quote: Original post by krez
yes he was a christian, but that doesn''t mean he couldn''t write about something else.

That''s what I do. I''m a Christian, but when it comes to writing, I choose a polytheistic background. You can just do more when there''s more deities. Plus, there''s some problems that you could run into by having a monotheistic background and a main character that''s the son of a deity...

quote: Original post by GottaBeKD
What kind of titles have you worked on? Do you have any suggestions on gameplay, for an fps (first person game) that doesnt involve killing?

Actually [and perhaps unfortunately,] most of the projects I''ve worked on were violent, although I try to incorporate small moral/Christian elements in them. I''m not sure how to go about making a nonviolent game that is based on combat though. Usually a game meant to rout violence has a completely different style of gameplay, for example, something like SimCity.

I hadn''t read anything at these forums for a while, but the reason I came here was to get some ideas for an online RPG I was contemplating of making. However, I don''t want to avoid violence altogether in it, and of course I don''t want to glorify the violence.

If you want to contact me directly, my email is drdrake2@ncsu.edu

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

This is really too broad a topic to address effectively in this arena. From the looks of things, there''s a population of rebelious teenagers on these boards that get the same thrill out of rejecting religion that they got out of swearing in sixth grade. You''ll have to deal with that flame-bait all the time.

Even without the saboteurs, though, your question is a little vague. Christianity is a very large set of concepts, so much so that peole can actually bring it to bear on every single decision that they make. If you want to get all of that into a game, you''ll wear your fingers down typing the code. There are two real ways to do what you are talking about: You can either make it a biblical or faith-related story, or else you can allude to Christianity through themes and messages.

Until that rudimentary decision is made, no other design decisions are possible, and advice is ineffective. For my money, setting out to make a Christian game is like setting out to make Christian music. If you aren''t the kind of person who could make its secular counterpart, your final product will most likely suck. Noble aspirations won''t improve your skills.

I agree with that last statement. Ideas cannot replace skill, as plenty of past Christian games have shown. Even Eternal Wars: Shadows of Light(www.twoguyssoftware.ca), which won Christian Game of the Year award, showed how much Christian game design needs to catch with the quality of Secular games. I believe it would be monumental if ALL the christian game developers gathered together on one project, creating a final product rivaling that of today''s best video games. I know that''s a crazy idea, but if it happened, think of the results. But back to the topic at hand. I''m currently associated with a game being developed by The Rebel Planet(www.therebelplanet.com), which will be an RPG of some sort, taking place in a fantasy parallel of the Pre-Flood times. It''s actually a great sounding concept, especially since the lack of information about the happenings and such of that era leave plenty of room to the imagination, as long as it is consistant with the Bible. I myself have come up with an idea for a game, which will probably be an RPGish Zelda-like game, about a boy who runs away from the corrupt and wicked ways of the world, to seek ultimate Truth and Meaning. He''ll encounter ancient temple ruins, each of which will belong to generic religions, each similar to the one''s known today, and will finally discover that the only faith that brings true fulfillment is in the salvation through the death and ressurection of the Incarnate Son of the One True God(Jesus Christ). This will be the pivot point in the game, after which you will experience struggles and spiritual warfare, on the way home where you will share the Gospel of the Eternal One with those you left behind. Sound good? That''s my idea, and insist on carefully thinking of the plot of your game and how it relates to the Truth before jumping into anything. Good luck, pray often.

And how does a pre-Flood, fantasy setting relate to the Truth or remain consistant with the Bible?

Well, you''ll have to check out the story for the game, which happens to be named Orion, on the website I provided a link for. But, my explanation would be, generally, the world before the Flood was full of things which are different now or non-existant. Things like Giants, Dinosaurs, angels breeding with humans, etc. I mean COME ON! And a fantasy version could be even more cooler. Listen guys, READ THE BIBLE. It''s not a Book of Religion. It contains amazing facts, histories, characters, settings and stories which really occurred and existed, and can make for a really great game! I find the idea to be quite refreshing considering how the whole "Let''s depect Spiritual Warfare in a video game, as though it hasn''t been done numerous times before!" is still rampant in most christian game designers'' minds. Don''t take me wrong, it''s a good subject, but I haven''t seen a decent game depicting it yet.

Actually, you could use the Spiritual Warfare idea, but try to do a GOOD job with it, and try not to turn it into a monster!

Take a lesson from JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. Tolkien says he didn''t intend the Lord of the Rings to be an allegory, nor was it based on Christianity, but Christianity''s influence is unmistakable. I haven''t read all of the Silmarillion, but the creation story at the beginning seemed to have a heavy Christian influence (also note that Lewis, friend of Tolkien''s, used much of the same imagery when speaking of Heaven). Lord of the Rings also shares much of the morality and outlook of Christianity, but it''s not blatant. It just seeps in and flows naturally because Tolkien was himself a Christian.

Similarly, look at Lewis'' Chronicles of Narnia. It''s a little different as he intended to place Christ (Aslan) in the story, but did not intend other parallels with Christianity. He just asked "What would Jesus do and how would he appear in Narnia?" and wrote the answer. I forget which book (Abolition of Man, perhaps?) but Lewis once said that he would like to see more textbooks written by Christians, because the subtle differences in world view would appear even there.

Really, most media (games, TV, music, movies, etc.) that are trying to be Christian are far too preachy for my tastes. Preaching is good, but doesn''t make for good games/TV/music/etc. This is really apparent in music, especially "praise and worship" music. Most of it makes me feel like I''m watching TBN or the 700 Club. But some, like Third Day''s Offerings I&II and Newsboys'' Adoration for instance, are really good. Even atheists have told me they enjoyed Rich Mullins'' music.

Thus, I guess to answer the last of the questions from the original post, any story you write will show your beliefs. Just write the story you want, and it''ll be there.

quote: From a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien to Milton Waldman, 1951
For another and more important thing: [Arthurian legend] is involved in, and explicitly contains the Chrsitian religion.
For reasons which I will not elaborate, that seems to me fatal. Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary ''real'' world.

quote: about the Music of the Ainur , the creation myth from The Silmarillion
On the side of mere narrative device, this is, of course, meant to provide beings of the same order of beauty, power, and majesty as the ''gods'' of higher mythology, which can yet be accepted - well, shall we say baldly, by a mind that believes in the Blessed Trinity.

quote: Original post by krez

quote: From a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien to Milton Waldman, 1951
For another and more important thing: [Arthurian legend] is involved in, and explicitly contains the Chrsitian religion.
For reasons which I will not elaborate, that seems to me fatal. Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary ''real'' world.

Essentially my point, just stated much more eloquently.

quote:

quote: about the Music of the Ainur , the creation myth from The Silmarillion
On the side of mere narrative device, this is, of course, meant to provide beings of the same order of beauty, power, and majesty as the ''gods'' of higher mythology, which can yet be accepted - well, shall we say baldly, by a mind that believes in the Blessed Trinity.

This does contradict what I said, at least in a specific instance. The general idea, however, remains true. The first quote above from the letter to Milton Waldman and Lewis'' view of pagan myths (essentially, they are echoes of the truth. In particular, he seemed fascinated by the corn kings.) support this view. Also note Lewis'' use of mythological beings in his fiction (in particular, the Chronicles of Narnia and his Space Trilogy).