MOVED Controversial Bible massacre game

[JohnClay]

It kind of depends on exactly what you mean, but lots of games have had shocking and/or overwhelming elements. Back in my youth, the Postal games sought to shock you with sadistic gore.

Yeah I was thinking of Postal 2... I've played through it at least twice over the years... I like how the violence is mostly dependent on the player and how sadistic they feel. BTW this is the PXG I came up with for Postal 2: "the player will explore their sadistic or considerate feelings". For Doom 2016: "The player will make fast tactical choices to survive and progress"

For overwhelming

I meant that the killing of 144,000 animals seems like an impossible goal....

Well, it definitely sounds like you’re shooting for the dark narrative theme a la SpecOps or Bioshock. Good luck with that. It’s not easy.

Maybe it is more like the original Postal in its top-down mode...
I was wondering if you'd be interested in play testing my prototype in the coming days. It has the regular kid friendly version and the hard core blood bath version for people who aren't shocked by the regular version.

 

[JohnClay]

All 5 levels can now be finished... (even the killing of 144,000 animals)

Not sure about the final message...

Maybe "Congratulations Holy Warrior!"

I want to praise them for their faithful obedience...

 

[JohnClay]

An idea for the screen that shows when you finish all of the levels:

 

[JohnClay]

Here is a screenshot of the game - a Christian play tester thought the original version of the game wasn't shocking unless it had gore and screams... you can blame the Bible for the premises in the game...

Here is the "cleanse the promised land" level:

Spoiler: Shocking gameplay

Spoiler: Are you sure?

It actually gets more shocking than this in the game... (photorealistic severed body parts with blood spurts because the player wasn't shocked with the patronising applause and fireworks that trivialise the massacres)

 

[JohnClay]

I'm trying to come up with a sharing description for the web site:

Exploring Epic Bible Massacres where you are a killer who is approved by God
​

I wonder what Christians think about that... and if there are possible improvements....

 

[JohnClay]

The prototype is finished and here's a taste of it:

Maul 42 youths for teasing a prophet!
Fight off 1000 men!
Prepare 1000 animals for sacrifice!
Cleanse the promised land!
I'm presenting the prototype next week...

Brutal Bible Blood Baths

 

[JohnClay]

If it wasn't for covid19 I would have had to make a board game or a card game. If I had made this game as a hobby it wouldn't have had an in-depth serious purpose, etc. I feel like God approves of it to some degree.

 

[JohnClay]

About my game design subject...

Task 1: 92.7%
Task 2: 85.8%
Task 3a: 70%

Then I said to "God" that if I get a high distinction overall (85%) then God definitely wants me to make the game in 3D.... otherwise he "probably" wants me to make the game....

When I was checking my grade my heart started beating very strongly...

I got 85.26% overall!!!!

I feel like I might put off making it for a while though...

 

[Sketcher]

Hi I am doing a game design university subject and I've decided for my "serious" game project it will involve the Bible... my lecturer said I seemed to be respectful and that she approves of my idea.

Title: Epic Bible Massacres

Player experience goal: The player will feel shocked and overwhelmed

Serious purpose: to learn about some of the most shocking passages in the Old Testament.

Target audience: open-minded people who want to learn about controversial parts in the Bible. Including people who are looking for problems in the Bible or want to test their faith.

I think I won't include any blood. The graphics would use stick figures (at least in the prototypes).

So here are the level ideas so far:






I consider myself to be a very liberal Christian. Like some liberal Christians I'm not sure that all of those stories happened as exactly as they are recorded in the Bible.

What do people think? Should this kind of game be banned?

Those stories in the Bible are there to teach us about God, and about people, and there is more that can be learned by going back to them. Will your game comprehensively teach all of what traditional Christians and Jews will say are the right lessons?

 

[JohnClay]

Those stories in the Bible are there to teach us about God, and about people, and there is more that can be learned by going back to them. Will your game comprehensively teach all of what traditional Christians and Jews will say are the right lessons?

Well the prototype praises players for obedience... including obeying God's command to kill everything that breathes in the promised land...

Here is a playthrough of the first level in the prototype:

Spoiler: Gory game play

In the first level you lose the level if you injure the prophet. The screen says "Naughty Bear!!! You injured the prophet!"

 

[Sketcher]

Well the prototype praises players for obedience... including obeying God's command to kill everything that breathes in the promised land...

Here is a playthrough of the first level in the prototype:

Spoiler: Gory game play

In the first level you lose the level if you injure the prophet. The screen says "Naughty Bear!!! You injured the prophet!"

As much as I can appreciate the gameplay resembling NerdKill, I'm not seeing how the youths were threatening the prophet, or the moral of this Bible story being taught. I really cannot get behind this.

 

[JohnClay]

As much as I can appreciate the gameplay resembling NerdKill,

Except my game has avatars, goals causing the level to finish, blood and gore, and fleeing AI...
The relative popularity of that game makes me optimistic about future versions of my game... (I'm not sure how blood and gore would have affected its popularity)

I'm not seeing how the youths were threatening the prophet,

Maybe he felt offended... I'm just going by the Bible...

or the moral of this Bible story being taught.

As the pair of bears the moral is to obey the curse and not hurt the prophet...

I really cannot get behind this.

ok

 

[Sketcher]

Maybe he felt offended... I'm just going by the Bible...


As the pair of bears the moral is to obey the curse and not hurt the prophet...

What it fails to convey is why it was right for God to have the she-bears maul them. If that is not conveyed in a way that a reasonable person can accept, it's not going to do justice to the passage or to God.

 

[JohnClay]

What it fails to convey is why it was right for God to have the she-bears maul them. If that is not conveyed in a way that a reasonable person can accept, it's not going to do justice to the passage or to God.

Well I provided the verses (2 Kings 2:23-24) so that players can look up the passage for themselves and try and figure out if it was right for God. Personally I think that God isn't always in the right (e.g. the genocide in Deuteronomy 20:16-17) Despite this personal belief I am always praising the player for doing God's will.

So why do you think it was right to have she-bears maul the youths?

 

[Dansiph]

Well I provided the verses (2 Kings 2:23-24) so that players can look up the passage for themselves and try and figure out if it was right for God. Personally I think that God isn't always in the right (e.g. the genocide in Deuteronomy 20:16-17) Despite this personal belief I am always praising the player for doing God's will.

So why do you think it was right to have she-bears maul the youths?

I don't think it should be banned. I think you should reconsider what you are doing though.

Romans 9:14 KJV
(14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Galatians 6:7 KJV
(7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Rom 9:20(a) Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?

 

[JohnClay]

I don't think it should be banned. I think you should reconsider what you are doing though.

Romans 9:14 KJV
(14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Galatians 6:7 KJV
(7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Rom 9:20(a) Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?

It is up to the player whether they think God is just and 100% moral. The game rewards the player for obedience so it is implying that God is moral...

The Christian play testers didn't have a problem with God's morality as it is portrayed in the game.

 

[Dansiph]

It is up to the player whether they think God is just and 100% moral. The game rewards the player for obedience so it is implying that God is moral...

The Christian play testers didn't have a problem with God's morality as it is portrayed in the game.

You've been fair (I don't mean that in a patronising way). I think God treats us better than we deserve though.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
(22) It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
(23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.