Originally published in Charisma News
The digital world and that of Christianity have long had a broad disconnect.
In recent years, however, there have been great strides in all forms of media to integrate the Gospel into all forms of technology.
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The video game industry may well be the most devoid of Christianity out of all major media outlets. Video games to this day are still viewed by many as a waste of time that garners no lasting benefit to the player.
While there are certainly arguments to be made on the vices of video games, of which there are many, simply dismissing the massive industry is folly on a grand scale.
According to Statista, in 2022 the video game market was estimated at $347 billion (R6 375 billion) worldwide. That is billion, with a “b.”
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Compound this outrageously high amount of money generated by video games with multiple outlets reporting upwards of 3.09 billion people across the world actively play video games in some form. Be it on a personal computer, a console or mobile gaming on a smartphone or tablet, this is a massive market that sees little influence from Christians.
Did the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) not instruct believers to go into “all the world”?
The digital world is very real to many people. While it is not tangible (you cannot physically take hold of it), it is a place where billions take up residence for long periods of time.
One company, Bible X, is trying to bridge the gap between Christianity and video games and offer players an in-depth, story-rich experience set in biblical times.
“We really want to dive into creating a video game for the younger generation to be able to experience Jesus and to be able to get familiar with the stories and the events from the Bible,” Arve Solli tells CBN’s Faithwire about his new game, Gate Zero.
“This game might be the only Bible some people read, so that’s basically what we want to do,” Solli continues. “We want to take players back—back to origin, back to zero and make them able to dive into this huge world of the biblical stories and events.”
According to Gate Zero’s Steam page: Gate Zero is a story-rich adventure game that takes you back in time to ancient Israel to uncover an age-old secret. Explore a fascinating historical world as you engage with events from the 1st century. Gather resources to help the locals, use stealth to avoid danger, and unlock riddles left behind by your late grandmother. Play solo or add friends on mobile for a unique co-op experience.
The game starts out in the year 2072 in the dystopian world of Terrapolis. You and your cousin Hector receive a cryptic mission from your eccentric late grandmother. She offers the chance to win her whole inheritance if you unlock the secrets of her mysterious ‘pearl.’ You and Hector decide to solve this mystery by going back to the source in his time machine, Gate Zero.
See the glory of Herod’s temple and experience the magic of places like the Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane and the charismatic Lower City. Discover the history and culture of 1st century Israel as you freely roam the streets and pick up missions and items along the way.
This venture into exploring the pages of the Bible may well help bridge the gap between the digital world and the physical one.
For many players, it may be the first and only time they get the chance to hear of Jesus and who He really is.
The game is still in its developmental phases, but it offers hope for many who would never step foot in a church but would be likely to download a new exploration game to see what all the talk is about.
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