Game based on Bible passage about killing everything that breathes

[JohnClay]

If this Game is for children, have you considered rating it PG?

Actually it is for 13+ year olds. You have to be at least 13 on Steam and there is no age check for the game (based on the game's cartoonish content). The warning says it isn't suitable for younger players which means under 13 year olds.

Not that that would matter, if only atheists are playing this, since they will probably try to make God look as ugly as possible, and not tell them the whole truth.

I'm not an atheist - I believe in a non-obvious intelligent force. I did include entire Bible passages rather than leave out the problematic verses. Like I said there was a Christian that reviewed it and he thought it didn't involve enough suffering. i.e. Christians are playing it too.

No lover of God would enjoy this game though, for those two reasons.
God (1) hates the one loving violence, and (2) will punish the one that delights in the destruction of individuals.
In fact, God himself does not delight or pleasure in the death of anyone. Ezekiel 18:23, 32

The goal was to show some of the most controversial passages in the Bible - not to portray everything in the best possible light.

How accurate is your game?
If it's not accurately based on the scriptures, it's not based on the scriptures.

Well for Deuteronomy 20:16-20 every single verse is in the game:

But what about the cities the Lord your God is giving you as your own? Kill everything that breathes in those cities. Completely destroy them. Wipe out the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. That's what the Lord your God commanded you to do. If you don't destroy them, they'll teach you to do all the things the Lord hates. He hates the way they worship their gods. If you do those things, you will sin against the Lord your God.
Suppose you surround a city and get ready to attack it. And suppose you fight against it for a long time in order to capture it. Then don’t chop down its trees and destroy them. You can eat their fruit. So don’t cut them down. Are the trees people? So why should you attack them? But you can cut down trees that you know aren’t fruit trees. You can use their wood to make ladders and towers to help you get over the walls and capture the city.

Except that I only mention the Jebusites. It includes soldiers telling you not to chop fruit trees and you have to chop other trees to build ladders to climb over city walls.

Usually, when endeavoring to make a game or movie based on history, or a document, or book, people do thorough research, so as to not misrepresent the facts.

The parts I added were obviously not historical - e.g. magic laser swords, holy hand grenades, etc.

Joshua 10:28, and Joshua 11:11 are corresponding text, and no one was buried, or pushed into a pit, and there was no need to skillfully chop animal, since they burned the city. So any survivor would be "incinerated".

I think Joshua wasn't set at the same time as Deuteronomy 20. Apparently it happens after Moses' death.

The Israelites did not only have swords. They had spearmen Numbers 25:7, and they also had archers Genesis 27:4; Genesis 48:21, 22. The archers in David's time, were accurate to a hair's breath, and would not miss.

Well I had technical issues adding in arrows.

I can't see them running behind a horse, or cat.

Striking the city with the sword doesn't necessarily mean the sword alone was used.
Joshua 24:11-13 reads

11 “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them.​

12 And I sent terror ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory.​

13 I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build—the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.​

Psalm 44:3 reads

They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.​

So, there are a few details missing from your game.

I think it is far more closely based on the Bible than most Bible games - e.g. in the SNES Noah's Ark game you have to shoot food at aggressive animals and they fall asleep.

Not that they make that much of a difference to what you are aiming to achieve.

Well when I began this game as part of the university subject "Playcentric Game Design" the player experience goal was for the player to feel shocked. Now the goal is for the player to feel conflicted - i.e. the gameplay could feel fun but they can feel bad because they are committing war crimes (including killing babies - though you can order the soldiers to do that)

 

[Coolerranch]

Just to put it simply, The Old Testament at this point is describing the Spiritual Warfare that the Israelites had to do in order for those tribes to actually join them and keep themselves honoring God's Will. The science is a bit complicated since most people may not describe what is considered a "tree" in the spiritual sense in the text as a "tree" for the same spiritual thing today if you can even see it.

 

[CoreyD]

Actually it is for 13+ year olds. You have to be at least 13 on Steam and there is no age check for the game (based on the game's cartoonish content). The warning says it isn't suitable for younger players which means under 13 year olds.

Oh, okay.

I'm not an atheist - I believe in a non-obvious intelligent force. I did include entire Bible passages rather than leave out the problematic verses.

I'm not saying you are atheist.

Like I said there was a Christian that reviewed it and he thought it didn't involve enough suffering. i.e. Christians are playing it too.

Loving God and identifying as Christian aren't one and the same thing.

The goal was to show some of the most controversial passages in the Bible - not to portray everything in the best possible light.

I understand.

Well for Deuteronomy 20:16-20 every single verse is in the game:

Except that I only mention the Jebusites. It includes soldiers telling you not to chop fruit trees and you have to chop other trees to build ladders to climb over city walls.

The parts I added were obviously not historical - e.g. magic laser swords, holy hand grenades, etc.

I think Joshua wasn't set at the same time as Deuteronomy 20. Apparently it happens after Moses' death.

Joshua is the beginning of carrying out the command to wipe out these nations, isn't it?

Well I had technical issues adding in arrows.

Oh. Not getting them to fly? How will you catch a runaway horse, or a cat for that matter... give it fish?

I think it is far more closely based on the Bible than most Bible games - e.g. in the SNES Noah's Ark game you have to shoot food at aggressive animals and they fall asleep.

Yes. Lots of games take the course of of the maker.

Well when I began this game as part of the university subject "Playcentric Game Design" the player experience goal was for the player to feel shocked. Now the goal is for the player to feel conflicted - i.e. the gameplay could feel fun but they can feel bad because they are committing war crimes (including killing babies - though you can order the soldiers to do that)

You are calling the shots here, John. Not me.
It's your game. I know what I would do for a game. It won't invite the lovers of violence, but it would still be fun.
Everyone has their own heart.

 

[JohnClay]

Joshua is the beginning of carrying out the command to wipe out these nations, isn't it?

Yeah I didn't think of that. Moses never entered the cities of the promised land though Deuteronomy 20:16-20 talks all about it. So things in Joshua could be relevant too then like you were saying.

Oh. Not getting them to fly?

I couldn't get the arrows to attach to the animal - e.g. its leg or body.

How will you catch a runaway horse, or a cat for that matter... give it fish?

The animals in the game are very tame. Also there are holy hand grenades and the "Body Hacker" (hacks into the Matrix/simulation)

You are calling the shots here, John. Not me.
It's your game. I know what I would do for a game. It won't invite the lovers of violence, but it would still be fun.
Everyone has their own heart.

BTW in the Roman Colosseum the crowds also loved violence... "Executions by beasts were popular among plebeians, who saw them as thrilling entertainment". That is far too shocking for my tastes though.