Left Behind – Christian Game Needs to go Mainstream

We’ve already talked about Left Behind: Eternal Forces here at QJ, so you all probably know what the game is about. Post apocalyptic setting, heavy Christian theme, reliance on the power of prayer (the game has a” pray” button), and all that. If you want, you can even download the demo of this upcoming MMORTS/RPG hybrid yourself.

Detractors have commented that the inherent violence is counter to Christian teachings. The much-“adored” video games pundit Jack Thompson thinks it’s just allowing people to engage themselves in violence in a “Christian setting.” More religiously neutral gamers say the game is just too preachy and heavy handed.

In a Chicago Tribune report, Left Behind Games President Jeffrey Frichner had this to say: “What we’ve decided to do is embed our message in a game so that it’s not overt but it is in the game. We’re not ashamed of it. There are Scriptures in the game and we’re faithful to those Scriptures.”

Analyst Michael Pachter, estimates it would sell between 250,000 and 1 million units, likely far more than any other Christian video game, because of what he perceives to be its high quality. “They did a nice job,” Pachter said. “In order for the game to hit the higher end of that range, I think they have to attract mainstream consumers who just want to play the game because it is a good game. The question is, will the game be perceived as too preachy for the mainstream and I just don’t know. We’ll see.”

Well considering that the game cost somewhere between $3 million to $5 million to produce, they really need to capture an audience larger than the Christian video game playing niche, a market that NPD (a research firm) says is tiny. Personally, I’m saying that a game should strive for good quality regardless of which deity you, I, or the market believes in. We’ll see how this game goes.

Via Chicago Tribune

We’ve already talked about Left Behind: Eternal Forces here at QJ, so you all probably know what the game is about. Post apocalyptic setting, heavy Christian theme, reliance on the power of prayer (the game has a” pray” button), and all that. If you want, you can even download the demo of this upcoming MMORTS/RPG hybrid yourself.

Detractors have commented that the inherent violence is counter to Christian teachings. The much-“adored” video games pundit Jack Thompson thinks it’s just allowing people to engage themselves in violence in a “Christian setting.” More religiously neutral gamers say the game is just too preachy and heavy handed.

In a Chicago Tribune report, Left Behind Games President Jeffrey Frichner had this to say: “What we’ve decided to do is embed our message in a game so that it’s not overt but it is in the game. We’re not ashamed of it. There are Scriptures in the game and we’re faithful to those Scriptures.”

Analyst Michael Pachter, estimates it would sell between 250,000 and 1 million units, likely far more than any other Christian video game, because of what he perceives to be its high quality. “They did a nice job,” Pachter said. “In order for the game to hit the higher end of that range, I think they have to attract mainstream consumers who just want to play the game because it is a good game. The question is, will the game be perceived as too preachy for the mainstream and I just don’t know. We’ll see.”

Well considering that the game cost somewhere between $3 million to $5 million to produce, they really need to capture an audience larger than the Christian video game playing niche, a market that NPD (a research firm) says is tiny. Personally, I’m saying that a game should strive for good quality regardless of which deity you, I, or the market believes in. We’ll see how this game goes.

Via Chicago Tribune