Christian Gamers Resurrect Christ--and Profits--in Global Video Game Market

Industry analysts see the sudden growth of the Christian video game market as a clear win-win opportunity for investors. With successful, high-profile Christian-themed RTS game releases, such as Halo and Halo 2 on Microsoft's Xbox, and with expectations high for Gibson's movie-to-game gamble on The Passion, the question on analysts' minds: What Would Jesus Play?

By Todd Fox

LAS VEGAS, NV--The dramatic growth of Christian-themed games in the worldwide video game market will propel the industry to $55.6 billion in 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' recently-released "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008." The Outlook notes that the fastest and largest growth will hail from the home of the video game industry--the Asia/Pacific region--where throughout the 20th century, missionaries introduced millions of nonbelievers to the teachings of Christ. "No surprise that the Christian video game market would start its rise in the East," stated industry analyst John Gage. "Christian Asians see this as a shrewd market opportunity. Who wouldn't?"

Christians on the verge of a market breakout
Christians worldwide are making their spiritual presence felt as the demographic base of video game players expands. While non-believing adult males 18 years and older still constitute the largest group with 38% of gamers, 26% of all adults playing video games were Christian in 2003.

According to Gage, "there were more Christian males playing video games worldwide than boys aged 6-17," who tallied 21% of the market. Overall, self-identified "marginally Christian" adults of both sexes constituted 64% of players, while the average age of gamers has risen to 29.

Profits and prophets
Other analysts note the success of games like Halo: Combat Evolved--a sci-fi shoot-'em-up--has not gone unnoticed by gaming and religious leaders. Halo 2 was released this week in over 6,000 stores to hordes of Christian teens, many of whom lined up all night to be the first in line when doors opened. "It was powerful to see so many families coming together; we had candles and sleeping bags and made a retreat of it" testified Marian Phelps, 35, who joined her son on his vigil outside of EB Games at the Northbridge Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. "We really got into the Spirit of it."

	Halo 2
	Halo 2 continues the story of the "Master Chief," the genetically enhanced super-soldier who is the only human ever to successfully defy the Covenant—a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth.

Hallelujahs all around for modern day profit prophet Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, who called it “an opening day that's greater than any motion picture has ever had in history.” And at 1.5m pre-orders and $100m in first day sales, expect Gates to continue to shout from the pulpit.

The Rapture of the market share
Nipping at the heels of Halo 2, Mel Gibson's The Passion, scheduled for release on PS2 this summer, expects to bring equally long lines to the malls. "If Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ has given us any indication of the robust nature of the evangelical entertainment platform," Gage estimates, "then his video game will certainly be a predictor of its market share in days to come."

Never ones to be left behind, the creators of the Left Behind Series hope to demolish the competition with their offspring Left Behind Games (LBG) and its first commercial release, Eternal Forces, a multiplayer, on-line gaming environment. According to their vision statement, "The mission of Left Behind Games is to become the world’s leading independent developer and publisher of quality interactive entertainment products that perpetuate family values and appeal to mainstream and Christian audiences, while remaining committed to increasing shareholder value."

While this real-time strategy (RTS) video game, not reaching shelves until early 2005, may well rank among the top selling high-quality strategy games of the year, LBG's corporate real-time strategy may be to pray the Rapture holds off until at least after the spring. At $44.95 for pre-order, it would otherwise certainly cut into profits.

Todd Fox can be reached at [email protected]

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Comments

[Matt]

Hate to tell you there, but Halo is not an RTS or Christian based.

[Abram]

He he, nice patriotic theme. This site isn't conservative christian propaganda at all. Halo, a Christian game? You're smart. john? below me? Who exactly are these smart guys? The ones torturing people who they haven't tried as War Criminals(Geniva Convention) OR US criminals (Constitution) ?
HAHAHA A Passion video game?!?! I'll have to look that one up on a REAL journalism site.

[Leo]

While i would hesitate to call Halo + Halo 2 "Christian themed" (aside from the cool Gregorian chant music!) They do stand out as great action based games.

I think the key to any great game (Christian or not) is playability, and a great story...My question about "The Passion" video game is...How do you improve on "The Greatest Story ever Told?"

[Glenn]

Why not a Christian game based on the book "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner. This book is about "Spiritual warfare". Just reading the descriptive dream would make for awesome characters and growth.

The game would involves legions of demons with different rank structures, eagles, vultures, Wisdom, Faith, Love, different chambers, weapons (arrows, swords, snakes. etc.

The object of the game would to reach the top of the mountain and save as many as possible from the hord of demons.

[jackass]

Yes let's get real. Let's get so realistic. Let's be so real, that all we believe in is what is physically real. Hey I like your poll, "who has gone too far to push society for rights..." umm, who cares? Let's get real. Really really real. Jackass.

Halo is not a Christian game. Christianity should be a game. That would be more fun, like, see if you can get in to heaven and avoid hell!!! Let's get real people.

Haha, hey, if you attend church in a suburb, or neighborhood, don't park in front of people's houses! It's annoying. I don't park in front of your church!

This Swift Report stinks.

[ted]

Here is a link to the Game Console screen shots, i think, from Game Forum

[Jason G.]

Is it true that Barbra Streisand was approached to cover "Poppa, Don't Preach" for the game version of Pssion? If so, I'm ordering my copy now!

[Elizabeth A. Wilkening]

I have no values; at least that seems to be how tv, radio, and newspapers (you know, all those "liberal media") seem to be interpreting the election results. As a religious liberal (yes, such creatures do exist), the hijacking of faith and flag by the so called "religious right" deeply offendes me. My religious faith greatly influences my political opinons. Such issues as a living wage, health care, a safty-net for those who are down on their luck, and protection from the explotation of the greedy are, in my opinion, very important Christian values. I also consider the separation of church and state an essential value. Jesus himself said we should "render unto Ceacar that which is Ceacar's." It is out my firm belief in the necessity of this separation that I am reluctant to express my political opinions in religious terms. I would never question the sincerity of another's religious views; however, I am deeply offended that at the present time, my views seem to be held up to repeated ridicule by those who would wed political consevatism with relgious rightousness.

[toadman]

I can't wait for the Passion of the Christ game, where I get to play Christ, and jump down off the cross, and lay waste to Jerusalem with a multitude of high powered weaponry. Of course, I'll be in God mode automatically, right?

[Josh Lipton]

http://www.worldmag.com/subscriber/displayarticle.cfm?id=10005

Link to my review of Halo 2 for World Magazine (weekly Christian publication).

Pseudo-religious terminology does not a Christian game make.

That said, it's still a great game to play... especially online. You can find me on Xbox live as JoshSlowtrain.

[Ted]

And now with the JFK video game, jeepers, what is this world coming to?

http://reuters.com/audi/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=MEGLWJUPPOEU4CRBAELCFEY?type=technologyNews&storyID=6876941

[Fred Ferdnak]

Swifties - not - you missed the development work on the new creationism game "devilution." Promises to be a cube buster!

[jkas]

I've played "Halo 2" solidly for 2 weeks. And put on like 5 lbs. It has a lot of religious imagery.

The basic story is this: an alien religious cult misinterprets a part of the Universe's environment and believes it will bring them to heaven. A more-secular faction breaks off, cooperates with Earth (US and Australian marines mostly), and defeats them.

Until Halo 3, and another $200 million for Microsoft.

I would say it is likely that a "Passion" video game is to counter, rather than compliment. But it'll suck regardless, because Hindus are much better at software programming and it's hard to operate high powered computers when you can't get your head around evolution.

[Sam]

This is a brilliant site. Keep up the good work!

[Ted]

I hear they were also using the pre-release version of Passion with the troops before they went to Iraq:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/20/academy.religion.ap/index.html

[Andrew]

This has to be a joke. "Halo" is not a Christian themed video game. And "The Passion" would not be very enjoyable either- you'd either have to whip Christ into submission or you'd have to sit there and take it for hours until you're crucified. I remember Bible-themed NES games like "Noah's Ark". Christian themed videogames make sense and are probably on the way but I'd bet dollars to dinars that The Passion will not be exploited in this particular way.

[Matt]

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040709-104002-2303r.htm

[alex]

wow, wow, wow. wow. wow.

swift-- take a JOURNALISM class.

learn how to do RESEARCH. actual research. where you talk to people that you dont already agree with.

learn how to actually get the facts straight.

i played halo 2 last night, and it was full of death, mutation, aliens, and more death.

man. if christianity was about acting like god, killing things, and believing in aliens, imagine the kind of people, the riff-raff you'd attract.

good think your so elitist.

[Justin]

Yes. The article IS a joke. Check out the webpage, esp the effect of ANWR on the death penalty. Money quote:

Prisoners Power Up

They're already making clothes, answering phones, even working as travel agents. Soon, the two million men and women who are currently in American prisons will have a new assignment: helping to power the country. Of 1,900 new power plants slated for construction, the Bush administration has proposed that 25 percent be built on or near prison grounds.

"It's a win-win situation from our vantage point," said Lou G. Breaux, Director of Communications for the Nashville, TN Corrections Corporation of American, the country's largest for-profit prison company. "The country gets the energy we all depend on, while the inmate population learns marketable skills. Everyone wins with this plan," said Breaux. While Vice President Dick Cheney originally proposed that prisoners operate several new nuclear plants, that plan has since been shelved due to safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration is looking into other ways to make America's prisons more energy efficient. That could mean good news for advocates of renewable fuel sources. One proposal: powering electric chairs in Florida, Texas and Alabama with cleaner, more efficient photo-voltaic generating systems. Re-chargeable solar-powered stun guns are also on the drawing block.

[ben]

I am astounded that this nonsense passes as journalism. Last time I played Halo 2, which was last night, I was a space marine shooting aliens... because that's what the game is about. Not Jesus. Aliens. Anybody at the Swift Report ever heard of research?

[Joe]

hIlarious!

[Tim]

Is this article a joke? Halo a christian game? Is it just because of the name? This is the most retarded thing I have ever heard! I'm sorry the second most. The most retarded thing I have ever heard is a video game of "The Passion" Do you get to flog Jesus and then nail him to the cross? hahahahahahahahahah Unbelievable! hahahahahahaah

[john from Vermont]

Love this Swift Report. I always thought that Britney got a bum rap for her sensible Bush remarks. After all, he is our President and Presidents know everything there needs to be known cuz they got all those very smart guys around them. So Britney knows that.

Let's get real.