Christian Game Project - could you help?

[FutureAndAHope]

I am looking for people who may be interested in building a computer game. I am a Christian computer programmer with 20+ years of programming experience (but not in computer games). I have recently started to investigate games programming using Roblox. Roblox has great potential to be a money-making venture, but as with anything there is the potential for failure.

I am looking for Artists, 3D Object Creators, and Computer Programmers, preferably with Roblox or gaming experience.

This project will be initially unpaid, as I have no money. The way I plan to pay people is through royalties. Any money earned from this project will be split between the creators, based upon how many hours of work have been contributed. Before royalties are distributed, 50% of all royalties will be given to “Feed the Hungry”, a charity supporting people who don’t have enough to eat. The remaining royalties will be divided based upon work done on the project. As an example.

If the game earned $1000 dollars in a given month after taxes. $500 would be given to Feed the Hungry. The remaining $500 would be split between the creators.

If there was a 3D object creator and they had spent 100 hours on the game. 3 programmers who spent 125, 50, and 25 hours respectively. The money would be divided by the hours worked as a percentage every month the game makes money.

3D object creator 100 hours / 400 hours 25% of $500 = $125

Programmer 125 hours / 400 hours 31.25% of $500 = $156.25

Programmer 50 hours / 400 hours 12.5% of $500 = $62.50

Programmer 25 hours / 400 hours 7.25% of $500 = $36.25

Each month money is made from the game, it will be divided in a similar way. Payment will only end if the game no longer makes money, every month it makes money people who have worked on it get royalties.

This will be like any other paid work if a person does not perform to expectation they will be removed, but they will keep royalties for any work actually done. Note royalties will not be given for the first month of work if a person is put off due to poor performance. These first royalties will be paid if a staff member is retained. This is to prevent people abusing the system.

I am Australian based, and communication will be over zoom, and other communication platforms (slack if I can afford it).

Let me know if you are interested.

=====EDIT =======

Hi all interested parties,

I thought I would put this as a disclaimer at the top of this post, and post it in the thread. I have been considering the viability of this project. I really can’t see much profit being returned from the current venture. So I strongly discourage people from working on the project. However, if you wish it to be a skill building exercise, with a very minor, ability to get a little back, then feel free to continue. It is a real business, so you will have real working experience, but I doubt whether it will turn a big profit.

 

[AlexB23]

I am Australian based, and communication will be over zoom, and other communication platforms (slack if I can afford it).

Let me know if you are interested.

Well, I am not a game developer, but I recommend a communication platform for you to use, Discord, or Jitsi, as both are free. I will not be able to partake in this project though, just here to recommend a free alternative to Slack. God bless you on this holy endeavor.

Discord - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Jitsi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[AlexB23]

Alright, I asked my friend who plays Roblox if he could help you. Hopefully he can. Pray for him, that he helps you. His name is E (keeping his name private by using first letter).

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Well, I am not a game developer, but I recommend a communication platform for you to use, Discord, or Jitsi, as both are free. I will not be able to partake in this project though, just here to recommend a free alternative to Slack. God bless you on this holy endeavor.

Discord - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Jitsi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for the suggestion discord would be great.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Alright, I asked my friend who plays Roblox if he could help you. Hopefully he can. Pray for him, that he helps you. His name is E (keeping his name private by using first letter).

Thanks, I am open to anyone working on this. Will pray for him too.

 

[AlexB23]

Thanks, I am open to anyone working on this. Will pray for him too.

You are welcome.

 

[AlexB23]

Thanks for the suggestion discord would be great.

I think it would work well for your project.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Alright, I asked my friend who plays Roblox if he could help you. Hopefully he can. Pray for him, that he helps you. His name is E (keeping his name private by using first letter).

In regard to your friend, he may not have the experience to program etc. BUt even if he just loves Roblox we could put him on as a game tester, when it is needed over the project. For which he would be paid.

 

[AlexB23]

In regard to your friend, he may not have the experience to program etc. BUt even if he just loves Roblox we could put him on as a game tester, when it is needed over the project. For which he would be paid.

He knows how to make 3D assets, and he could make a great tester.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

For the interested I just made a discord server Join the Guardian Online Development Discord Server! feel free to visit.

 

[Daniel9v9]

While I have the joy of serving in the church now, I have a background in art and games development, so I figured I'd offer some thoughts:

I'm not sure Roblox is the best engine. It may appeal to people who like Robolox, and if we add to that a sub-demographic which is Christian or interested in trying Christian games, that may make your game more niche. It can be a good idea to use an engine that's more flexible and that can be used to develop games that are more accessible to people. Unity and Unreal are industry standards, but it's worth looking into the terms and conditions if your intention is to make a profit from the game. That is, while they're free to use, there are certain thresholds where you have to pay royalties. (Roblox also have a business model that may be worth looking into — My understanding is that it's a little questionable). However, there are other engines out there that you can use more freely, without worrying about paying royalties to the engine provider. One engine that's getting increasingly popular is Godot. There are also many genre-specific engines that are either open-source or can be bought for a one-off fee. So, thanks be to God, we live in a time in which we have a lot of opportunities to create and publish games!

If you don't have a clear idea of what exactly you want to make, it may be good to take a step back and consider something a little smaller in scope that involves fewer people. It's quite possible to make good games more economically. For example, I'm not a programmer, but I'm working on my own game (in Unity), so it's quite possible to develop games independently.

If you do want to involve other people, I can recommend checking out PxlPug, which is a Discord for Christian developers. It's not my server — I'm just a member — but they're very friendly people! It doesn't hurt to share your ideas and see if anyone's interested!

Games are very different from books, music, and films in that the development of a game can vary a lot depending on its genre. For example, making a 3D adventure game is very different from making a puzzle game. So, it can be good to reflect on how to make a game with a sensible amount of features and assets that can be repurposed or fixed. I think setting limits for ourselves may even help us to be more creative and make something that's more original.

Finally, when developing Christian games, it may be good to consider if it should be purely educational but with interesting gameplay and visuals (like Duolingo), or historical (like an adventure game similar to a Christian film such as Passion of Christ), or something symbolic (like Narnia or Lord of the Rings). Or maybe they overlap? If you make something either educational or something symbolic, you may find it more flexible to develop. Historical-type games may require more work and more hands on deck.

If you should ever work on something small — something that doesn't require a huge amount of graphics, I may be able to help you out!

God's blessings to you!

 

[FutureAndAHope]

While I have the joy of serving in the church now, I have a background in art and games development, so I figured I'd offer some thoughts:

I'm not sure Roblox is the best engine. It may appeal to people who like Robolox, and if we add to that a sub-demographic which is Christian or interested in trying Christian games, that may make your game more niche. It can be a good idea to use an engine that's more flexible and that can be used to develop games that are more accessible to people. Unity and Unreal are industry standards, but it's worth looking into the terms and conditions if your intention is to make a profit from the game. That is, while they're free to use, there are certain thresholds where you have to pay royalties. (Roblox also have a business model that may be worth looking into — My understanding is that it's a little questionable). However, there are other engines out there that you can use more freely, without worrying about paying royalties to the engine provider. One engine that's getting increasingly popular is Godot. There are also many genre-specific engines that are either open-source or can be bought for a one-off fee. So, thanks be to God, we live in a time in which we have a lot of opportunities to create and publish games!

If you don't have a clear idea of what exactly you want to make, it may be good to take a step back and consider something a little smaller in scope that involves fewer people. It's quite possible to make good games more economically. For example, I'm not a programmer, but I'm working on my own game (in Unity), so it's quite possible to develop games independently.

If you do want to involve other people, I can recommend checking out PxlPug, which is a Discord for Christian developers. It's not my server — I'm just a member — but they're very friendly people! It doesn't hurt to share your ideas and see if anyone's interested!

Games are very different from books, music, and films in that the development of a game can vary a lot depending on its genre. For example, making a 3D adventure game is very different from making a puzzle game. So, it can be good to reflect on how to make a game with a sensible amount of features and assets that can be repurposed or fixed. I think setting limits for ourselves may even help us to be more creative and make something that's more original.

Finally, when developing Christian games, it may be good to consider if it should be purely educational but with interesting gameplay and visuals (like Duolingo), or historical (like an adventure game similar to a Christian film such as Passion of Christ), or something symbolic (like Narnia or Lord of the Rings). Or maybe they overlap? If you make something either educational or something symbolic, you may find it more flexible to develop. Historical-type games may require more work and more hands on deck.

If you should ever work on something small — something that doesn't require a huge amount of graphics, I may be able to help you out!

God's blessings to you!

Thanks for the input it is late here so I am off to sleep. I'll reply properly tomorrow.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi all,

Here is a video I made talking about the project. To give some more info.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

While I have the joy of serving in the church now, I have a background in art and games development, so I figured I'd offer some thoughts:

I'm not sure Roblox is the best engine. It may appeal to people who like Robolox, and if we add to that a sub-demographic which is Christian or interested in trying Christian games, that may make your game more niche. It can be a good idea to use an engine that's more flexible and that can be used to develop games that are more accessible to people.

True. But initially there is a reason I wish to use Roblox, 1) my kids and all the kids I know love Roblox, 2) It already has a big following, 3) The quality of the games does not need to be super high, if you have seen some of the games that are frequented by millions of players they are trashy. This enables people of lesser skill, such as myself, to create games that people will play. If I were to create a steam game as an example the quality would need to be A+ just to get sales.

Unity and Unreal are industry standards, but it's worth looking into the terms and conditions if your intention is to make a profit from the game. That is, while they're free to use, there are certain thresholds where you have to pay royalties. (Roblox also have a business model that may be worth looking into — My understanding is that it's a little questionable). However, there are other engines out there that you can use more freely, without worrying about paying royalties to the engine provider. One engine that's getting increasingly popular is Godot. There are also many genre-specific engines that are either open-source or can be bought for a one-off fee.

Royalties are not super important to me, as long as a decent profit can still be made.

So, thanks be to God, we live in a time in which we have a lot of opportunities to create and publish games!

yeah.

If you don't have a clear idea of what exactly you want to make, it may be good to take a step back and consider something a little smaller in scope that involves fewer people. It's quite possible to make good games more economically. For example, I'm not a programmer, but I'm working on my own game (in Unity), so it's quite possible to develop games independently.

Yes I have started independently creating a game, and don't wish to get too much bloat. I just felt when praying to get others involved. WHether this is just for advice, or for actual work on projects time will tell.

If you do want to involve other people, I can recommend checking out PxlPug, which is a Discord for Christian developers. It's not my server — I'm just a member — but they're very friendly people! It doesn't hurt to share your ideas and see if anyone's interested!

Will do, sounds like a great place.

Games are very different from books, music, and films in that the development of a game can vary a lot depending on its genre. For example, making a 3D adventure game is very different from making a puzzle game. So, it can be good to reflect on how to make a game with a sensible amount of features and assets that can be repurposed or fixed. I think setting limits for ourselves may even help us to be more creative and make something that's more original.

Ok, noted.

Finally, when developing Christian games, it may be good to consider if it should be purely educational but with interesting gameplay and visuals (like Duolingo), or historical (like an adventure game similar to a Christian film such as Passion of Christ), or something symbolic (like Narnia or Lord of the Rings). Or maybe they overlap? If you make something either educational or something symbolic, you may find it more flexible to develop. Historical-type games may require more work and more hands on deck.

The primary purpose this project is to make good games that a) help hungry people via Feed the Hungry, b) has some element that can draw people to Christ, although not always the primary focus, some games will be purely games with no real God element.

If you should ever work on something small — something that doesn't require a huge amount of graphics, I may be able to help you out!

God's blessings to you!

Thanks, I will keep a note, and if there is such a thing, see if you are still available. Feel free to snoop around our discord and this thread from time to time.

 

[linux.poet]

The primary purpose this project is to make good games that a) help hungry people via Feed the Hungry, b) has some element that can draw people to Christ, although not always the primary focus, some games will be purely games with no real God element.

Hrm, maybe this can work, as long as Roblox is popular enough and you understand the people who play it enough to sell your games to that particular audience.

I'm not a game developer, but I spent over 5 years of my life playing The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance to know something about marketing for a Christian game and what can happen if it goes wrong. If you're marketing a Christian RPG system, it badly needs to be a ministry and run off of donations to avoid compromising the Gospel message for financial stability. But this may not apply to the Christian version of, say, Snake.io. May the Lord be with you.

If you need a website or a marketing campaign or some kind of game script for a small story, I may be able to help with that.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hrm, maybe this can work, as long as Roblox is popular enough and you understand the people who play it enough to sell your games to that particular audience.

I'm not a game developer, but I spent over 5 years of my life playing The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance to know something about marketing for a Christian game and what can happen if it goes wrong. If you're marketing a Christian RPG system, it badly needs to be a ministry and run off of donations to avoid compromising the Gospel message for financial stability. But this may not apply to the Christian version of, say, Snake.io. May the Lord be with you.

If you need a website or a marketing campaign or some kind of game script for a small story, I may be able to help with that.

I don't know a lot about marketing, so that could be helpful, and small story scripts could be useful. I have been doing website work myself for 20 years so would not need immediate help with that.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

some kind of game script for a small story, I may be able to help with that...

I have checked with the Roblox terms and conditions, and religious games are not banned. As long as it does not present gore, or excessive violence. So any scene or depiction of the cross must be "dulled down", i.e. have an empty cross, with a resurrection theme. See standards here https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/203313410-Roblox-Community-Standards

You mentioned you could do a game script, or small story. If you would like to do this, I have a game, or more and experience I wish to create. Experiences are where people walk through your experience, can read stories, listen to sounds, and see picture, and 3D objects. I would suggest you download Roblox, and walk through some. They are often called things like "Bully Story" etc.

Note that this experience will not be a big money spinner, it will only have a donate to creators button. So be aware of that in your decision process.

The experience will be called something like "The God Story" ... or some better name. But the experience will be the story of Jesus from creation to His assenssion. It will focus on the love of God for all people, and their ability to receive that love. The key experiences I wish to express will be:

1. Creation
2. The Fall
3. Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus
4. Jesus Birth
5. Jesus teaching
6. Jesus Death and Resurrection
7. What the disciples say this means for us

Note the Isaiah experience, will focus on Isaiah 53.


As an example using Isaiah: the player could build one of the passages using letters scattered around the ground. If hey get bored they could press a complete button. WHich would then read out the passage to them.

Isa 53:5-8 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Note, because we don't want this experience to glorify violence, we will have to hide, any depictions, that are too gory. In the judgment, before the pharasies we could show Jesus silent as they call out accusations.

We would also need to simplify the scripture so it is easy to understand for younger people.

Isa 53:5-8 But He was wounded for our mistakes, He was bruised for the wrong things we do; He had harsh things for our peace, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the wrong things we all do. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb that is to die, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His family? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the wrong doing of My people He was struck.

Some thing like that.

If you wish to be involved, record every hour you spend on it, so that if donations are made you will get a fair cut. Don't under state how much you work. I noticed you are on Discord. I will create a channel where you can ask questions and put suggestions. I suggest you do an outline first, share that, then flesh out the details once everyone is happy (which is just me at the moment).

 

[FutureAndAHope]

If you need a website ....

Furthermore regarding raising funds you said:

it badly needs to be a ministry and run off of donations to avoid compromising the Gospel message for financial stability

I plan to add a page to my website at Professional Website Design in Brisbane from $1600 | Guardian Online Development that talks about Christian Game Development. I am also going to have to reverse the payment model. Roblox does not allow people to run a game for a charity. So full payment must go to the creators. I will then out of my own money give 50% to Feed the Hungry, and encourage others to give to the needy.

But the reason for this webpage is to allow people to fund the project if they desire. They will be able to donate via pay pal. If you have lots of spare time, you can work on this page too. I work full time in another job, so have to manage my time tightly.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Also @linux.poet there is no rush on all of this, it is only if you desire to do it, and there is no time limit, I don't want you under any stress, or duress.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Also for people wishing to work. I will need a contract signed. For your protection and mine. WIll be working on this and getting advice over the next few days.