And while Christian targeted games are nothing new — see Left Behind: Eternal Forces, Bible Adventures and Catechumen — there are some genres that escape its influence. The sandbox style crime spree, for example, popularized by Grand Theft Auto.

MTV Multiplayer asked the CEO of Digital Praise Tom Bean just how feasible a project that might be.

"It comes down to what kind of things do you want to do in that world," Bean says, noting that the developer has designs on such a thing, "But creating those kinds of games is not inexpensive." We say go for it, Tom, but lets do this Crusades-style. Keep it fun.

‘Guitar Praise’ Developer Ponders Christian ‘Grand Theft Auto’ [MTV Multiplayer]

Answer: Not reeeeally. God's more considered with you making a huge waste of the time He gave you on Earth.

The Q&A from the Synod:

Q: I'm very sure that killing/suicide stealing and anything like that is not accounted as an actual sin if it's only in video games. But I'm still not very sure, when I play video games, I'm not murdering at heart because I would never try to take the life of any living thing. And whatever is a video game can't die because it's not alive in the first place, video games are a false alternate reality...

A: As normally defined, taking the life of another in video games (as in acting or in any other fantasy situation) is not a sin against God's prohibition to murder. If, however, what is done in the video game is an expression of hatred or callous disregard for human life, then the heart and motives are wrong, and then it is sin in God's eyes...

For the record, however, obsession with video games can involve other departures from God's will... Typically, this can involve a colossal misuse of valuable time and also end up diverting time and attention from more useful and valuable pursuits that better glorify God and serve our neighbor...

If virtual kills were indeed a sin, even exchanged at a rate of 100:1, we'd all be about six levels below Ted Bundy in hell. And virtual suicide, oh come on. That said, I am absolutely certain that what I did in Call of Juarez is a sin — using Reverend Ray, whippin' out the Bible to read some scripture and baffle my fellow man, and then shooting him in the face. It was also fun as hell, too.

Aside, I have a friend with this theory on the afterlife. When you die, your soul is placed in a phone booth, into which is poured all of the beer you wasted in your life. This includes kegs you bought for a party that were never finished. If the level does not rise above your nose, you go to heaven. If I tell this to 10 people, maybe three have to think about it. The other seven all swiftly and confidently say, "Oh, I'm good."

Is Killing in Video Games a Sin? [GamePolitics]

MTV Multiplayer has taken delivery of Guitar Praise: Solid Rock — the Christian Rock-themed Guitar Hero knock-off — and performed a solemn unboxing ceremony.

The box itself makes some pretty bold claims of UNPARALLELED GAMEPLAY, informing would-be players that they can SHRED the riffs, THUMP the bass and BLAST that solid Christian Rock.

Inside, there is the game CD (it's a PC game) and the aforementioned guitar - it looks like a hybrid of the GH and Rock Band controller. The strum bar looks like it is covered with that fake plastic chrome effect which wears down to nothing upon contact with sweaty hands.

It's otherwise impossible to judge build quality or features but it seems to include a tilt-switch. The packaging proclaims that you can 'tilt the guitar to activate spinner bonuses to achieve maximum points".

Where do they get these crazy ideas!?!?

It is maybe a little unfair to poke fun at Guitar Praise for lack of originality - after all, if Guitar Hero or Rock Band acknowledged the CR niche then it arguably wouldn't have to exist. Although you could say the same about other genres of music too - if Harmonix don't start listening to me soon I may have to go in to production with Japanese All-Girl Noisecore Band Revolution Hero.

Hallelujah: ‘Guitar Praise’ Unboxed, With Screenshots[MTV Multiplayer]

An Apology

I would like to make a public apology for any offense that I might have caused through releasing this game, and to Muslims in particular. My intentions when releasing this project were to mock the foreign policy of the United States and the commonly held belief in the United States that Muslims are a hostile people to be held with suspicion. I would like to make it clear that I have never shared such a belief and my intention was to mock those who actually do believe these things.

It quickly became obvious to me that releasing this game did not achieve its intended effect and instead only caused hurt to hospitable, innocent people. I believe removing this game and website will do much more to attain my desired effect than leaving it on the internet, so I am doing just that.

I would like to ask for the forgiveness of Muslims around the world and to make it clear that I did not release this game with ill intent. So without further ado, I would like to say that I am truly apologetic for what I have done and will take full responsibility for all offense that has been caused. I can only hope that any further misgivings can be laid to rest.

Sincerely,
- Sigvatr

In Retrospect

As a game player, game designer and as a person with an admitedly bizarre sense of humor, I believe this game's messages could only be interpretted as it was intended by dedicated gamers and people who share my tendency to find humor where you would least expect it. I at no point stated my intentions for the game either personally or in the game itself in a way which the population at large could probably understand, so I will admit that my biggest mistake was an inability to make clear what I was trying to convey through the game to people who had no interest in experiencing it themselves.

What brought me to create this game in the first place was my frusteration at the lack of distinction in our society between Muslims in general and bad people who are Muslims. I have never been able to rationally equate Islam or its followers with violence and the infliction of suffering and I believe that people who do think these things is where the limelight should be shining at this point in history.

Muslims around the world are suffering because others want them to feel bad about themselves, and those others do not want to listen to Muslims when they try to defend themselves. If any good is going to come to light because of this international scandal that I have caused, then I hope it is that people will begin to listen to Muslims because there is a lot they have to say at this point. They are not doing anything wrong, we are simply not listening to them, and because of this they are suffering.

The media only listens to the shocking and offensive Muslims and then conveys the story to people in such a way that those Muslims become definitive of the religion in general. If you are going to start listening to what genuine Muslims have to say, then you are going to need to open up to them when you see them in the store, on the bus or at work, because that is where you will find eachother. Genuine Muslims don't come out of the TV set or the newspaper, only exciting and infuriating news stories.

That is my two cents.

Rather than a blistering attack on Spore's neo-Darwinist pro-evolution agenda and pollution of our children's precious bodily fluids — a post to the site today revealed it was in fact an incredibly elaborate Rickroll.

In a post entitled "Understand my beliefs please" the creator of the site laid out a scripture-heavy exegesis culminating in the following nugget of pure genius.

But the Bible teaches us that God was not done with man. For we were His creation and He then spoke to Noah in Genesis 8:21-27 after the flood. “21. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never gonna give you up. 22. “Never gonna let you down.” 23.”Never gonna run around and desert you.” 24. “Never gonna make you cry.” 25. “Never gonna say goodbye.” 26. “Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.” 27.”Never truly believe anything you read on the Internet. There will always be cases of Poe’s Law.”

Poe's law, if you were wondering, states that "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing"

Kudos to you, sir or madam, although far from pouring oil on troubled waters you may only have inflamed further religious argument - the existence of that Rick Astley video being the best argument for Atheism Richard Dawkins never had.

Understand my beliefs please [Antispore.com via Dagbladet.no]

You kill hundreds of faceless men and women, some with suicide bomb vests, some unarmed, as you work your way up to "bosses" like Osama bin Laden and, ultimately, Allah. It's packed with tasteless stereotypes and unapologetic detached violence.

It's unwaveringly offensive by design — it's given the tagline "the game of modern religious genocide" — so it should come as no surprise that people are voicing their displeasure with the game. According to UK publication Telegraph, British Muslim organizations are up in arms over the shooter.

“Encouraging children and young people in a game to kill Muslims is unacceptable, tasteless and deeply offensive,” said Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim youth organization.

Muslim Massacre, created by Something Awful forum goon Eric "Sigvatr" Vaughn, has been publicly available for a while now, but people are now starting to give it some attention.

We've played the game and found it to be a rather straightforward shooter, with a surprisingly well crafted visual style and retro 8-bit musical nods. It has allusions to 80s shooters like Contra and Ikari Warriors and is stupidly "patriotic" in its execution. It doesn't play particularly well, nor is it a bad game.

Muslim Massacre is, according to its creator "fun to play" but "The Muslims represented in the game aren't meant to be based on actual Muslims."

As for an after-the-fact artist's statement, Vaughn is quoted as posting on the SA forums that “If I was to try and come up with a meaning for the game at this moment, it would probably be something along the lines of metaphorically destroying the stereotypical depiction of a Muslim.”

'Muslim Massacre' video game condemned for glamorising slaughter of Arabs [Telegraph]
Muslim Massacre [Official Site]

The site purports to be a protest against Spore and its 'attack on Christian values' and consists of several Creature Creator movies of Penis Monsters and other Spore grotesques, alongside posts about what the author claims is the game's pro-evolutionary agenda and corrupting influence on children.

Oh, and the fact that Will Wright is Evil.

Our first thought was "Ha! A clever satire on religious censorship and the intelligent design debate!" quickly followed by, "hang on, it's quite deadpan for satire, isn't it?"

I initially thought it might be some kind of quite funny, reverse-psychology marketing campaign.. but then I got to the bit about the Episcopalian Church being a 'perverted church' that endorses homosexuality and it seemed.. less funny.

The irony is that Spore is only nominally 'about' Evolution. If anything you as a player are an Intelligent Designer. Do you see? It is teaching the controversy!

Anti Spore -Resisting EA’s War on Creationism [Thanks to Scott Owens for the tip]

When religions engage in this kind of spin it always feels a little insidious and it’s this that the wider world objects to when they hear of products such as Guitar Praise and Zoo Race. Indeed, the following text, used at the end of the Zoo Race shareware demo, demonstrates just this:

“Buy the fun game that the big name publishers refused to finance or even show you. Why wait? You can do it, because you are a fun loving creation of God.”

Post Passion of the Christ, big name publishers are only too happy to publish and promote ‘Christian’-targeted content if there's enough money to be made. In the case of Zoo Race big name publishers refuse to finance it not on ideological grounds but simply because it’s awful.

As games writer Kieron Gillen pointed out at the time: “F**king big name publishers. We hate those guys too. Clearly, it couldn’t have anything to do with the glitchy animation, complete lack of physics, my-first-Quake-level geometry and the fact the whole thing is completely batshit insane.”

Considering religions have provided the inspiration for some of the greatest artistic works the world over — Christianity is no exception here — it's a little baffling that game designers wishing to cater to the Christian game consuming public can't do much better than knockoffs of big secular titles and/or something like Zoo Race. I suspect the (often hilarious) lack of quality or clearly 'borrowing' from big AAA titles is what gets most people's hackles up, and that it doesn't matter if it's a secular or religious game.

Guitar Hero Praise: What’s Wrong With The ‘Christian’ Videogame? [GameSetWatch]

The description for Guitar Praise: Solid Rock seems a little familiar - Two guitars can be connected at the same time, so two guitarists can play together - either on the same track or one on lead, the other on bass. Players press the fret buttons and strum on the strum bar in time to the color-coded notes as they scroll onscreen.

I'm sure I have heard that somewhere before — almost as though someone has been coveting his neighbour's gameplay.

Anyhoo, GP:SR lets you strum along to the very best in Christian Music - bands like Thousand Foot Krutch, Relient K, the faintly sinister-sounding Whitecross and many more who I am sure actually do exist, but have yet to make it to the secular radio stations here in the UK.

Guitar Praise is out for the PC and Mac in September, lifestyle sold separately.

Guitar Praise: Guitar Hero for Christians [via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Some researchers are convinced that repetitive play of violent games instructs kids in violence, making violent acts more likely. But others argue that video violence is a cathartic replacement for real violent crime, which has gone down since the advent of video games.

While the article does spend a great deal of time dealing with the issues of violent video games, calling out the usual suspects - Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, etc., it also addresses the fact that there are constructive games out there like SimCity, social games that let you play sports like golf and baseball, and even games that are "just plain fun" like Guitar Hero. These are all titles you hardly ever see mention in writings dealing with the negative aspects of gaming, since so many choose to stick with the negative and forgo the positive completely.

Of course the article isn't without some more sensationalist speak, such as this tidbit from Pastor Kody Kirchhoff of the LiveWire Youth Ministries at Calvary Lutheran Church:

“Aside from the violence, obscenity and negative themes, the larger and greater problem lies in the fact that video games control many people’s hearts and minds, creating a monotonous, zoned-out new reality,”

But even an accusation like this is quickly brought into focus by the follow up.

“God, family and friends do not exist in many games,” he says. “Activities like camping, playing catch with Dad, swimming, or just being a kid have vanished.”

The man has a point. I seem to remember a lot more children outside playing when I was a kid. After school you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a child, a fact that used to make my after school times truly special. While I don't think video games are to blame for the lack of kids screaming at each other outside my window every afternoon, I do think they make a very convenient babysitter for parents who don't have time to play with their children and are too terrified by the concept of child predators to let their babies go outside unattended. If anything, the mainstream media - who often target video games themselves - are to blame, scaring parents out of their minds with special reports about the dangers their children face crossing the street every day.

I digress. This isn't about my opinion. This is about the opinion being distributed to Christian newspapers this month, and the final message from Center for Fathering CEO Carey Casey is one I can really get behind.

“Parents should place limits on children’s media use, including when, where, and how much they can participate. And we should be ready to address common myths that are often portrayed in the media: such as the myths that to be worthwhile you have to be beautiful, that money buys happiness, that sex is merely recreation and has no consequences, and that violence solves problems.”

Getting serious about gaming [ChristianExaminer Online]

After being dragged into one of the local Christian books stores by a relative I spotted this gem of a shirt. Torn between horror and facination I ended up snapping a few photos of it. These two are the only ones that turned out well enough for you to actually read the text under Blinky, Inky, and Clyde.

I snagged the best of the two pictures, but in case you still can't read it, the quote is "But I tell you who hear me, love your enemies, do good to those that hate you. - Luke 6:27". I've been checking chat logs all morning but still can't see where Luke said that. Seems a bit out of character really. I'll follow up with him later.

This was a commission for Rich Kyanka, back when I did commissions. We are both well aware that James Woods did not play Robocop.

Mission Bay Community Church

I do think going forward there is very much a place for the hardcore gamers on the Wii and there's a big opportunity for publishers to take advantage of that because we've seen the success of Resident Evil on Nintendo platforms... But I do also believe that a lot of Western publishers are only looking at the Wii for casual and family gaming, and I think that's a mistake — I think there's a lot more opportunity there on the Wii. The Wii isn't just about Wii Tennis and Mario & Sonic; it's about so much more. The Wii as a platform has way much more to offer than [Wii Tennis and Mario & Sonic], and hardcore gamers traditionally love Nintendo as well. There's no reason why they should be excluded or excommunicated from the Nintendo world.

Buy the FUN game that the big game companies would not ever make.

The Zoo Race [Official Site via Dtoid]

In a sort-of-aside to a gush about The Golden Compass movie and novel, Warren Spector mentions that he wanted to make the game based on the novels "long before the film came out."

It's just an aside, but it raises some interesting issues, ones I'm not totally prepared to go on and on about, so I'll make this short. I requested a copy of the game because I'm hoping to play through it to see how the game makers dealt with the touchy subject of religion that is very much central to the entire His Dark Materials trilogy. In fact I read the trilogy over the first week of my vacation in Australia, just for that reason. But things were crazy in December and I haven't had a chance to crack the game open. Hopefully, I'll be doing that soonish.

What intrigues me is how exactly Warren Spector would have worked with the subject matter. Judging by his enthusiasm for the trilogy and his obvious knowledge of it, I suspect it could have resulted in a deeply evocative game, the sort of title that may have touched on the issues brought up in the series and, much more importantly, made gamers think about something that makes them quite uneasy. It's really a shame he didn't follow through on his desire... or wasn't allowed to.

The Man Who Hates the World, Part 2 [Warren Spector's Blog]

I think some important lessons have been learnt. So we do forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done nothing wrong. In an industry that is breaking new frontiers, it is important that long held traditions of film and television are maintained. These traditions include having courtesy, respecting the dignity of your subject, and admitting when mistakes have been made. In so many ways Sony have failed to live up to these standards by disrespecting people of faith and the victims of gun crime here in Manchester.

Despite his frequent misstatements and apparent ignorance on the subject, despite including gay porn in a legal filing, despite his legal harassment of numerous publications, lawyers, judges and anyone else who seems to disagree with him, Jack Thompson manages to get himself on television again this morning as an "expert."

During his appearance on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, Thompson discussed the evils of churches using Halo 3 to minister to a youth audience. And of course he couldn't help but get some facts wrong.

Hit the jump to watch the video and read the relevant Jack quotes, which I've dissected. It does do my heart good to see that he wasn't nearly as over the top this time around as the last time we watched him. Maybe he decided to be a little more careful now that he knows we're checking out what he's saying instead of just accepting his statements as 100 percent truth. Too bad TV talk shows haven't learned to do the same thing.

The Science on this is very settled.
APA in 2005 "found that as a class of people, adolescence and teens that play these violent games become more aggressive, some of them to the point of violence like we saw in Cleveland yesterday.

Let's break this down into two parts:

The science:
While members of the American Psychological Association did release a report in 2005 stating that video games can increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents, it was actually based on a review of the past 20 years of research.

The Swedish Institute of Public Health did a similar study in 2005, reviewing 30 studies. Their findings? That video games are in fact good for you and that there is "limited evidence for video and computer game playing causing children to choose more aggressive toys - but no evidence for links between video and computer game playing and aggressive feelings, thoughts or behavior, despite these outcomes being well studied."

The Swedish study also points out that there have been six other similar reviews with half showing no connection and half showing a connection. But in those that found a connection "the authors do not distinguish between studies with different designs or between different outcomes, but deal with all the material together. This means that low quality studies influence the conclusions more than can be justified"

So there you have it despite Jack's claims the "science" of this has in no way been settled.

Cleavland shooting's connection to video games:
As shocking as it is that Jack would try to blame a school shooting on video games, there seems to be no evidence that this is true.

Accused shooter 14-year-old Asa H. Coon was described by a friend as someone who "worshiped the devil" and Fox News has reported that he had a criminal and domestic-violence history. No mention of gameplay though.

You Have a Legal Problem
"Clearly any church that has kids 11, 12, 13-years of age that come in and play a Mature rated game, that shouldn't be sold or played by anyone under 17, has created a liability problem."

Not so fast Jack. While the ESRB rating system does serve as a guide to help consumers make informed decisions about the appropriateness of video games for children and the family, like with the movie rating system there is no law to back it up.

Dissecting Jack's Lies [Kotaku]

Witness the basement on a recent Sunday at the Colorado Community Church in the Englewood area of Denver, where Tim Foster, 12, and Chris Graham, 14, sat in front of three TVs, locked in violent virtual combat as they navigated on-screen characters through lethal gun bursts. Tim explained the game's allure: "It's just fun blowing people up."

Once they come for the games, Gregg Barbour, the youth minister of the church said, they will stay for his Christian message. "We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell," Mr. Barbour wrote in a letter to parents at the church.

There are plenty of quarters that would say spending time 'blowing people up,' virtual or not, is setting kids on the path to hell. I'll give these churches credit for interesting recruiting tactics, though - it must work better than the fire and brimstone, scaring people straight tactics of old.

Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Game at Church [NYT]

The Left Behind folks, still reeling from their disastrous launch last year, are gearing up for the release of their expansion pack next month... As an offensive strategy, they are trying to intimidate the Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in the blogosphere who led the charge against this awful game...Christians should not sit silently while corporate money-grubbers make a buck out of perverting the Christian faith. Nor should we sit silently when a game is marketed to children promoting religious violence while American soldiers are dying overseas in the middle of a religious and ethnic civil war.

RE: False information posted on your site about the video game LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces

To whom this may concern:

I represent Left Behind Games Inc., the developer and publisher of the LEFT BEHIND series of video games. Your organization hosts a website that has information posted about this game. Unfortunately, there are many statements on your website which appear to be false and misleading. This type of misinformation may cause significant and irreparable harm to Left Behind Video Games Inc. and must be removed.

Left Behind Games Inc. generally supports free speech in the media and understands how important it is to have various opinions presented for public consumption. It will not, however, tolerate the publication of information regarding its products that is false or misleading.

Left Behind Games Inc. is demanding that you immediately remove any and all information contained on your site about the above stated game that is false and/or misleading, including any such statements or commentary and the responses thereto. This includes posted comments made by others in the context of reading the incorrect or misleading statements.

If you do not comply immediately, the company will be forced to pursue additional legal action which will include claims for damages, costs of suit and attorney's fees. This may subject you and your organization to significant legal and financial damages.

Left Behind Games Gets Apocalyptic with Bloggers [gamepolitics]

Following a post on The Nation by Max Blumenthal in which he slammed the game's inclusion, which was due to be mailed overseas with socks, snacks and other evangelical instruments, it appears that OSU may have decided to nix the poorly received game. For those not in the know when it comes to Left Behind: Eternal Forces, it puts the player in a post-Rapture scenario, in which you command an army of holy soldiers against those left behind (get it?). Either convert your enemies, putting the love of Jesus in their hearts, or blast the bejeezus out of them by shooting them in the heart.

The game has received its share of detractors, seeing public outcry from liberal groups, Islamic groups, Christian groups and, naturally, The Daily Show.

Kill Or Convert, Brought To You By the Pentagon [The Nation]

"Deep down, the digital world can be considered, in its way, mission territory," he said. "Second Life is somewhere where the opportunity to meet people and to grow should not be missed, therefore, any initiative that can inspire the residents in a positive way should be considered opportune."

The Jesuits have been criticized over the centuries for being too liberal and have gotten the papal smackdown in centuries past for trying to integrate native customs and Catholic teachings when preaching to the not-yet-converted; I'm curious what the formal stance of the Catholic Church on missionary activity in the virtual realm is.

Jesuits urged to take God's word to 'Second Life' [Reuters via GamePolitics]

In an effort to rally around the steeple, the Church of England is asking the people of Japan to protest PS3 exclusive Resistance. The dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Rev. Rogers Govender says:

Today I want to appeal directly to the people of Japan to help us put pressure on Sony to respond. So I speak directly to those citizens who share our concerns.

The Anglican Church is upset that Manchester Cathedral was used as an shoot out with aliens and giant bugs. Let's forget for a moment, that your in-game goal is to protect Manchester and thus Britain and thus the world with your gunplay. Save humanity? What better place to do that than in a church. Brian Ashcraft

Church Asks Japan For Support [Yahoo! News]

Over the weekend, we posted that the Church of England was up in arms about Manchester Cathedral being used in Resistance without permission. Apparently, the Anglican Church is even considering taking legal action against developer Insomniac. But do they even have legal grounds to do so? According to British solicitor Alex Chapman:

The Church will have an uphill battle in a legal claim against Sony, and indeed it is likely that there is no basis for a claim... There is no law against insensitivity and as with many matters of this kind, it is the public reaction that might be more damaging than the legal one.

...public buildings are generally fair game for inclusion in videogames, films et cetera, and it is something that their owners just have to accept.

Insomniac Won't Comment
Uphill Battle [Games Industry]

By: Brian Crecente and Michael McWhertor

They've been called fanboys, gaming's fab four and Microsoft employee wannabes, the game-inspired rock band The Xbox Boys crashed onto the gaming scene earlier this year with a set of catchy tunes and an oddly religious fervor for the Xbox 360.

But that fervor doesn't seem as odd when considering that many of the band members have or had ties to New Hope International Church, a Bellevue, Washington-based Christian church that hopes to "turn lost people into fully devoted Spirit-filled disciples of Jesus Christ in our city and all over the world."

When contacted for comment, band front man and church couples minster, Brendan Aye, said that "none of The Xbox Boys work for MS or any marketing companies. Just a bunch of fanboys who like music and gaming (maybe too much)."

Aye, who said he is not part of the band but takes care of their "business/Internet dealings", did not return emails in response to questions about the group's ties to New Hope International Church.

Reached by phone Wednesday, the band's lead singer, Phil Fischer said that the band was "not a religious thing, it was just an Xbox thing."

"We are just in love with the Xbox. This has nothing to do with our religion at all."

The band lists four members in its group, P-Box, B-Box, Beat Box and D-Box. But none of them use their real names. Fischer confirmed this afternoon that the group is made up of: guitarist Bryan Barrows, AKA B-Box; Seattle-area drummer, Bryan Lash, AKA Beat Box; bassist Dave "Kitz" Sproull, AKA D-Box, and himself, a 37-year-old Seattle singer song-writer and former church music minster.

Lash is also a former member of New Hope International Church and Sproull says in his MySpace page that he is a local student worship leader

Fischer said that while the group has nothing to do with religion, its members are Christian. "We aren't ashamed of that, but this is about our love for a console."

According to the official Phil Fischer website, Fischer, who up until recently was a church couples minster with Aye at New Hope International Church, decided to drop his first solo album, "Wounded Soul" and devote his life to God about five years ago.

"I now use my talents to serve Jesus Christ, who without him, none of this would be possible," Fischer writes on his site. In his "Six Promises to You Lord" Fischer says he will "worship you in bars, dancehalls, taverns and other places to reach non-believers."

On the official Xbox Boys site, Fischer, also known as P-Box, lists a different set of laws, laws of the "Keepers of the Orb":

1. Uphold gaming integrity for all gamers of the world
2 .Bring the power of the Xbox to all countries by performing and showcasing the games and consoles
3. Make sure that all age groups and all peoples of Earth have access to the X-Box console and to its games."

These laws, the site says, were delivered to the four band members in the woods of Bellevue, near Microsoft's campus, from a voice "sounding like a thousand horns all at once, but also as quite(SIC) as a single violin note".

The voice also delivered a prophecy, according to the site:

"For thousands of years I have watched, and waited for this moment. I give you three laws to follow. But there are ten total. The final laws the Xbox boys are to uphold are to be written by Microsoft itself when the final prophecy is to be revealed. The final prophecy is that you four, four of integrity and honestly, will receive an endorsement contract by Microsoft. You will perform shows; sell merchandise, and UPHOLD THE LAWS OF GAMING AND THE INTEGRITY OF MICROSOFT. THIS IS THE final prophecy."

The band's official site currently hosts two music videos, one dedicated to Xbox Live and the other to the killing of the final boss in Gears of War. Both are catchy, though bland, pop-rock pieces.

What is unclear is if the messaging of the Xbox Boys band is a deliberate tie-in to Christian themes because the band is, in fact, a Christian rock band or because their leader has such strong ties to religion and Christan rock. A source close to the band said that whichever the case is, Fischer does want to use the money earned from The Xbox Boys to help fund his ministry work in other countries.

Again, Fischer denies this, and asked that the story not run because he feared his budding fan-base wouldn't believe the group is strictly secular.

Erika Doss, a professor of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado Boulder and soon to be chair of Notre Dame's American Studies Department, says it's not unusual for a ministerial group to borrow the language of the people they are trying to reach in order to connect with them.

Doss, who studies the issue of religion and pop culture, said the Xbox Boys site seems to be filled with religious themes.

"It's rare when you listen to Christian music that you would hear the word Jesus," she said. "But everyone usually gets it, there's this pervasiveness of Christian rhetoric."

And the fact that the Xbox Boys aren't upfront about their religious ties isn't unusual either, she said.

"They are appropriating the current technological means in order to proselytize on behalf of their faith," she said. "They are appropriating the whole culture's rhetoric under (their) vision statement."

Doss said she is a little concerned with their possible duplicity, but said proselytizing is about "bringing people to the light through any means possible."

"If they are really about proselytizing then I have some problems with that because they are not being up front about it."

Luke Plunkett contributed to this story.

Call me old fashioned, traditional even, but church doesn't jump in my head when I think of Xbox. Michigan pastor Jerry Weinzierl hopes that others do! He recently purchased a 111,000 square-foot building in a strip mall that's behind a TGI Friday's chain and an Eat at Joe's restaurant. Inside the church includes church stuff as well as kid-geared pool tables, an indoor basketball court and four stations to play Mature-rated Halo. Says the pastor:

We want going to church to be an enjoyable and enriching experience for the whole family. Even if someone comes in for the wrong reason, I can maybe make an impact on them for that moment... This will be a very peaceful place.

Has he ever heard people play Halo? Brian Ashcraft

Big Church [The Detroit News via Arcade Heroes]

Back when the Xbox 360 first went on sale, folks went crazy with case mods. Seriously, there were new mods popping up every hour. Since then, things have cooled and the mods have become few and far in between. Here's a newish one called "Christ 360: With 3 Ring of Life" and, guess what, fairly pedestrian for a case mod. Best part of this clip? The end "J Dizzle Productions" credit. Now that is awesome. Brian Ashcraft

Case Mod For Christ [The Xbox Domain]

Reader Matthew literally did a double take after seeing this Real Life Fellowship's "Want a Great Marriage?" sermon. From the group's website:

Imagine what would happen if you and your spouse focused on fulfilling God's dream for your marriage. Possible? Absolutely! Pastor Micah reveals the secrets of a great marriage in this fun and practical series which has something for everyone including singles and those who have experienced divorce.

That's nice, but isn't aping design trademarks copyright sacrilege? Brian Ashcraft

Aided by a team of 10 student volunteers, he started developing the Koran software between classes in January.

It was launched earlier this month to a gathering of parents at a Muslim charity dinner who responded well, Ikhwan said, adding that he would later include Koranic recitations following requests. The software will be available for download for free after May 19 from his website.

Ikhwan hopes that this software will appeal to parents who sometimes distrust the internet and gaming. I would also think it would appeal to people who are bibliophobes. Kim Phu

Malaysian Student Creates Playstation Koran [Middle East Times via Topix]

The Godtacular Bible Study will next meet on Monday at 8 p.m. eastern (or perhaps 9 p.m., the post says both) to discuss the bible. Yes, the real bible, not the bible of the flood or the bible of Master Chief.

"We'll be continuing with learning some things to help us make right choices tonight. We'll also learn how it's a process and no one starts life with an innate ability to do life right."

Hopefully that will followed up with a serious session of fragging and tea-bagging. Brian Crecente

Godtacular Bible Study [Podtacular]

It's a sign! From the heavens! Or not. Not sure if this is a hoax, but a poster over at Something Awful claims that his window is warped in such a way that it produces the above symbol. Pretty amazing, huh? If this is true (and we hope it is), someone might want to reinforce that fence so it doesn't overheat and catch fire. Brian Ashcraft

Xbox Sign [Something Awful via Ozymandias]

A tipster sends word that The Porn Talk, a site backed by a secretive faith-based ministry in California, is prepping to attack Nintendo's Wii and other gaming devices, calling them "portals to porno" in a press release.

In the press release, leaked to Kotaku today, The Porn Talk founder Mike Foster does his best to stoke up some fear about the Wii saying that even though the device has parental controls, "parents don't see a need for them because they are unaware of the porn capabilities."

With a headline that reads "The Wii's Dirty Little Secret," the story's caustic tone is more off-putting than what little facts are presented. The full press release is on the jump.

I find it funny that a site that seems to go to so much effort to hide its ties to religion and ministry work is using the phrase dirty little secret. Brian Crecente

The Wii's Dirty Little Secret

The Wiittle Porn Problem For Nintendo's Best Selling Game Console

CORONA, CA - The Nintendo Wii gaming console has a wiittle porn problem. That's right; this seemingly innocent family game console has a dirty little secret. It has the dubious ability to access pornography via the internet and most parents are not aware of this fact according to www.ThePornTalk.com

Like many new gaming technologies, the Wii's wireless internet capabilities make it a portal to porno. "Parents think the computer is the only way for their kids to get porn on the internet. Unfortunately, they are dead wrong," says Mike Foster, founder of ThePornTalk.com. "Gaming devices like the Wii and the PSP aren't just for fun games anymore. You're able to surf the net, chat with friends, email, and view porn because of its internet access. Kids know this but parents don't!"

Wireless internet (Wi-Fi) technology allows electronic devices like Nintendo's Wii to wirelessly connect to the internet. Airports, Starbucks, schools, and even entire cities give people the opportunity to log on the internet with a Wi-Fi device like the Wii or even Sony's PSP. "This makes it very difficult to monitor as a parent. You can easily put safeguards in your house but it's impossible to monitor in a Wi-Fi world," says Foster. "Even though the Nintendo Wii has parental controls, parents don't see a need for them because they are unaware of the porn capabilities."

The Nintendo Wii has become the best-selling video game console in the United States, outselling Microsoft and Sony competitors in the month of January, 2007. Because of its success many websites have taken advantage of its online capability. Several companies have changed the look and functionality of their web sites to accommodate the Wii. The porn industry is also implementing these changes to their sites. Porn websites are taking the look of the Wii's home page and menus and modeling their own sites after them. Porn sites are even converting their video clips so that they can run on the Wii.

So the solution lies in parents getting the facts and then talking to their children about expectations for online activity. Foster believes that, "Whether it is the home computer or these new gaming consoles, porn is easily accessible. The Wii is an amazing console and tons of fun but parents need good info on how to keep kids safe."

About ThePornTalk.com
ThePornTalk.com is an innovative web resource that helps parents talk to their kids about porn and internet dangers. The site features conversation starters, videos, a weekly podcast, parent's stories and other resources. Contributors to the site include child advocates, pastors, therapists, and kids themselves.

Newsflash: We're all perverts! Yeah, I guess that isn't news to many of you, but now the pope thinks so as well. In a message marking the church's World Communications Day, Pope Palpatine Benedict XVI had choice words to say about our favorite pastime.

"Any trend to produce programs and products — including animated films and video games — which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion"

'Perverse' media upsets pope [CNN.com]

Outside of potentially good taste, why does the CAIR take issue with Left Behind? From the recently issued press release:

We believe the message this game is promoting is one of religious intolerance. The game's enemy team includes people with Muslim-sounding names. When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Left Behind Games' President Jeffrey Frichner said, 'Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ'—and therefore cannot be on the side of Jesus in the game. As you may know, Muslims do in fact revere Jesus as one of God's prophets.

Ooh! Factual smackdown! The group also warned Wal-Mart that they believe "this type of product only serves to dehumanize others and increase interfaith hostility and mistrust." Will Wal-Mart cave?

Full release and more of the letter after the jump. Michael McWhertor

CAIR Asks Wal-Mart to Drop Game Glorifying Religious Violence

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today asked Wal-Mart to stop selling a video game that glorifies religious violence and may harm interfaith relations.

CAIR says it has received complaints about the game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," produced by Left Behind Games Inc. The game reportedly rewards players for either converting or killing people of other faiths.

In a letter to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr., CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote in part:

"We believe the message this game is promoting is one of religious intolerance. The game's enemy team includes people with Muslim-sounding names. When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Left Behind Games' President Jeffrey Frichner said, 'Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ' - - and therefore cannot be on the side of Jesus in the game. (San Francisco Chronicle, 12/12/06) As you may know, Muslims do in fact revere Jesus as one of God's prophets.

"In the post 9-11 climate, when improving interfaith relations should be a priority for all, this type of product only serves to dehumanize others and increase interfaith hostility and mistrust.

"Each year, CAIR issues an annual report on the status of American Muslim civil rights, outlining hundreds of incidents involving anti-Muslim discrimination, harassment and hate crimes. It is our experience that many of these incidents result from Islamophobic rhetoric and negative images of
Muslims in popular culture. . .

"We have no desire to stifle creativity or inhibit freedom of speech. However, it is our duty as America's leading Islamic civil rights group to promote mutual understanding and ensure the safety of Americans of all faiths.

"We also believe that as a company that prides itself in hiring and offering services to a diverse group of people, it is Wal-Mart's corporate social responsibility to take into account the potential social impact of
its decision to sell this harmful game. We, therefore, respectfully request the removal of the video game 'Left Behind: Eternal Forces' from your shelves."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties,
empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Rabbi Game On PCs [Reuters]

The game we are ashamed to actually like, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, is getting fire and brimstone from Christian groups who say the title promotes violence and intolerance.

Presbyterian minister and president of Christian Alliance for Progress Rev. Tim Simpson says the PC games promotes "faith killing" and mucks up biblical prophesies. Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon counters with:

The game is designed to be a classic battle between good and evil, but it does not gratuitously depict violence or death.

Chalk up those criticisms to one thing: Street cred. Brian Ashcraft

Christian Group Doesn't Like Christian Game [Next-Gen]

Games. Evil! So all you parents out there, worry like about about what your kids are playing. Because their brains are not only rotting out of their feeble heads, but their limp souls are being possessed by dark forces. Good thing the Christian Game Foundation is here to help! The organization was founded by Ralph Bagley, who is a game designer himself. Says Bagley:

The video game industry is a dark, violent, satanic, sexually explicit place that is full of dangerous traps. And so the CGDF is dedicated to informing and educating parents about that—and also pointing them in the direction of some good, high-quality, alternative games.

Satanic? Now that Jack Thompson is a giant homophobe, these CGDF guys should partner up and have all the angles covered. Brian Ashcraft

But, Satanic? I Mean... [GayGamer]