Category: Essays

Things that don’t fit anywhere else.
February 14, 2014 / / Essays

Brand Loyalty: Good or Bad?

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Isaiah 43:1

You never, ever see such dedication to brand loyalty as you do in video games. For better or worse, people associate themselves with “fandoms”, groups of people gathering around a piece of pop culture media that they particularly enjoy. Constantly will they complain about the quality of further entries into their favorite franchises, given praise where praise is due and even when such adoration isn’t warranted.

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February 13, 2014 / / Essays

The Theology of Horror Games – The Biblical Approach to Horror (Part 3)

 

Evil is real. If there’s one part of Christianity that truly, utterly, stands out from many of the other faiths, that definitive three words statement sums up a great deal of the whole Christian faith. Our response to that reality inspires or denies the existence or nonexistence of the Creator, whether we believe that evil exists as an ontological status of being or merely non-preferential actions.

 

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February 12, 2014 / / Essays

The Theology of Horror Games: The Psychology of Horror (Part 2)

 

I did not realize the impact music and cutscenes actually provide to most video games – this works with or without story. They fit, of course, within the entirety of a game’s aesthetic appeal, but they also continue further from the events happening within the game. Recently, I’ve attended many “video game concerts” where music from games appears, rearranged to fit the confines of an orchestra (or symphonic metal band, as in the case of the Video Game Orchestra). In most cases, I’m surrounded with self-proclaimed “fans” of the games. They discuss the setlist, they gasp when songs the conductor announces the next song (I didn’t even know the Final Fantasy XIII battle theme was actually called “Blinded by Light”), they cry as the current piece hits them emotionally. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were in a charismatic church, but we’re at a video game concert!

 

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February 11, 2014 / / Essays

The Theology of Horror Games: Introduction (Part 1)

I find myself both baffled, fascinated, and frightened to death by horror films, horror video games, horror stories, and just plain reading about it. It’s a strange thing to investigate, but I imagine there’s some part of me that wants to know: why do we fear? Why am I fearful of some things and not others? This series will be personally motivated on a number of levels, so rest assured these conclusions may not apply to you at all. Join me, though, and we may discover things about ourselves we may or may not want to know!

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January 28, 2014 / / Essays

The Problem with Nintendo, Addendum