The Making of a Christian Video Game – Ethical Dilemma

Table of contents for The Making of a Christian Video Game

1. The Making of a Christian Video Game – Starting Thoughts
2. The Making of a Christian Video Game – Ethical Dilemma
3. Christian Video Game as a Master’s thesis?
4. The Makings of a Christian Video Game – Facebook

I wasn’t sure what to post today, so I thought I might as well spell out something that’s been troubling me regarding the plan to make a Christian video game. Namely, is it blasphemous to do so?

The argument goes like this:

• I want to make a Christian video game which encourages people to listen to, trust and obey the leading of God in their lives.
• In order for this to be expressed in a video game, as its’ designer, I need to simulate the voice of God in the game (that the players will practise listening to and following).
• I am therefore being presumptious in pretending to speak for God, even if it’s my own made-up circumstances in a video game world. Am I then playing God?

And yet, the alternative is merely to stick strictly to quoting Scripture in the game… which can be very dry and limits the gameplay and fun factor tremendously. Even then, the selection and application of certain Scriptural passages to game situations will also need checking by spiritual authority to make sure it’s a valid and sound application. Maybe that’s why so many of the Christian games I’ve encountered so far have done nothing much beyond sticking to Bible verses. Because they all hit this wall of potential blasphemy, and decided to go with the “safe” route of sticking to nothing but Scripture.

But isn’t there any way to get out of this dilemma? First, are there any precedents – perhaps in other media? If I make an analogy that creating a video game is like preaching a sermon or writing a Christian fiction novel, would that help me answer this question of whether I can go “God says <this> in this sort of situation.” Hmm…

Okay, first off, I don’t think I can use the fiction novel as an analogy, because the medium is too different to compare. In Christian fiction, when we read about a character who hears the voice of the Lord telling her this or that, we understand it as a word for that character, happening to them. We may empathise, but we do not identify with (as in, “feel one and the same with”) that character. But in a game, players are actively responding to instructions. Which means that they are supposed to obey what “the voice of the Lord” is telling them. And as the game’s designer, I will be playing “the voice of the Lord.” Which means that they are effectively obeying me, and my interpretation of that situation.

Of course, another parallel can be drawn to a pastor preaching a sermon. There, this sort of thing happens often. The speaker preaches the word of God, laying out principles by which the congregation are to obey and follow, in order to lead holy and Godly lives. He prays and believes that God will speak through him, using the speaker’s words and tongue to deliver the message that God wants to deliver. Can I do the same, with my words and my tongue being embodied in the form of a video game?

But there is another difference. A pastor is ordained by God, for ministry to his or her flock. He is specially chosen as God’s minister, and appointed to have spiritual authority and responsibility over the church. I am not. My “flock”, so to speak, will almost never meet me or know me. In fact, I will have no control over how my game will be distributed, or what sort of audience it will reach. How can I presume to have any sort of spiritual authority or responsibility towards my audience?  If God has not specially appointed me to speak for him through this medium of video games, it is not wise for me to overstep my bounds.

Maybe I’m just over-thinking the matter. I don’t know how many people will be able to sense this ethical dilemma, if they play the game. Probably a large majority of them won’t think that deeply into it. Then again, a small minority might, and it could become really vocal. (To give an example, when I told Cath about my plans for the game the other day, the very first thing she said about it was to point out this ethical problem… soul sisters are scary when they think exactly like me).

I guess the most important thing is… would God approve? That, after all, should be my necessary and sufficient measuring stick. If He says “yes”, then I know I can simulate his voice in a game to speak certain truths. If He says “no”, then I guess it is blasphemous (or at the very least, presumptuous) of me to do so.

Time to pray. But I wonder what others think?