First Person Shooters; their relation with Christianity

[Saint]

:: horse wakes up and slowly stands, wonders why he's so sore and slowly trots away::

well, as christians we are to guard our heart and mind. i guess the question is what does it take for us to guard our minds. i think for each it is different depending on the level of maturity in thier relationship with God.
from a psychological stand point, repeated exposure to something can and will affect you... especailly the very young. some one older and more grounded in thier beliefs can maybe stand up to it indefinitely.

::calls off to the distance "hey, wait up Mr. ed!::

[LorentzForce]

Originally posted by Christianotaku
hello Ive played in several tournaments so dont sayi dotn know jack also the bots I use were porgrammed specially for me by a friend!! they turn and shoot in the frame settign i choose currently i use 10 frames but i coudl go lower ok. I currently hold title as best colombian ut2003 player.....not to say that im nto humble i lost 3 times before i got the title............I finished in 25th place at the official International unreal tournament 2003 tournament. and still im nto that good compared to some north koreans. you may be better than me but do not underestimate me it could prove deadly.

all sounding, except that it's not North Korea; it's South. majority of North Koreans are in poverty. i doubt they would have many computers at all.


anyway, there was this letter to PC Powerplay magazine describing 4 year olds playing Q3.

i agree to them that it's very bad for them. the thing is, they usually don't remember what they're doing.

only if they see the other player as a person to be killed without reasoning, there will be problem. if not, there shouldn't be.


and as for new FPS, i can't wait for D3 and Deus Ex 2. if i can urge myself to get them before i get NWN expansion set...

[skynes]

If you want a Christian FPS try Eternal War
It's made byhttp://www.twoguyssoftware.ca/

It's a cool FPS that looks similar to Quake 1. Not amazing graphics but it will freak you out a bit with things jumping out of the shadows at you!

Breakthrough Gaming has quite a few links to Christian games / demos n stuff.

[Bobtheduck]

If you want a Christian FPS try Eternal War
It's made byhttp://www.twoguyssoftware.ca/

It's a cool FPS that looks similar to Quake 1. Not amazing graphics but it will freak you out a bit with things jumping out of the shadows at you!

Breakthrough Gaming has quite a few links to Christian games / demos n stuff.

*cough*

I think I discussed that VERY game in my spiel about Christian video games... *cough*

Check out the link in my sig (the one that says "My Goal")

[Fsiphskilm]

I don't really lik

[uc pseudonym]

I'm actually mainly responded for ease of getting rid of a thread subscription that e-mails me. Pardon this.

I'm not much for first person shooters, in that guns really aren't my style in the first place. I have, however, done decently well when forced to play Arcade style shooters. Having the actual fake gun in hand makes the process much simpler.

[DrNic]

You want my opinion? My favourite genre of games are RPG, Platform, Party and, yes, you guessed it! Shoot-em ups !(or FPS as you guys call 'em)

Personally, FPS don't bother me. I play Quake 1,2,3 and Team Deathmatch; Unreal Tornament 1 and 2, Thief 1 and 2, Call of Duty, Medal of honor Allied Assault (didn't like Frontline or RS), Rainbow Six Black Thorn, Serious Sam 1 and 2, All the Delta Force games, Doom 1, 2 and all the expansion packs (my dad sorta collects them); Half-life, Blue Shift, Opposing Force (can't wait to play the second Half-life), Halo etc etc etc... My list could go on forever. I love shoot-em ups because you can reak havok without harming anyone or anything. Plus its good to take out some of my anger on evil monsters. FPS rule!

[Bobtheduck]

I have no problem with people enjoying FPS. FPS are for the most part mindless and socially based entertainment. They are most fun when played with other people. It's just a sport where you "kill" each other, and then have a nice laugh about it afterwards.

I don't see a "Christian" FPS in the same way as I don't see a "Christian" sports game. I think the concept is utterly rediculous. FPS games are primarily social events, not works generally known for their stories. Even when there is a story, I think that it's too easily forgotten in favor of the kill, and completely circumvented in favor of the multiplayer mode.

I think with the requirements for a seed of life changing, there are limits to the types of games that can be made with this goal, and on the the audience to receive it. That's exactly why I'm going to Japan, where Video Games are looked at differently than they are in the US.

For what they are, I'm not against FPS games...

[SVD997]

Here's my thing with FPS:
What is the story surrounding the game, and where/what/when/who is involved in the game? Let me explain.
Here's an example of a good FPS IMHO:
1. Halo (which is one of my favorite FPS) you go around shooting aliens to save the world using fictitious guns on alien planets with the help of the marines. The blood is kept to a minimum, and all you are supposed to kill are the aliens, but if you do, you get punished. Good story, on alien planets, with guns, Warthogs, flying thyngys,and tanks, Master Chief, aliens, and marines. Not to much wrong with that.
Now an example of a bad game (I don't mean to offend anyone and I have played this game myself):
2. Doom you go around shooting demons, and mutated humans. This a big thing with me, if you actually look at the names of the bad guys, they are all satanic creatures. I have a big problem with this. It gives us a wrong perception of the enemy (spiritually speaking), we can't fight demons by blowing them away with shotguns, and miniguns, we do it through prayer, and we really don't even fight them. The Lord and our guardian angels do. Also, some of the symbols in the game are symbols used by satanists. (BTW if I am wrong with any of this, let me know in a civilized manner and I would love to listen. Please don't flame me, it's annoying). So in review of Doom: Demons, satanic symbols... this doesn't sound like a game Christians should be playing.
So I think what is in the game has something to do with whether it's a good game or not.

Anther thing with FPS is how mature the gamer is. I would have no problem letting my 12 or 13 year old play halo, but I would not want them playing doom unless they were at least 16 years old, and only with a good explanation. Also, what are the kids thinking? I know little kids that go around with fake guns shooting each other and having a good ol' time. Now I can see them getting a hold of a gun, shooting a friend, and then expecting them to get up, because that's what the people in the games and tv do. Call me crazy, but this has actually happened in my town. I grew up in Rockford, IL (for those of you that know it). I believe it all comes down to this. PARENTAL INTERVENTION! Know what you kid is playing, and what is in it. I have friends (all guys) who are 10, 12, and 14, and they have played GTA3, and GTA: VC, while there 4 year old little brother watches. Their parents actually got the game for them, but they have no idea what is in the game. So I'll say it again, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. There you go, those of you who have endured this semi-long speal, thanx for reading.

[Icarus]

Dead horse? Where? *pulls out a whip*

I do arcade shooters like Area 51, Police Academy, and Time Crisis. I don't play FPS because I don't like to navigate in first person. I did enjoy Devil May Cry, when I played it, though those days are past. I also like guns and intend to own some eventually.

I don't mind shooting aliens, shilluettes, or the monsters of DMC. I did not buy DMC for its story, or possible theological meanings. I bought it because I had never played a game such as that before, where you destroy everything you come in contact with. I've seen too much of my own amount of blood in the game to bother me, though the one cutscene [SPOILER]in which he is impaled on Alastar[/SPOILER] did. Generally, I find gruesomeness disturbing.

To bring in the last of my opening statements, I like guns. If one was placed in my hands, I believe I would know what to do with it. Further, I would know what not to do with it. I've loved weapons since I was six or younger ( just so no one thinks ill of my parents, I wasn't allowed a pocket knife until I was nine), and I was told repeatedly, that these things are dangerous, and care must always be exercised around them.

So, there has always been a deep, and well defined line about the use of guns. Any desensitization I may feel from Area 51 would be measured against that line, and then countered by an experience I had playing paintball. I got hit on the finger and I started thinking, if that had been a bullet, I would have lost a finger, maybe two. Further, if we were using bullets, people would be dying. The thought of a) not seeing tomorrow, and b) being responsible for another not seeing the next day, almost made me sick.

[inkhana]

Just to keep things running smoothly (and this is not at all directed at you, Icarus, or anyone in particular), don't let this become another "gun" thread. Thank you...

[skynes]

*cough*

I think I discussed that VERY game in my spiel about Christian video games... *cough*

Check out the link in my sig (the one that says "My Goal")

I read your post and I gotta agree 100% with it. Too much Christian stuff these days is below average quality. The stuff I wanna make (I wanna make games too ) will be of quality far exceeding the times average. Games you WONT forget in a short time.
I can't really see myself making FPS. RPG is my favourite genre so most of my games would probably fit in there. RTS I could do too as well as Adventure.

Sport I'm going to avoid... I HATE Sport games!

Read my story in the writings thing of Legacy of Numach if u haven't already. It's the outline of a game I want to make. 3rd person Real Time RPG.

[SVD997]

The stuff I wanna make (I wanna make games too ) will be of quality far exceeding the times average. Games you WONT forget in a short time.

I have always wanted to be able to design video games. I don't have the programming knowledge though, but I've always been a decent writer. I have thought about what about a christian video game based on a Bible Character? Like David? Granted, he was not perfect, and some of his life you would not want to put into a game (Bathsheba), but the rest of his life would make a good game. It could be adventure/action. Think about all the epic battles he participated in, and all the stuff he did in his life. I mean, you could start off as a shepherd who has to find a lost sheep, and the come back to protect the flock from a lion, and bear. Then you have Goliath. Etc etc. If it was done well, it could be a good game. And if games like these were good enough games, it could be a good witnessing tool.

[Icarus]

Just to keep things running smoothly (and this is not at all directed at you, Icarus, or anyone in particular), don't let this become another "gun" thread. Thank you...

Yes, ma'am. I only brought it up to illustrate a point, which could have been stated more succinctly. I usually don't talk much, and when I do, I wind up saying too much.

[inkhana]

>Yes, ma'am. I only brought it up to illustrate a point, which could have been stated more succinctly. I usually don't talk much, and when I do, I wind up saying too much.

Yeah, I saw where you were coming from, and you were well within your boundaries, but I could just see the thread going on a tangent....XP Thanks for understanding...

[skynes]

I would like to make a game based on a Bible story but it'd be so difficult to do. Would be GREAT is someone could pull off a really good one but I can't think how to do it. For me it's easier to come up with my own storys with Christian elements and a Christian background.

[uc pseudonym]

Let us not allow this topic to drift into the issue of creating Christian video games. That strikes me as a discussion for a new thread entirely. It's one I would participate in.

[ZiP]

Um.. I like FPS games...

[madphilb]

I somewhat agree with the post about Doom... though at the same time it was an amazy piece of work (for the day). However because of content (and a few improvements to that type of engine) I much preferred Dark Forces over Doom (Star wars, no "gibs," etc.)

Halo is actually pretty bloody, but most of the blood is a different color being as it's alien blood. (and no "gibs").

A good FPS romp can be fun, but the best ones are either more complex (i.e. - Deus Ex, Theif, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, etc.) or more along the lines of Doom with just mass killing (i.e. - Doom, Serious Sam, etc).

In the end most of this issue deals with a persons maturity (esp. in the case of younger players), tolerance levels, and what they have a problem with as far as violence goes. Some people don't have a problem with Doom, others will stay away from even the tamest of things. Most likely the cleanest FPS has to be Nerf Arena which is an Unreal Tournament type game using Nerf guns for the weapons, sadly it didn't have that big of a following (and now that I think about it I loaned out my copy and will most likely never get it back grrrrr ).