catholicsphere

London Times: Christian video game ‘is a force for evil’

The game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is set in post-apocalyptic New York and features God’s army battling the Antichrist.

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Players are ordered to convert or kill to advance to the next level and remodel America as a Christian-controlled state, and establish its world vision of Christ’s dominion.

They pit battles between the paramilitary Christian Tribulation Force and the grey, faceless, Global Community Peacekeepers of the Antichrist, said to be modelled on the United Nations. The fantasy is based on what might happen if the events of the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, happened today.

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Critics accuse its creators of mixing religion and violence to appeal to teenage fans of violent games such as Grand Theft Auto.

So, I’ve got mixed reactions here …

The first is simply that I have a problem with the witness that this game seems to provide. “Convert or die” just doesn’t seem like the type of coercive message we need to be associating with the Christian faith. The question is, is this description really accurate?

Plugged-In Online has posted a review of the game that seems to put some perspective on the real game versus the interpretation.

A pretty significant question remains, though. How do peace and prayer go hand in hand with tanks, attack choppers and street battles? Despite what’s been “reported,” your Left Behind units do not easily form into some kind of roving militia intent on killing non-believers. In fact, there are no missions in the game aimed at causing a war or killing others.

Makes me feel a bit better, but is that just the “spin” of a Christian reviewer? You tell me.

A huge problem is that the secular world will criticize such games for “pairing religion and violence”, but sees no problem with games like “Grand Theft Auto”. In the review of this “end times” game, there is the description of what gets you awarded points. Check out what gets you points in “Grand Theft Auto 3″ of the Grand Theft Auto series, which continues to be created … from ChristianAnswers.net …

Taking the role of an unnamed villain, it’s your job to help the on-screen protagonist rise to the top of the crime ladder in a fictional metropolis. As in the previous games, work can be found in various locations and is dished out by some very sleazy looking gang leaders. Finish their missions, (the first has you collecting a prostitute), rewards the player with cash. The more successful you become, the larger the city becomes. Unsurprisingly from the title, many tasks involve stealing and driving cars.

Ah yes, there’s something we want our kids playing. While aimed at adults — many have an “M” rating — I know of a few teens who received “GTA: San Andreas” for Christmas; in fact, one of them was in a confirmation prep class.

Sad. Very sad.

All of this doesn’t mean that I recommend either game. The Left Behind series isn’t the most biblical accurate piece of work out there (see Carl Olson’s “rapture” articles for more discussion of that matter.

[tags]grand theft auto, video games, left behind, rapture, christian, faith[/tags]