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To get more information on what Christian games are on the market and how you can get them, you can log on to the Web site www.christiangamesnow.com for a complete list.

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Virtual Reality: The Brave New World of Christian Video Games

By Kristine Vick
CBN News Reporter

CBN.com – PORTLAND, Oregon -- Computer video games are now the fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, 92 percent of children ages two to 17 play video games, and 20 percent of adolescents can be classified as pathologically dependent on them. Some alarming news, given the violent and sexually explicit content found in so many of the bestsellers currently available.

In one best-selling secular computer game, players enter a world that is violent and vicious. The title says it all: "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City." It is a virtual lesson in car jacking. The more cars you steal, the more pedestrians you plow down, and the more police officers you attack, the better your score.

In another secular top-seller, called "Counterstrike," players ambush the enemy with machine guns and grenades.

New numbers from the Entertainment Software Rating Board show that half of the top-selling video games are described as violent. This, along with the sexual content that also runs rampant, leaves concerned parents like Dan Old fed up.

Old said, "A lot of the games out there promote very immoral things. To kill, to steal, things like that. And I don't want my kids playing those games."

The IDSA (Interactive Digital Software Association) indicates that the popularity of computer and video games rivals baseball games and amusement parks. In fact, 60 percent of all American's say they play interactive games on a regular basis. The typical gamer is 12 to 35 years old.

Old's kids are among these statistics. Both avid gamers, they prefer the more family-friendly games like the Veggie Tales' "Minnesota Cuke."

Old said, "I'm looking for Christian games out there that are teaching the message of Jesus, all the teachings of Jesus, and games that aren't violent with blood and gore and that sort of thing."

For consumers who share these feelings, there is some great news. A new genre of Christian-themed video games is being developed that promise to offer wholesome alternatives.

At this year's Christian Game Developers Conference in Portland, Oregon, a small, but passionate group of pioneers focused on how to get their games into the mainstream marketplace.

Developers like Bill Bean of Digital Praise are confident that they can produce Christ-centered games that can rival anything currently on the market.

Bean remarked: "We're looking really, to release a game that is extremely fun to play and really engaging to the player, but also within the fabric of the game there is a real Christian message."

Today, only a handful of Christian games exist, most are hard to find and lack the high-tech audio and visuals found in most best-selling secular games.

Ralph Bagley is the creator of two of the best Christian games on the market: "Catechumen" and "Ominous Horizons." Both boast more than 100,000 copies sold worldwide. In these games, players wear the armor of God and fight a spiritual war.

Bagley says, "It doesn't have to be the latest, greatest, high-tech wonder; it just has to be really fun to play."

He adds, "When people sit down to play a game, they don't want to be preached at or have another Sunday school lesson. They want to have fun. And so, the challenge from our end is to make it fun and entertaining, yet make sure you get the seed of the word of God in there."

Christian game developers are hoping to ride the wave of popularity created by other faith-based entertainment like "The Passion of the Christ" and the "Left Behind" book series. They think that in just a few years, consumers can browse the aisles of major retailers nationwide and find plenty of virtuous video games to choose from.

Bagley said, "It's absolutely going to happen. I believe that with all of my heart. Just like Christian music. This industry is very similar to Christian music about 20 years ago. It's just waiting to explode."

Bean's company has two promising games on the production line now, "Adventures in Odyssey: Sword of the Spirit" and "Treasure of the Incas." They are based on the popular "Focus on the Family" radio series.

CBN News got a sneak peak at the games that are still in development. One such game champions values such as kindness and faithfulness, where one character says to another, "Okay, to get through this, we need to be kind to each other and work together as a team, right?"

But kindness and faithfulness are only a few of the underlying values that run through them, and through other emerging Christian games.

Another heavy-hitter expected to boost the industry is the "Left Behind" games. Developer Troy Lyndon says the first game in the series, based on the best-selling books, will be ready next Fall.

Lyndon said, "I think very simply, the way that the books have allowed people to begin to talk about things of eternal importance, more than anything, the game will open the door for great conversation. And that will then lead people to have opportunities to share details of the Gospel or even lead someone to the Lord for the first time."

A new survey by Tyndale Publishing suggests that video gamers are ready for a change. When asked, "What is your reaction to most video games on the market today?" More than half said, "Negative."

When asked, "What would be your reaction to video games teaching biblical principles?" Ninety-five percent of respondents said, "Positive."

That is powerful ammunition for an army of men and women that is already spiritually armed and ready for battle.

To get more information on what Christian games are on the market and how you can get them, you can log on to the Web site www.christiangamesnow.com for a complete list.

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