified under orders from Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. Beyond that, I guess it's up to everyone to make up their own mind about what his existance represents. I'm guessing to you that would be very little, and that's your decision. But don't go spruking crap about history when you clearly got your facts from someone who is less interested in history, and more in trying to further their own beliefs of atheism/skepticism/anti-Christianity.

-

With that out of the way, the Bibleman game really looks bad. Christian games just seem to be reliably awful - and as a Christian, I find that increadibly embarassing. On the up side, for years I wouldn't listen to Christian music because it just was so terrible, but these days there is quite a library of stuff I enjoy. Maybe the games industry will evenutally follow the same path? Who knows...