Video games are now the highest-grossing form of entertainment in the world, bringing in more money than the film, literary, and music industries… combined. And while some have pushed back and balked at the success of this medium, ultimately it makes sense as to why it’s captured the attention, even devotion, of billions around the world. Video games have all the elements of great art, combining storytelling, acting, music, and visual art in a work that doesn’t just let the viewer passively behold it (like other mediums), but actually invites the viewer to step inside and take on an active role by playing.
Video games began with simple concepts and limited graphic capability that had the player bouncing balls or running side to side across a 2D screen. But in the decades since their inception, they have evolved into stunning pieces of art with life-like graphics to marvel at, boundless worlds to explore and highly intricate stories where the players’ choices affect the actual narrative. Many genres have utilized this medium, from post-apocalyptic to dystopian, to action, to spy thriller, and even to romance. But unlike so many of the other artistic and entertainment mediums, like music, literature, and film, there’s one genre that hasn’t often been explored within the world of video games: faith.
I had the pleasure of digitally sitting down with and interviewing Community Manager, Eunice Lenk, who is a part of the team led by studio head Arve Solli, at BCC Media, that has helped the rollout of the very first open-world Bible game, Gate Zero. The game puts players into a beautifully rendered, first-century Judea and invites them to step into, explore, and live out the stories from The New Testament.
1. Why are video games an important artistic/storytelling medium for people of faith to explore and engage with?
Over 3 billion people play video games worldwide. The video game industry is larger than the movie and music industries combined. It’s a medium that is being used to entertain and
influence to the tune of billions of dollars.
As Christians, we have the world’s best story to tell, yet this portion of world history with ancient Israel, the Jews, and Roman rule is very little explored in games.
2. Why did you decide to make an open-world video game that takes place in the context of biblical events?
Because there’s nothing quite like that out there. We aim to be the first high-quality video game that allows you to immerse in the fascinating world of the Bible and experience the gospel
stories firsthand.
We live in a time when Bible literacy is taking a nosedive. Only 4% of Gen Z in the US has a biblical worldview. Among Christian teens, 41% read the Bible just once a month or less. With Gate Zero, players can travel back to the time of Jesus to experience the gospel stories for themselves firsthand, feel the tension and emotions surrounding the characters and personally connect with their struggles and victories.
3. Is your game simply entertainment or is there a deeper understanding/education to be
garnered from playing?
We see the importance of first and foremost creating a high-quality game that people will be interested in playing, and that’s why we put such a big focus on quality. Our goal is to make our game so good that people want to spend time being immersed in this fascinating world, and through it also discover the message of the Bible and understand its context and relevance for us today.
4. What has been the response from both mainstream gamers and players of faith? Has there been pushback?
We have received an overwhelmingly positive response for what we’re doing, both from mainstream gamers and players of faith. The focus on quality has made it so that Gate Zero has
caught the attention of a wide demographic.
We’ve had many players of faith reach out saying that they’ve been dreaming of a game like this for a long time. Players of faith are early adopters who will also help spread the word of Gate Zero to their non-believing friends.
We have also received lots of positive response from mainstream gamers who recognize the quality, effort and care put into this project and are genuinely interested in exploring a historical game set in the time of Jesus, regardless of their faith background.
5. What is your hope for faith and religious themes appearing more in video games?
There are many ways to represent and convey faith and religious themes in video games. We hope that with the success of Gate Zero, this will inspire more Christians to make games that explore themes related to their faith. We are one of the first studios making a video game like this, but we shouldn’t be one of the last!
To find out more about and play Gate Zero visit: www.gatezero.game
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