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When I heard that Jack Thompson opposed Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the Christian RTS game, I had three questions for him:
- You’ve been described as being on the front lines of a culture war. Does the war change when Christian companies release video games containing violence?
- A Left Behind Games press release described the company as being “dedicated to perpetuating positive values” and stated that the game will “reach the gaming audience in a family-friendly environment.” Would you care to comment on those two statements?
- Left Behind: Eternal Forces is another facet of the Left Behind franchise which includes novels, comic books, young adult books, and movies. Violence is already a part of the Left Behind series, what changes when it is presented in a video game format?
I have yet to hear a response.
Maybe it’s something about the game. The first time I visited the Left Behind Games site, I sent an e-mail through their contact page offering some helpful suggestions. Their site was (and is) too corporate. Terms like “target audience” are meant for investors, not gamers. Plus I pointed out that their mission statement was too passive.
Why say “LBG is developing products to include the same types of compelling elements that have made interactive games popular for years, and yet offer a less graphic experience to the sexual themes and gratuitous violence currently found in many titles,” when, “LBG develops products with the compelling elements that make games popular, yet offers less graphically explicit sexual themes and gratuitous violence found in many titles,” would do just fine. Seriously, games are interactive by definition and “a less graphical experience” is called Interactive Fiction!
I have yet to hear a response.
Anyway the demo is out now, and I’ll have my thoughts up about it tomorrow.