The Point of Biblical video games

Natalia Johnson
REL161
21 November 2015

In class we were playing arcade games that were supposed to be related to the different stories relayed  or different people from the bible. I think its safe to say that if anyone was hoping for something on Assassin's Creed level or even something that works with the smoothness of Pacman of Galaga they would have been a bit disappointed. As far as quality goes, these games were made ten years ago so i was actually shocked that the internet let some of them live without interference. My personal favorite was a game where three of Jesus' disciples have to be kept awake by a buzzing fly and every time right before Jesus' return they all fell asleep before i could wake then up.

Most of the things trying to relate to a more internet based crowd who exist within the atmosphere of the internet throughout their daily lives, whether that be through texting, constant emails, video games, or just consuming things that can be found in person through that medium, like art, literature, music, or science, these trendy things with a religious twist often come poorly maintained, marketed, and have a hard time integrating our culture of technology into their initiatives. Unless you are someone like my mother who only learn to text because she wanted to take notes in her bible app rather than writing them, and you have a religious leaning already, these games may not stick. I believe that many religious professionals know this, so why do people bother? I think it may be the try that counts or the fact that they can say this did exist, even though it sucked really bad. Or perhaps like the televangelists there is a portion of the public heavily dedicated to immersing themselves in their religion so much that they do the laborious and unrewarding work of creating those outlets within technology.
I feel however that in many cases of bringing religion into the new millennium it sacrifices its massage and authenticity, relinquishing its past forms and coming into something more interpretable and new. I think it can be argued that this transformation of religion is more authentic than it was in the past because it is more of a personal experience as most major religions claim to be. Leaders have less of a direct hand in the lives of their followers and in some cases may not even know them at all. I personally enjoy the fact that at anytime, I can conduct thoughtful research and find answers to questions about almost any known religion. I feel like it allows people to actually find what they are after rather than aligning themselves with the religion of their parents, peers, or region.