TECHNOLOGY: The video game industry is too big to ignore
Aaron Linne
Posted on Jun 30, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—When talking about tech, there are a few events throughout the year that you simply cannot ignore. One of them is E3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Each year, this convention hosts all of the major news and announcements in the video game industry, an industry that is now as large — if not larger — than the movie industry. In 2010, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” had the largest opening day with $72.7 million while “Call of Duty: Black Ops” broke $360 million in its first 24 hours.
As leaders in the church and culture we must be aware of the culture that surrounds us. We as the church are not the only influence in the lives of people; we are all regularly connected to new content, ideas and, in our fast-paced tech drive world, new technologies.
This year at E3, there were a number of new games and hardware announced to be released in the near future:
— Playstation Vita. The successor to the Playstation Portable, this is the second portable gaming device by Sony and will launch with key titles like “Uncharted: Golden Abyss,” “LittleBigPlanet,” and “Little Deviants.”
The device has an OLED screen and touch screens on both the front and back of the device, allowing users to play in what Sony calls “three dimension-like motion.” Perhaps the most interesting feature is the system-wide integration of social connectivity. The device will have a service called “Near” that will notify game-players of other players that are nearby and share content between the gamers.
— “El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.” El Shaddai is an action-adventure game releasing in July, and it is one of the few games to tackle Christian mythology in a video game setting. Derived from the apocryphal book of Enoch, this game’s plot revolves around seven fallen angels who have taken command of the Tower of Babel.
— “Kinect Disneyland.” Microsoft has announced a new virtual experience in Kinect Disneyland, available this fall for the Xbox 360 and Kinect. In this game the entire layout of Disneyland has been recreated where kids can walk through the streets and virtually hug their favorite characters. In place of the rides, you get to go on an interactive game inspired by the ride, such as flying with Peter Pan.
— Wii U: Nintendo announced a new gaming system for release in 2012. The follow-up to the Wii, which has sold more than 80 million systems worldwide, this system will introduce HD graphics and a new controller. The new, 6.2 inch touch screen will be used to both enhance games played on the TV as well as enable the playing of games without the TV being on.
According to a recent release from Aggregame.com, there were more than 500 million videos games sold worldwide. Clearly, video games are having an unprecedented cultural impact unlike any they have had before. But there is a giant void in the games, which for the most part lack messages of hope or family friendly values or ones that — in any way, shape or form — point towards the Gospel. While there are Christian messages being found in books and movies, there are very few game development studios looking to actively create content for modern gaming systems.
Every year, I hope that at E3 some stellar new game will be revealed with at least Christian undertones. I hope for even a mediocre game, but nothing is announced. We have web developers, artists, film producers and authors all spreading the Gospel through their chosen fields; how dominant of an entertainment force must the video game industry be until there is a place for games with a faith-based message readily available and on par with the blockbuster titles that come out each week?
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Aaron Linne is executive producer of digital marketing for the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. He writes a monthly technology column for Baptist Press.
Church van tragedy stirs upcoming revival
Posted on Jun 30, 2011 | by Karen L. Willoughby
OAK GROVE, La. (BP)—Five people killed in a church van crash June 22 all had made professions of faith within the last 18 months, said Greg Dunn, a pastor in Oak Grove, La.
Providentially, Dunn added, the 50 or more churches of several denominations in West Carroll Parish began planning for an area-wide crusade a year ago.
The 3,000 people in and around Oak Grove are broken with grief, said Dunn, pastor of New Zion Baptist Church. Even so: “We believe what Satan meant for harm, God will use for good. We are going to honor their lives by many souls coming to the Lord.”
Investigation continues into the cause of the crash, which took place in daylight about five miles from New Zion as the 15-passenger church van took folks home from Wednesday night services.
Killed were Portia Thornton and her two daughters, Katelyn, 19, and Brittany, 12, as well as Emma Adams, 4, who was visiting the church, and driver Joey W. McKan. Six others were injured, some critically.
“I will never forget that night, standing in the hallway while surrounded by church members, still talking about the service and laughing and fellowshipping like we always do, and then came the call that would forever change our lives,” Dunn said.
A frantic yet prayer-filled dash to the accident site followed.
“We could have never been prepared for what we saw and heard when we arrived,” Dunn said. “I have never felt so helpless, wishing that this was not happening, and yet it was.”
The next few days were filled with hospital visits, funerals and road trips between Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., “to pick up the broken pieces and try to do all we could to minister to these precious families,” Dunn said.
As Sunday quickly approached, Dunn recounted, “I lay in my bed Saturday night, knowing that my church family was expecting a word from the Lord.
“Jesus reminded me of the storm the disciples faced in Matthew 8, when they were all in the boat and the wind and the waves began to shake their faith.
“We can’t choose the storms,” Dunn said. “We are guaranteed to have storms. … I cried out, ‘Lord, where are You in our storm? Where are You in the midst of this tragedy?’”
Dunn said God told him that He was in all the people who have united because of the crash: EMT personnel, hospital staff, volunteers, families, churches and communities “from all over who have come together for one purpose: to help the hurting. … He’s the one holding the hand of the dying. … He’s a piano player, a deacon, a body of Christ who rallies around a scared, young preacher who wants to quit and run the other way.”
Dunn wrote down 21 places where God was amid the tragedy and read his “Where is God?” list at Mt. Zion at the Sunday, June 26, service. The pastor said he could see comfort settling atop the congregation’s raw wounds.
“The Lord is doing His work here,” Dunn said, turning from the tragedy to view the big picture of God’s activity. New Zion, planted in 1934 during the Great Depression, reported 60 professions of faith and 31 baptisms in 2010 and probably that many already in 2011.
“We’re a very mission-minded church and serious about being real,” Dunn said.
“We know God has given evangelists as a gift to the local church, so we use them,” he added in reference to revival meetings held at Mt. Zion twice a year.
“Everybody on this van were folks saved and discipled in the last 18 months,” Dunn continued, “every last one of them,” including a 16-year-old girl who made a profession of faith six months ago as a result of the van ministry.
“We send 20 to 25 missionaries out of our church each year to do missions, and we believe missions starts at home,” Dunn said. “We seek through our Brotherhood and the women’s group to minister any way we can — cutting down trees, providing school supplies, groceries — any avenue we can to get the Gospel to people not just in word but in action.
“Our director of missions [Jay Morgan] was out of town when this happened,” Dunn said, returning to the loss his congregation is enduring. “He was doing ministry with Kingdom Builders and drove all night to be at the hospital with the families and me.
“It was overwhelming, the first few hours,” Dunn said. “The people have moved from ‘overwhelmed’ to very evidently trusting God in it. They’re still hurting, still in need, but trusting God.”
Dunn said his immediate goal is “to be there and try to be strong for them and with them”
“The one thing we know is we can cling to God’s Word and God’s presence,” the pastor said. “The message God gave us Sunday morning was about the storms of life and how we can’t choose whether or not we go through them, but we can choose how we handle it.”
The July 10-15 community crusade is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. each night in the Thomas Jason Lingo Center in Oak Grove, with evangelist Bill Britt as guest speaker and the Mackey Willis Family leading in worship.
Depending on what God does with hearts already broken, the crusade could be extended, said Dunn, chairman of the crusade steering committee.
“One thing God has given us is that this [crusade] is going to be big,” Dunn said. “[Britt] has a gift to challenge Christians to be real and not lukewarm. … We felt like this is who God wanted to be part of this crusade.
“This is something no one is going to want to miss. … You’re going to want to see for yourself what God does.”
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Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message (www.baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention.