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Ranchers.net

More on that "Christian" :mad: video game that teachs young people it's ok to kill nonbelievers. Entire article; link below.

“Sex and violence are the bread and butter of the video game industry. But a new game aimed at Christian teens is banking on blockbuster status by replacing the sex with prayer -- while keeping the violence.
Players can either join the Christians and kill nonbelievers, or join the demonic forces and smite Christians, in "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," a video game due out this fall as part of the wildly popular "Left Behind" franchise of novels.
"Eternal Forces" is the latest effort by Tyndale House Publishers to profit from the "Left Behind" novels, a series about the apocalypse that its authors claim has won over converts to Christianity.
But "Eternal Forces" may be the franchise's most controversial product -- more so than any of the books or movies. The game purports to teach Christian values while allowing players to kill in the name of either Christianity or the Antichrist.
Tapping into new market
"Our first and foremost goal ... was just to make a great game that gamers would love to play," said Jeffrey Frichner, president of Left Behind Games. "It ties into the fact that it does take place in the tribulation, and the `Left Behind' series has a lot of violence in it, and that's what's popular with video games."Talks between Tyndale and Left Behind Games, a publicly traded secular company, began in 2004. The game's makers were allowed to use the name and have creative control while granting Tyndale and "Left Behind" authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins final approval.
"There can always be complications when two organizations work together," said Jim Elwell, director of international publishing for Tyndale. "That hasn't been the case with Left Behind Games. ... It has been a satisfactory relationship."
Frichner said he and partner Troy Lyndon wanted to tap into the video game market by piggybacking on a well-known Christian product. The name "Left Behind," Frichner said, "stood head and shoulders" above the rest.
On top of that, the concept of the apocalypse for a video game setting could appeal to hard-core gamers who may not share Christian core values. And, he added, you can't have an apocalypse without violence.
"We are trying to think very thoughtfully and carefully about how we deal with the subject of death," Frichner said. "We care about these matters. We care about them deeply. But we don't want to shy away from the fact that there is violence and that is essential to making a great game with this brand."
Bodies stay on video screen
Frichner likens the game's violence to the movie "Star Wars" -- no blood or guts but plenty of fighting and gunplay.
The bodies will stay on the video screen instead of simply disappearing, which Frichner says will underscore that "death is a reality."
Points are subtracted for killing people while playing for the Christian forces, but can be retrieved by praying, converting nonbelievers, helping orphans and widows, and obtaining scrolls that contain Bible verses.
But there is an option -- when more than one player is participating -- to join the dark forces and kill Christians at will without being penalized. Frichner says that even though players on Satan's side can prevail in a particular battle, they cannot ultimately win the war.
The game has aroused critics.
The game's most vocal opponent is conservative Christian lawyer Jack Thompson, a critic of violent video games. Thompson published his book, "Out of Harm's Way" (Tyndale, $19.99), last November. He has since severed ties with Tyndale because of "Eternal Forces."
He said Tyndale, in backing the game, has "personally broken my heart." He accused the company of abandoning morality by exploiting a "cash cow" in the "Left Behind" series, and said co-author LaHaye "ought to be ashamed of himself."
"We've got a company that's really prostituting the name `Christian' and using it as a sales tool to market to Christian kids that which is harmful by any other name," Thompson said.
Blois Olson, spokesman for the National Institute on Media and the Family, said although he hasn't played it, the game does not sound appropriate for those under 17.
"Violence is violence and sex is sex," Olson said. "It doesn't matter if it's Christian-focused violence or non-Christian-focused violence."


http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/14992888.htm
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