What? I didn’t feel like writing about anything. Of course, there’s plenty more stuff out there regarding the Theology Gaming writers/contributors/sometimes active people!
Zachery Oliver teamed up with Brian Castleberry on Substance TV’s Pixel Fusion Podcast, a discussion on game mechanics and what’s cool about them. It’s not as academic as it sounds, so give it a listen and tell us what you think. On the more academic side of things (see what I did there?), Zach also wrote an article titled The Inherent Joys of Skill-Based Gaming, which describes (in understandable terms) what is so great about games that challenge you.
M Joshua Cauller’s been rather busy becoming a writer for Substance TV as well, joining the team just a few weeks ago! Out of all the content, I’d personally (though not professionally – also, this is a joke) recommend his Bioshock Infinite and Guacamelee reviews – two very different games and two very different opinions!
Bioshock Infinite’s mechanics are kinda rote. The skyhook opens gameplay up, but it’s still all about ducking behind cover and shooting bullet sponges until they’re dead. Also, I hope you don’t mind simulating a homeless person’s scavenging lifestyle.
Unfortunately, you never melee any guacamole in the game (which truthfully, might be a bit gross). You do, however, spend a lot of time smacking skeletons in sombreros.
And also, probably a bunch of GameChurch articles I missed (Don’t Starve and Miasmata, anyone?)
Yann Wong continues his Exegesis of To The Moon with Part 3. As I haven’t played it myself, I’ve been reticent to avoid spoilers, but anyone who has will have a great time reading Wong’s exhaustive analysis regarding its meaning and themes.
Memories and mementos are the central motif of To The Moon; this is emphasized even in the game mechanics – a memento needs to be “activated” each time before the game can advance to the next “level”. In the same way, our remembrance of God, particularly what had been done for us at the cross, should be the central motif of our lives. But to push aside the self-centered clutter of our daily lives, we will need to daily “activate” our memory of what God had done. We need to preach the gospel to ourselves each and everyday of our lives, so that Christ be kept the the center of our lives.
Ted Loring lets his mother write about video games. Seriously. Any good mother play video games (I should know…), and so does Ted’s!
I am very blessed to have a guest blogger fill in for me as I focus on a couple of papers for seminary. I would like to introduce you to Ellie Loring, my mother and one of my best friends. I helped her get her first computer back around the year 2000. I knew it wouldn’t take her long to enjoy the world of email, Facebook, and of course – some games. Think video games are for the young? They are for the young at heart, that’s for sure. I asked her to write about some of her favorite games. Enjoy!
Ted’s been busy, writing articles as far ranging as Tomb Raider and creation theology to the Wii U lackluster hard drive, and even a little bit about procrastination (probably not a good idea to have two handheld game systems near your computer when writing term papers).
Bryan Hall’s been busy..interviewing me, apparently! If you wanted a more focused and sharp answer as to why Theology Gaming exists at all, this might be your meal ticket.
Zachery Oliver is the Agent Paulson/Nick Fury of the video game world. Which is to say that he recruited me for the Avengers Initiative…I mean to TheologyGaming.com. In an effort to pick his brain and figure out exactly where he comes from, I thought it best to interview the recruiter himself.
That’s all I could find! Go ahead and have a good time!
