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What Would Jesus Play: Walmart testing Christian games in Texas

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From Gamertell:

"Is the Christian market for games being underserved? Is there, in fact, a market for Christian games? Walmart and Left Behind Games will try to answer those questions with a test in 100 stores in the Houston and Dallas areas. These stores will stock back catalog PC games based on the best selling Left Behind book series."
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gamertell.com
pjeigh - contributor
Published: 47 days 14 hours ago | News | PC
 
 

Showing: 1 - 26 of 26 Comments
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Major_Tom - 47 days 18 hours ago
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1 -
Heh those Christians! Always undermining christ's values!
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Pandamobile - 47 days 18 hours ago
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1.1 -
The only thing worse than an irrational fanboy is an irrational Christian.

Well they are fanboys. God fanboys.
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Isaac - 47 days 13 hours ago
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1.2 - Not God fanboys
Christendom fanboys, there's a HUGE difference IMHO. If they were really fanboys of the so called God, they would STFU.
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HolyOrangeCows - 47 days 13 hours ago
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1.3 - As a nondenominal Christian...
...I say that nothing I've read in the bible forbids things like virtual violence.
Do think God sheds a tear every time boys play cowboys and Indians? Probably not.

Human nature IS violent. It's an earthly reality.
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ea302308 - 47 days 13 hours ago
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1.4 - Funny...
...how that's usually true. And human nature is violent, totally agree.
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Darkstorn - 47 days 13 hours ago
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1.5 -
I'm sure it will be a hit in the South. Unfortunately for them, Christian video games tend to be unbelievably crappy.
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sunnygrg - 47 days 13 hours ago
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1.6 - Jesus would play..
Fallout 3 with the Bloody Mess Perk on!
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evrfighter - 47 days 12 hours ago
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1.7 -
he would play this

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/...

note the score
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ea302308 - 47 days 13 hours ago
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2 - No Flame
I'm a christian, and from what I've seen, most christian games tend not to be the best (no duh).

But I would just like to ask, probably pointlessly, if the people who will start commenting here can please not start a huge flame war on how christianity rocks/sucks, but if we can just comment on this news.

I visited this article @ gamepolitics, and there's five pages of comments bashing/praising christianity and a lot of crap being flung around. From BOTH sides.

Just asking if we can all avoid that. Thanks.
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butterfinger - 47 days 13 hours ago
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2.1 - That would require...
a level of maturity not usually attributed to N4G members or gamers in general.
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tplarkin7 - 47 days 12 hours ago
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2.2 - Agree.
There are so many poor stories in videogames. An epic biblical story could be very cool and resonate with anyone, not just Christians.
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WinterWolf - 47 days 11 hours ago
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2.3 - I am a Christian...that lives in Texas...
but I have never seen, heard of, or played a Bible-based game that is even remotely good.

I am Christian and a Texan. I grew up in the church, have taken Bible classes, involved in men's bible study, am a big fan of Theology, apologetics, hermeneutics, etc. , and read the bible consistently. Yet this fails to interest me...so that's saying something.

I will be passing this up and picking up a copy of Uncharted 2 instead. :)
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Philip J Fry - 47 days 11 hours ago
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2.4 - When I was younger....
Around age 10 I played quite a few christian based video games on the NES. One game you played as the hero and went through towns killing demons with fruit, then defeat bosses to earn the spiritual armor and finally kill the devil to win the game. I thought it was fun then. Then there is the one where you had to collect animals and put them in the ark, and lastly I played one that was a puzzle game where you collected mana. It was really fun and hard. It had around 100 levels and I never beat them all.

Anyway, they were fun then.
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Mezt_up - 47 days 13 hours ago
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3 - Definitely
There is a huge market for it. And not just for Christians. Just think, the Old testament is one of the bloodiest killfests around. Filled with vengeance, false gods (and their worshipers), slavery, prostitutes, waring kingdoms etc. The new testament focuses on the life of Jesus, but there is still the same issues in the world, in fact there is a whole race of people being ruled by the roman empire who often ruled by cruel leaders.

If developers went to the effort there are heaps of potential games to be set in this period, potentially around these events. Its just that so far any Christian game has generally been so rediculously poor thought out and basic that its not funny. Moral decisions are always clear cut, they are always goody goody 2 shoes with no gore, violence and other sinful activity. I'm convinced there is potential there, and that the games, if done correctly, wouldn't JUST be suitable for Christians.
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butterfinger - 47 days 13 hours ago
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3.1 - I totally agree.
I have even read a Left Behind book (years ago, though), and they could definitely make an awesome Christian game if they really wanted to. It would probably be hard to get support from a major publisher and solid development team, though. It would be really hard for a Christianity-based game to sell well, no matter how great it is IMO.
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Mezt_up - 47 days 13 hours ago
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3.2 - Except for
The bunch of Christian die hards. Anyone remember that Southpark episode where Cartman started a Christian rock band. They sucked but Christians still liked it :p Same thing would apply. If the game was really only a 6/10 game, the diehards would treat it like an 8/10 game.

The worst thing you could do to market a Christian game would be to be to high almighty about it. If a game was genuinely good, had Christian undertones (this includes all the old testament stuff I mentioned above)and target it to 15-30 yr old gamers in general (not Christians...as has been done in the past, albeit yrs ago) then it would have a good chance.
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Tex117 - 47 days 13 hours ago
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4 -
Wasnt there an old school NES game?

Yeah, Bible Adventures...
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Timesplitter14 - 47 days 13 hours ago
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Jesus would play Demon's Souls
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Tex117 - 47 days 11 hours ago
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5.1 -
Jesus would start with the Wrath of God spell and beat the game with a soul level of 1.

He would even beat the red-eyed lance wielding knight in 1-1 that is a right of passage for first time Demon's Souls players.
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dirthurts - 47 days 13 hours ago
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6 - I'm a Christian
But I play the same games as everyone else...
Gears of War being my favorite.
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cyclindk - 47 days 13 hours ago
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7 -
You'd just play as Jesus going around helping people and stuff, cool powers and whatnot.

Don't know if they'd omit the whole crucifixion deal though...
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7.1 Timesplitter14 | 47 days 12 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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doctorspakles - 47 days 12 hours ago
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8 -
I think that these Cristian games miss the point entirely. If I am not mistaken, and i never am, it is such a small subset of Christians that do not play regular video games that it almost makes no sense to market to such a small audience. UNLESS, the developers really think that they will save some souls through these rapture themed games. Now understand that Christianity is the largest religion on earth. Almost a third of earthlings are some form of Christian. Many of those in the USA, where there are also many gamers. Now it seems to me that the percentage of gamers that are Christians is probably really high. The only thing is that they are playing COD 4 and Killzone 2, not christian games. Maybe I am wrong as it seems that many N4G posters are some sort of "enlightened" atheist. But whatever, my point still remains.
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Darkstorn - 47 days 9 hours ago
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8.1 -
Or agnostics, but yes ;D
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Soda Popinsky - 47 days 11 hours ago
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A game where you turn the other cheek...then go to war! lol!
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bjornbear - 47 days 5 hours ago
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10 - Man
Bible stories for NES...thats all they need =P
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