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Examining Escapism in Broken Age
Broken Age examines important questions about videogame's potential foibles. -
The Problem with Poverty in Thief
The problem with Thief is that no one cares. -
Jazzpunk: A Playful Response to Heavy Stuff
"Jazzpunk’s mix of a Cold War setting with endless comedic relief represents something we absolutely need: laughter." -
Octodad’s Fragile Heart
Playing Octodad reminded Richard Clark of his own weaknesses as a husband. -
The Struggle for Balance: An Interview with Kent Hudson, creator of The Novelist
We spoke to Kent Hudson, who, before stepping out of AAA development to create The Novelist, worked on games like Bioshock 2 and Deus Ex: Invisible War. We chatted about his beliefs, his goals for his work, and the struggle to ... -
Redshirt: All’s Fair in Love and Facebook
April-Lyn Caouette played Redshirt, and to her horror, found herself playing Facebook in the exact same way. -
The Powerless Play Goes On
Apples most recent ad campaign rings hollow given the wounds it has inflicted on games with messages. -
“The World is Stranger Than We Can Possibly Imagine”: An Interview With Ian Dallas of The Unfinished Swan
We spoke to Ian Dallas, creative director of The Unfinished Swan, about what most motivates him and how strange the world we live in can be. -
The Banner Saga: Leadership’s Great Moral Burden
The Banner Saga asks you to be a leader, but it's hard to lead a people you don't know. -
“Everything Exists. Nothing is Impossible”: An Interview with Tale of Tales’ Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn
Tale of Tales' games force players out of their comfort zones and into a mindset that confronts difficult issues in surprising ways. Our managing editor chatted with them about their unique religious perspective and how it infl... -
Death and Mourning in Continue?9876543210
Continue?9876453120 confronts players with the confusing nature of death and invites them to "mourn with those who mourn." -
A Call For Writers: What GameChurch.com Is and Isn’t
We want you to write for us. Here's what you need to know. -
Face Value in Starbound
Starbound doesn't conform to our preconceived notions. -
The Offense of Forgiveness in Metro: Last Light
Forgiveness requires offense. Metro: Last Light illustrates this by immersing you into a horrific landscape and doing its best to offend you. -
Almost Done: A Videogame Parable
The disturbing tales we take for granted. -
The Gamer’s Dressing Room
The human body is awkward, gross, and weak. Videogames rarely recognize this. Mark Filipowich examines why that is and how they might do better. -
False Start: I Gave Football Videogames a Chance, and it Sucked
April-Lyn Caouette provides us with some embedded reporting from deep within the heart of a football videogame. -
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Boring, Misguided Stereotypes
According to Patrick Gann, Beatbuddy is ruined by its insistence on using tired gender stereotypes. -
You Can’t Have It All: The Novelist
The Novelist reveals the invisible compromises we make every day between the people we love and the dreams we harbor. -
The Advent of Accessibility
2013 may have been the year of accessibility, but videogames still have a long way to go before their potential will be widely realized. -
State of Decay: The Cost of Caring Leadership
State of Decay took M. Joshua Cauller to a place of deep caring and concern for people who lived in his computer. -
Things in Gaming that Jesus Hates
We genuinely think that there are many videogames Jesus would appreciate, but as we reflect on the last year, it's important to be mindful of the things in gaming culture that Jesus probably wouldn't be too happy about. -
Ten 2013 Games that Jesus Loves (And Why)
Behold, here are ten games from the last year that Jesus would appreciate. -
Listen: How We Determined the Ten 2013 Games Jesus Loves
Listen in as we agonize over what games Jesus would love. -
Sex as Play in Luxuria Superbia
April discovered she was playing Luxuria Superbia wrong, revealing misplaced attitudes about sex. -
Steam Sales, Humble Bundles, and The Welcome Respite of Advent
Pokemon lied to you. You don't, actually, have to buy them all. -
Forced: The Joy of Interdependence
Josh experienced the value of leaning on his friends while playing Forced. -
The Human Generation
How the Last Generation of Videogame Consoles Changed Gaming Forever -
Why We Play
Greatness is about more than action and adrenaline. Fortunately, so are videogames. -
Death is Final: Understanding Suicide in Irritum
Irritum gives us a glimpse into the world of those who suffer from depression by reminding us that suicide is horrible and death is final. -
“Games Should Have Messages”: An Interview with Spaceteam’s Henry Smith
We chat with Henry Smith, creator of Spaceteam, about the social elements of the game, the current state of the App Store, and spirituality. -
“They Have To Know You Care About Them”: An Interview with Dropsy’s Jay Tholen
Jay Tholen cares first and shares Jesus later. -
Fear of Loathing in Democracy 3
Richard Clark played the latest version of Democracy, and found himself having a personal crisis in the midst of a national crisis. -
“You Have to Deceive Yourself”: Gamechurch Interviews The Stanley Parable Developer, Davey Wredon
We talked to the creator of The Stanley Parable, about his own personal beliefs and how they play out in The Stanley Parable. -
Eldritch: A Gracious Descent
Eldritch is the rare game that is both heart-stoppingly merciless and lovingly gracious at the same time. -
Beyond: Two Souls and the Illusion of Influence
Beyond: Two Souls "experimental" storytelling doesn't respect the important choices it presents players. -
Defining Dissonance in Sleeping Dogs
"Sleeping Dogs does one better than Grand Theft Auto 5 by purposefully employing ludonarrative dissonance to expose our lust for violence." -
The Stanley Parable About Worldview Formation
The Stanley Parable is confusing, fascinating, and mysterious. It's a parable about how we process and interpret the world. -
Grand Theft Auto 5 is a Bad Game
Drew Dixon played Grand Theft Auto 5 and didn't like it. Is that okay? -
5 Spiritual Experiences I Had At IndieCade 2013
There's something distinctly spiritual about Indiecade. Luke Larsen explains. -
The Struggle for Control in Naya’s Quest
Naya's Quest helpfully challenged April's love for control. -
Diablo 3 is a Spiritual Game Missing One Key Component: God
Diablo 3 uses spiritual components to clarify the high stakes of its narrative, but where is the Creator? -
The Best and Worst of Human Nature in Godus
Peter Molyneux's new game looks to shed light on human nature. -
How Mirrormoon EP Gives the Player Dominion Over Creation
MirrorMoon EP is the rare game that respects the player's intelligence. -
What I Learned about Parenting from Shelter, a Game About Badgers
M. Joshua Caller played Shelter and discovered he would make a horrible single-mom who is also a Badger. -
Welcome to the Neighborhood: An Amateur Plays Divekick
Divekick opened Jordan's eyes to the joy of fighting games. -
“You Must Understand Them First”: Gamechurch Interviews “Hate Plus” Developer Christine Love
"If you are to love your neighbor, you must understand them first." -
Memento Mori: How a Flash Game Reminds Us of Our Mortality
Steven Sukkau delves headfirst into that inhuman reality we all fear the most: internet comments. Then he learns about death. -
Hate Plus: The Foolish Man Built His House Upon Hate
"What we can't do, long-term, is define ourselves merely by what we're against. We as people cannot continue forward if we cannot learn to love and trust." -
Brothers: It is Not Good to Be Alone
Brothers is a beautifully understated and unique platformer about the value of relationships. -
In “Papers, Please,” Empathy and Morality Collides With Desperation and Obligation
Sometimes, winning feels like selling out in the worst way. -
A Game That *Might* Make You a Better Christian
Our editors played A Game For Good Christians and share how uncomfortable it made them as well as the lessons they learned playing. -
Penny Arcade and the Terrifying Burden of Free Speech
Patrick Stafford looks at the Penny Arcade "Dickwolves" controversy and asks us to consider the responsibility that our freedom of speech entails. -
Reforming the Conquistador in Gone Home
Josh tried to play Gone Home the same way he plays most every first person game but something changed in him as he played. -
“Everything Ripples Out”: Gamechurch Interviews “Redshirt” Developer Mitu Khandaker
Redshirt, "a social networking simulator" is the first of its kind. Our Managing Editor chats with the game's developer about her core beliefs and ideas. -
All For Naught: The Cost of Redemption in The Last of Us
Ayk Iano explores the cost of redemption in The Last of Us. -
“Not Spiritual at All”: An Interview With Gone Home’s Steve Gaynor
Our editor-in-chief sat down with one of the creators of Gone Home to talk about videogames, religion, and what motivates him. -
It’s For the Children: Rogue Legacy and the Persistent Problem of Greed
Does playing for our posterity make us less greedy? -
A Game About Cancer, A Game About Hope
I will never forget the first time I played That Dragon Cancer, I was in the lobby of the Marriot Hotel in downtown San Francisco, surrounded by other game developers and journalists and yet I could not keep from weeping as I c... -
Elitism: The Selfish, Destructive Heart of Gaming Culture
Are you a real gamer? Isn’t it fascinating that one single question can conjure up a range of emotions, from skepticism to apology? We long to be a part of something bigger than oneself, but we also stoop to a level of se... -
The Complexity of Faith in Final Fantasy Tactics
Guest writer Mark Filipowich argues that Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions presents a complex, robust, and refreshing on faith--one that is genuinely rare in the world of videogames. -
Phil Fish and Our Shameful Tendency to Destroy
“I just need to shoot something.” That’s what I told my friend the other day as I loaded up some random first-person shooter I’d purchased during the Steam sale. It’s very rare that I’m actively looking for opportunities to sho... -
Space Monsters: An Audio Documentary About Six Friends, Neptune’s Pride, and Utter Betrayal
This is the true story of how six fellow writers and friends systematically betrayed one another over several weeks because of a relentless drive to control the galaxy. Neptune’s Pride 2: Triton is a unique beast, a “real-time ... -
Teenagers, Unfairness, and Developing Character in 400 Days
The following contains spoilers for Russel’s story in The Walking Dead: 400 Days and choices made in Season One. As someone who works with teenagers, I’ve heard many of them say “this isn’t fair.” Up until recently,... -
Like Risk, But Preachy: Narco Guerra is an Insightful But Limited Look at the Mexican Drug War
Narco Guerra plays like Risk, though the map is contained to Mexico, and territories are divided up into provinces. It reveals that the war on drugs can’t be won through force, adding nuance to complicated issues by subve... -
It Was Either Him or Us: Videogames and Their Stunted Imaginations
Is lethal force ever justified? The argument over whether it’s ever okay for a representative of Jesus to take a life has a long and storied history. In the United States in particular, our Churches are still pretty divid... -
Dropsy: A Remarkably Hopeful Adventure Game About Rejection
Update: The old Dropsy is dead. Long live Dropsy! Here’s the new Kickstarter. My deepest fear is being alone. I love being around people, probably more than they love being around me. I’m often self-conscious and wo... -
Managing Morality in Remember Me
Remember Me lets players "play God" by manipulating the memories of others. Jonathan Clauson investigates the lessons learned playing with such mechanics. -
It Just Feels Wrong: How Videogames’ Lack of Logic Bleeds Into the Real World
The gun goes off. My captor’s head snaps backward with a spray of digital blood. Lara scrambles to her feet, desperately distancing herself from the man now coughing and sputtering on the ground. The game closes up on the man’s... -
Doing Violence Justice: Five Harrowing Moments in Hotline Miami
When Hotline Miami first debuted, almost no one seemed to know what to do with it. Some critics remarked that it was the coolest they had ever felt while playing a videogame, while others called it a “murder sim.” ... -
Why Do We Hate Dragon Age II So Much?
Perhaps we hate Dragon Age II because it hits too close to home? -
Semi-Sacred Priesthood in Bar Oasis
There are aspects of most vocations that one might consider “sacred,” that bring elements of our relationship with God to bear on our relationships with others. Teachers, doctors, artists, social workers, men and women in milit... -
Revelations Live – Episode 8 – Side Quest[ions]
Revelations Live is great when we jump in front of the camera to talk about what WE want to talk about, but just imagine how much better it would be if we talked about what YOU want to talk about. Well we did imagine that. And ... -
Shedding My Old Self in The Swapper
The rescue crew will be here any moment now, but I am not looking forward to their arrival. They will want my swapper. I can’t let them have it. I won’t let them have it. It’s best if I start at the beginning. The first thing I... -
Dear Videogames: Sorry but I Can’t Take You Seriously
Are games at a narrative impasse? How can we take game stories seriously when the majority of what we do in them is violent? -
The Impossible Hunt for Perfection
Ian found himself a little too invested in Playstation Trophies and is forced to deal with the reality of imperfection. -
You Are What You Play: Why The Console Wars Matter Too Much
Genesis does what Nintendon’t. What does Genesis do exactly? Edginess. Symbolized by the now absurd buzzword, “blast-processing,” Sega managed to convince its potential user base that Nintendo was a kid’s toy while the Genesis ... -
What Antichamber Teaches Us About The Nature of Religious Texts
“Every journey is a series of choices. The first is to begin the journey.” This message is written in white on one wall of a black room, paired with the image of an unborn baby. This is the first message I encounter in Anticham... -
Revelations Live: Episode 4 – Xbox One Special
This week on Revelations Live, Jordan Ekeroth brought on Drew Dixon to talk about the flurry of excitement, controversy, and unanswered questions surrounding the Xbox One. They talked about the device’s used-games policy, it’s ... -
So Your Kid is a Gamer?
Are you concerned that your kid might be a "gamer"? Our editor-in-chief shares some parenting tips on how to love your kid despite their annoying hobby. -
In Journey, Death is a Gift
In Journey, death is a gift. -
Created Spaces: A Skeptic Plays Proteus
David left the Christian church a few years ago and strangely after playing Proteus he has a better understanding of those he has distanced himself from. -
Vesper.5: Straining Toward The Future
Warning: vague spoilers for Vesper.5 ahead. The days I hated Vesper.5 were best. It meant the game was accomplishing what it set out to do. On these days, I chuckled at the severe limitation of moving a single space per game se... -
Curiosity and Chaos in Don’t Starve
Josh finds his "Christian" morals being put to the test the further he falls down the rabbit hole that is Don't Starve. -
Love in a Cold Universe: A Review of Year Walk
"Year Walk is a game about love. Love that survives the most damning winter and the most uncaring cold." -
Why Games Need Grace
Why make a game, of all things, about suffering and heartbreak? Developer of That Dragon, Cancer, Ryan Green, explains. -
The Gospel and Games Journalism
Do Christianity and videogames have anything to do with each other? Patrick Stafford says they do and shares how we might sincerely make the connection. -
Guiding Lights: An Interview with Far Cry 3 Writer, Jeffrey Yohalem
"Our Managing Editor, Richard Clark caught up with Yohalem at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco ... talked about religion, humanitarianism and Yohalem's relationship with his father." -
Write for Gamechurch!
GameChurch.com exists to explore the spiritual, philosophical, and ethical side of videogames. We’re looking for writers who want to help us accomplish that goal. What do games say, if anything about the world around us? ... -
Revelations: Bioshock Infinite Special Edition
Every week in Revelations, Jordan Ekeroth sets about to unveil the top seven links of the past week, dealing with the convergence of videogames and issues like morality, religion, and the meaning of life. This week is a compila... -
Virtual Gun Control: The Best Amendment
"The Best Amendment wants the player to question whether violence is any good at quelling violence." -
Safe Space: An Open Letter to Apple About Keeping Out the Riff Raff
"Men, women and children playing games from your store are searching for escape, but they’re finding themselves face to face with.. ugh.. statements. Can we do something about this?" -
Et Tu, Levine?: Bioshock Infinite’s Tortured Relationship With Religion
SPOILER WARNING: We are about to spoil Bioshock Infinite and its ending. We advise not reading this until you have finished the game yourself. No, seriously. Stop reading. You have been warned. Bioshock Infinite involves religi... -
Revelations: Cancer, Violence, and Salvation
This week's Revelations covers violence in BioShock Infinite, Kenya's pioneer game developers, and Salvation in Dear Esther. -
Seeking the Face of God: An Interview With Cart Life’s Richard Hofmeier
Gamechurch spoke to the creator of Cart Life about religion, spirituality and the way his beliefs affect his work. -
Three Weeks in Eden: Fighting for Life in Miasmata
Josh got lost, sick, dehydrated, and scared over the course of three digital weeks in the harrowing world of Miasmata. -
Spec Ops: The Line Writer On Making Violence Matter
"When they see him they don’t see a soldier. They see a force of nature. They see death." -
#1ReasonWhy Game Church Stands with Brenda Romero
"panels like 1ReasonToBe ... give us the opportunity to acknowledge our biases, confront them, and overcome them." -
An Exclusive Look at “That Dragon, Cancer”: A Confrontation With Anguish and Faith
"That Dragon, Cancer is a confrontation with extreme empathy, a startling and heartbreaking experience that puts the player in the mindset of a father whose son, Joel, is dying of cancer." -
The Player as Artist in Kentucky Route Zero
Jake Elliot spoke Tuesday morning at GDC, chronicling the process of attempting to design mystery into the episodic adventure game whose first episode recently released, titled “Designing Mystery in Kentucky Route Zero.&#... -
All This Week: Gamechurch at The Game Developer’s Conference
"We hope that our experience at GDC will be an interesting barometer for the industry and maybe even open your eyes to the spiritual side of a medium that you hadn't seen before." -
Revelations: Religion, Loneliness, and Virtual Misdeeds
’ve been out scouting the lands of gaming, far and wide. I’ve kept my ear to the ground. I’ve read the winds and the clear night skies. At long last, I’ve returned, Revelations in hand, ready to share this bounty of games-relat... -
Depression Quest: Confronting My Father’s Struggle
Steven Sukkau played Depression Quest out of curiosity, and found himself empathizing with his misunderstood father. -
Revelations: Honoring Feminism, Mormonism, God, and Games
Yes, there is an article in here about the Sim City debacle, BUT we promise there are other good ones too! -
Forgiving the Unforgivable Sins of SimCity
Maybe it's time for a little perspective. -
Street Fighter Schadenfreude
Zach is worried that he takes a little too much pleasure in the defeat of his online foes. -
Let’s Admit It: Addiction is Not an Asset
Addiction is not a cool thing. So why are we praising games for their addictive qualities? -
We Wrote These Love Letters to Videogames For Some Reason
You know how it is. Sometimes you just love a work of art or an inanimate object or a means of amusement so much that you want to write a gushing letter to it. This does not actually happen but we are having Love Letters week h... -
I Can’t Quit You: A Letter to Game Violence
Josh likes to play violent videogames, he even thinks they're fun sometimes though he kinda feels guilty for that. -
It’s Complicated: A Love Letter to Videogames
Our Editor in Chief writes a letter to videogames attempting to define their relationship. -
Growing Apart: A Love Letter to First Person Shooter
Jordan write to tell First Person Shooter than he loves him but things have changed. -
Revelations: Games about Gods, Empathy, and Finding Answers
Hot links! Hot links! Get ‘em here! Welcome to Revelations, where every week I’m dishing up seven hot links, stuffed with videogames and the deeper things of life. Games about gods What do two “god games” show us about what the... -
Knytt Underground: The Simultaneous Walk of the Faithful and Faithless
The developer of Knytt Underground, Nicklas Nygren casts himself as the arbitrator between those who believe in an impending apocalypse and those who think of it as a pile of religious nonsense. He inserts himself into Knytt Un... -
Kentucky Route Zero: A Nostalgia for Past Aesthetic Giants
Kentucky Route Zero is all about history. Art history included. -
Stupid Simplicity: Assassin’s Creed III’s Blissfully Ignorant Failure
Sometimes, nuance and historical accuracy are sacrificed at the altar of "fun". We're better than this. -
Revelations: Playing Too Much and Too Little
elcome to Revelations, the only videogame link list that promises to make you more spiritual, or your money back! Being spiritual doesn’t mean being spooky and superstitious, it means being engaged in reality in a meaningful wa... -
The Truth Will Set You Free
Tate Steinlage explores the freedom that confession brings in The Walking Dead -
Moral Choices: A Question of Right, Wrong, and Why
We're growing more and more accustomed to moral choices in games - but where does that morality come from? -
Revelations: Guns, Empathy, and Shallowness
Jordan Ekeroth is all like "hey here are some things." -
In the fl0w of Evolution and Creation
". . . games such as these can serve to broaden our understanding of what an act of creation might be; no longer a snap-of-the-finger Sunday School magic trick, creation is a radiant and wonderful act. " -
Myst and the Art of Creation
Developers are often praised for giving players the tools with which to manipulate their worlds. By giving such power to the user, they open the door to new worlds of both creation (new maps and levels) and destruction (hacks, ... -
The Revelation of Proteus: A New Heaven and A New Earth
Ed Key & David Kanaga's Proteus inspires a vision of the world to come. -
Digital Dominion: Making Order of Chaos
Games often play into our the human desire to make order out of chaos. Does this process of exercising dominion reveal even deeper human longings? -
Out of Nothing: The Trouble with Playing as Creator
The word “okami” translates as “great god” in Japanese. The title refers to the player character “Amaterasu,” in Hideki Kamiya’s Okami. According to the other gods in the game she is a ... -
Revelations: The Second Coming of Christian Games
new year brings new Revelations! This week we’re looking at specific things (like the future of Christian games) and broad things (like the future of the gaming industry itself). We’re going to hear about games from some of the... -
Embracing the Rabbit Hole in Starseed Pilgrim
Steven keeps getting lost in Starseed Pilgrim which helped him see what he has lost as an adult. -
What A Mutilated Torso Tells Us About Ourselves
Once again, the game industry has let us down. It's the latest in a long line of last straws. -
The Search for God in Knytt Underground: An Interview with Nicklas Nygren
A few weeks ago, Nifflas Games released their first console game, Knytt Undergound (PS3 – Playstation Network, PC). While the Knytt name might be new to some, it wasn’t new to fans of the series on PC. It was a stra... -
You Must Burn: Little Inferno and Smartly Limited Choices
There is no Paragon option when it comes to playing Little Inferno. Here's why that's a good thing. -
Perspective and the Awkward Mirror
Perspective has Josh thinking about how full of himself he is. -
Playing at Empathy: Anna Anthropy’s Dys4ia
Some games have characters we related to. Others ask us to relate to others. -
Revelations: Violence, Evil, Consumerism, and Meekness.
Richard Clark fills in for Jordan Ekeroth, and just ruins everything. -
Salvation is Broken
We humans often make for lousy saviors. -
Can We Have a Civil Discussion about Game Violence?
The Sandy Hook Massacre reignited debates about violence in videogames, our editor-in-chief pleads for a ceasefire to the knee-jerk reactions to this debate. -
Beautiful Power Fantasies
Josh is growing weary of videogame power fantasies and finding himself drawn to games that empower people in a more positive way. -
Ten 2012 Games Jesus Loves (And Why)
Behold, here are ten games from the last year that are worth playing for all the right reasons. -
Human Dignity and the Bottom Line: Sweatshop
"Sweatshop shines in a sea of edutainment games that are not particularly fun to play by offering players mechanics that are challenging both strategically and ethically." -
The Sting of Death: The Walking Dead Episode 5
The final episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead explores how death seeks to take everything from us and ask what will be left of us when we are gone? -
Revelations: The Revelatory Gift Guide!
Jordan Ekeroth recommends some things you can purchase for those special people in your life. -
Being Alone Together in Nintendo Land
Will the Wii U's asymmetric gaming bring us closer together or merely aid us further in distracting ourselves? -
Revelations: A Feast of Game Related Thought Stuffs
Jordan Ekeroth shares a bunch of articles, plus a book! -
How a Music Game Made Enya Hardcore
According to the developers, Empty Clip Studios, Symphony represents the culmination of two different goals: to “feel the intensity and emotions of the song you’re playing,” and to “entice you to rediscover your own music colle... -
Life is Complex, Games are Simple
Matt Why do we do love binary choices in games? -
Revelations: Games are Dumb, Powerful, Emotional, and Scary
Jordan shares articles on the frustrating aspects of war games as well as their value. Also some helpful articles on Dishonored and XCOM -
The Problem With Finding Feathers
Rich confesses his feather collecting addiction and ends up reflecting on the things he is truly thankful for. -
Seeing the Potential in Everyone
M. Joshua Cauller plays Thomas Was Alone and comes away thankful for the diversity and value of all people. -
Thanks for the Privileges!
Steven Sukkau has a lot to be thankful for, especially the way videogames have been pandering to him for years. -
Revelations: Escapism, Curiosity and Nightmares
Jordan Ekeroth guides you to some of the best writing about Halo, Profanity, and more. -
The Boot of Lucifer
Jordan shares lessons learned from a week of murdering people in videogames. -
Hotline Miami and My Unclean Spirit
Drew Dixon plays a game that puts him through the ringer spiritually, and comes out better because of it. -
Facing the Demons in My Mind
"You can't kill Slender Man. . . . He's in your mind." -
The Demons of Pandora
Borderlands 2, when you really think about it, is a sober tail of a group of people haunted by their past. -
Revelations: The Growing Pains of Games
"There have been some real kerfuffles in the gaming world lately. This week I’m going to fill you in on seven interesting items that you may have missed in the busyness of this past week." -
The Elusive Nature of Perfection in the Unfinished Swan
"What The Unfinished Swan celebrates is that capacity of being human in which we strive to achieve a creative ideal" -
Revelations: When Games Are Life
Jordan Ekeroth offers up seven excellent articles about games. -
Dishonored: A Host of Options, But None of them Good
Luke Larsen found a myriad of options in Dishonored, but none of them made him feel any better about his cause. -
A Shovel is Never Not Useful: Remembrance in The Walking Dead Episode 4
The Walking Dead encourages players to consider the Zombies they so often mindlessly slaughter. -
Red vs. Blue and the Slacker Revolution
Does the release of The Best of Red vs Blue confirm that gamers are all slackers or is it a sign that gamers have different values from previous generations? -
FTL: Joy in Starting Over
One last explosion marks Luke Larsen's fate as his ship is torn apart. Then another explosion marks his fate again as his ship is torn apart, again. -
Revelations: Thinking Through a Blockbuster Industry
Jordan Ekeroth loves thinking about stuff. Like videogames. And writing about it. -
Mark of the Ninja: The Ninja’s Choice
Zachery Oliver reviews the 2D stealth game and quotes an old book (not the Bible). -
Gaming For Eternity
Do videogames have eternal value? -
Revelations: Exploring Videogame Darkness
Jordan Ekeroth rounds off Sin Week with seven articles exploring the depths of our fallen state. And videogames. -
The Wages of Sin in The Walking Dead: A Long Way Home
In The Walking Dead, Steven Sukkau confronts the most disturbing truth about sin: it spreads. -
DayZ: It’s All Gonna Break
Drew Dixon delves head-first into DayZ and finds himself wanting to come up for air. -
Cards Against Humanity: Our Sin in Black and White
Richard Clark reviews a card game that crosses all the right lines. -
Revelations: Gamification, Game-Induced Death, & Other Unfortunate Realities
Jordan Ekeroth scrounges up pearls from the bottom of a wondrous games-writing type sea thing. -
Thirty Flights of Loving, In No Particular Order
"The first few times that I played through Thirty Flights of Loving, I wasn't sure what to think. I'm still not sure." -
Super Hexagon and the Search for Meaning
"We can know as much as he intends us to know now, but we must lay hold of that knowledge with a healthy amount of fear and trembling." -
Revelations: Nostalgia, Violence and Hexagons
"IS THIS WHAT GETTING OLD FEELS LIKE?" -
In Defense of Dating Sims
"Hi my name is Jared and I play dating sims." -
Out, Damned Pixel!
"The more powerful I become, the more fun I am having and the more bloody pixels come oozing from her mandibles. I couldn't look away, and I didn't want to." -
Revelations: Monsters, Theology, and Greenlights
"You’re going to learn a lot about the confluence of videogames and things like religion, morality, and life from a wide range of sources." -
Sympathy and Self Loathing in Max Payne 3
"Violence brings Payne to life. It’s only by engaging in firefights that the flicker actually resolves itself." -
Sometimes I Just Want to Run
"... perhaps I can take comfort in the fact that these dead people got their just desserts and just keep running." -
Revelations: The Hot Buttons
"Each week I’m going to wade through a library of videogame writing in order to compile a list of some interesting and insightful thoughts." -
10000000 Reasons To Live
"There is one big difference that separates 10000000 from most puzzle games, referenced right there in the title. It has an end game." -
Exploring Disturbed Childhood in Papo & Yo
"... Papo & Yo's imagery reveals the distances that a child might go to escape the fear and the pain of an unstable parent." -
“Girlfriend Mode”, The Power of Words, and the Trouble with Headlines
"But sexism, racism, and other kinds of -isms don't have to be intentional to be present, and it is rarely the speaker who is most impacted by his words." -
Gods and Kings and The Greatest Commandment
"... leveraging Christianity in the service of political conflict comes more easily when we're disconnected from the individuals whose lives are impacted by that conflict." -
Searching for Resonance
"In Resonance, the narrative builds in tension as the characters come together." -
Horror and Self Deception
"Insanity doesn’t come from confronting the unknown, but rather from living in fear of it." -
The Futility of Violence in NieR
"The world of NieR is broken--damned to violence and death. My actions have only contributed to this brokenness." -
War is Hell, Thoughtlessness, and Regret
" . . . in this moment, I remembered General Sherman's words, 'war is cruelty'--I could not refine it." -
Into The Abyss
"One could consider Dyad to be a game about the nature of spirituality and our relationship with God - it is, essentially, a simulation of coming face to face with that mystery." -
Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD & Simulated Swagger
"I experienced the thrill of landing impossible tricks without any real skill and I adopted the rebellious punk world-view without any real conviction." -
Final Fantasy’s Worlds of Regret
"Are the lives we live what we've made of them, or are we simply walking down the path a higher power has laid out before us?" -
A Rabbi Enters a Quantum Conundrum
"We must never outgrow our wonder, or risk trading it for socks and sandals." -
Creating Monsters: Walking Dead, Episode 2
"We finally come to the conclusion that it's not the dead, but the living we have to worry about." -
Pocket Planes and Doing Important Stuff
" I want to resist the moralistic naysayers who constantly trot out the "don't you have better things to do?" argument against videogames. And yet, I sometimes wonder if I do have better things to do when I open Pocket Planes." -
Contemplative Play in The Sea Will Claim Everything
"At some point, our ideas must intersect with our lives as lived, but play can offer a brief reprieve during which ideas can stretch their wings before being weighed down by our biases and preconceptions." -
A Flawed Jesus-Themed Facebook Game
"It may be the greatest story ever told, but is it the greatest religious facebook game ever played?" -
Indie Game: The Movie and the Human Soul
"It’s seeing the people behind games -- their blood, sweat, and tears -- that will help people see how important videogames have become in our culture." -
Legend of Grimrock: Coddling Characters
"Legend of Grimrock is an opportunity to raise a child of sorts. To undertake the responsibility of your creation's welfare and see if you can guide and manage them through almost anything." -
Fun & Forced Seriousness in We Were You
"What Jake Elliott, a Chicago based game designer, has done is create an experience in interactive music, forcing the player to think of his game not in terms of high scores or combat, but in terms of melody." -
Are Videogames Ruining Men?
"we have discovered our holy obligation for imaginative play, keeping in mind games are only destructive and obsessive when we allow them to become that way." -
Power, Knowledge, and the Fog of War
"The world, ultimately, is finite and limited; by uncovering every last pixel of explorable area, I assert my control over that virtual world." -
When Videogame Violence Speaks the Truth
"Whatever you manage to do in FC2, its clear that the carnage you cause isn't making the world a better place." -
Diablo 3: Managing the Unmanageable
"Diablo 3 offers a series of systems that combine to create chaos - and not of the controlled sort." -
The 3 Key Values in Frozen Synapse
"Some games are a real struggle. And sometimes the reasons for that are just a little too obvious." -
Digital Loot and the Hoarder Within
"I was exhibiting one of the most annoying traits of survivors of nuclear apocalypse, I discovered I am a hoarder." -
Lust for Loot in Borderlands
"No matter who you are when there's a chance to win big, no matter the odds, your brain thinks, 'Maybe I will win.'" -
Diablo and Our Love of Loot
"We are all driven by certain desires, but for what? Do we want loot for the sake of loot?" -
Fez and Our Pixel Porn Addiction
"Fez's world-rotating mechanic plays like a rogue Game Genie that let's gives us baffling solutions to puzzles and turns our game experience into a mind-bending trip down the rabbit hole." -
Life in the Fallen World of Lone Survivor
"Lone Survivor's subtle, but dramatic social commentary that lingers throughout the game is what truly makes it special." -
Botanicula and the Beauty of Nature
"Botanicula is at its most beautiful when it is most clearly inspired by nature . . ." -
The Walking Dead and the Horror of Choice
"When The Walking Dead unveils your character, you might be surprised by what you find." -
Vessel and the Importance of Personality
"I feel about Vessel the way I feel about much of the technology in my life . . ." -
Tenacity in Trials Evolution
". . . but trials, the ones we can truly own, never leave us less prepared. Each one informs, strengthens and teaches us, until we’re the rider we could only dream of being." -
A Defense of Romance in Mass Effect
"I naturally found myself evaluating potential partners based on the whole package: family, character and chemistry, rather than just sexuality." -
The Chantry and the Church
"It is one thing to read a description of an institution, and another thing to speak to those who live under it and to interact with the institution itself." -
In The Flesh: Getting Personal at GDC
"When I couldn't hide behind clever turns of phrases or the selective authenticity associated with social networks, there was still a group of people who jumped at the chance to be a part of my life." -
Community and Competition in Starcraft
". . . the real problem with our competitive gaming isn't the games themselves, but the nature of the communities that we are building around the games." -
PAX, GDC & the Necessity of Convention
"With PAX East coming up, I've started thinking about the value of physical, in-your-face human contact." -
Personal History & Possibility in Journey
"It's not a story about a man on a Journey. It's our story. It's your story." -
The Difficulty of Describing Videogames
"Let's be honest, those of us who love games tend to talk about them in ridiculous ways." -
Understanding The Carjacker: What a Privileged Player Learned From GTA
"If Niko is a stereotype of a Slavic thug, I am stereotypically opposite." -
Games, Video Games, & Videogames
"Here at Gamechurch, we talk about the medium of videogames." -
Killing Without Conscience
"If you take away any doubt of an enemy's humanity, how can we begin to address the moral complexities of what we actually spend most of our time doing on screen, namely killing?" -
Controling the Insanity of Asura’s Wrath
Review: "Cyberconnect2 have created something greater than the sum of it's parts: an anime you can be a part of." -
On Being Lost in Where-is-My-Heart?
A Review: Where-Is-My-Heart? is a game about finding home. -
The Idealistic World of Videogame Pacifists
". . . playing as a peaceful monk served to further highlight what I was, in actuality, doing: . . . merely playing a game." -
Shame and Empathy in the World of Goo
"By the end, the similarities between the World of Goo and our world are clear. We are all products of a culture that uses and manipulates its people." -
Why Side Quests Matter
"Sometimes it feels like I'm stuck in a side-quest, forever collecting bear pelts for inn keepers when I should be hunting dragons." -
Remembrance in Kingdoms of Amalur
Review: Why elements of the past are often best kept within our memories. -
On Love and Play in Rayman Origins
Playing Rayman Origins with My Wife Was Almost Like Playing An Entirely Different Game -
Debris and Delight in Dustforce: A Review
"Dustforce reminded me that it is foolish to think that we can cleanse the world on our own, but it is more foolish to think we shouldn't try." -
Dear Esther & the Blessed Curse of Loneliness
Review: In Dear Esther, loneliness is a virtue and a curse. -
Love and Videogames
A Valentine Plea for More Meaningful Romance in Games -
Arkham City and Seamless Storytelling
"if games are ever to provide us with enduring narratives their stories must lend credibility to their mechanics and vice versa." -
Creation and Enchantment in Trine 2: A Review
"In a medium where destruction is often the means to success ... advancing through creation is a refreshing change" -
Reconsidering Violence in Far Cry 2
"Far Cry 2 is the rare first-person shooter that is willing and able to call into question the value of shooting first and asking questions later." -
The Surprising Nature of Evil in Skyrim
"This moment in Skyrim reminded me that I can't save the world by charging into haunted houses or assassinating tyrants." -
Rapture and the Art of Story
When games rely solely on exposition to carry their narrative, they are telling us our actions don't matter. -
The Art of Story in the Binding of Isaac
How the Binding of Isaac tells a brilliant story in an unconventional manner -
Why the Best Games are the Unsettling Ones
Could it be that some of the games that trouble us most are actually the most meaningful? -
Redemption and Restoration in Bastion
"Your enemy isn’t a person, it’s the state the world is in--you don’t win by conquering it, you win by reversing it." -
Skyrim’s Personal Deities
When games take on religion, it is usually from a cultural standpoint. Games like Fallout, Dragon Age, or Red Dead Redemption tackle religion’s influence on culture but they don’t actually tell us much about any par... -
5 Things the Videogame Industry Needs to Stop!
After one of the gaming industry’s most successful and critically acclaimed years, Robert Rash reflects on things that the industry needs to stop–for the sake of it’s fans and their sanity. 1. The More Enemies... -
SOPA, Videogames, and Internet Ignorance
The following was submitted by Robert Rash. Editor’s Note: The following represents the views of the Robert Rash and not necessarily the views of Gamechurch. I was once a Political Science Major. In fact, I was 4 classes... -
Controlling Horror in Rise of Nightmares
Control is often something we take for granted in games. We expect it to be fluid and when its not, we feel cheated. I find this intriguing because in actuality there is very little in our lives that we have complete control ov... -
When Music Makes a Game
Super Brothers: Sword & Sworcery EP would be a lousy game were it not for its stunning sound track. I mean that as the highest form of flattery. I think too often videogames tend toward stunning visuals at the expense of th... -
2011 in Review
We will soon have our own top 10 list of the best games of 2011 but until then I thought I would share some great lists and reads on the year that was 2011. End of the Year Lists Worthy of Your Attention: Kill Screen Magazine h... -
My Most Disappointing Game of 2011
This article originally appeared in When Games Matter, a column that can be read weekly at Christ and Pop Culture. Now that 2011 has come to a close and many of the year end lists are already out, I thought I would share my mos... -
Why I Passed on Modern Warfare 3
This article originally appeared in When Games Matter, a column that can be read weekly at Christ and Pop Culture. Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, claims that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the most financia... -
Skyrim as Religious Experience
Mist pours out from the many cascades of a majestic mountain river, steam hovers over the water in the river’s calmer places, and the wind blows drifts of snow across my path. Before me stands “The Throat of the Wor...
You Should Play: The Yawhg
A dark threat is imminent. The Yawhg is coming. Tales have long been told of its destructive force. Impending doom draws near. Gather your friends and conduct yourselves accordingly. You have six weeks until the Yawhg arrives, and certain choices need to be made during that time. Many games offer you the chance to save […]
In Videogames, Losing Sucks
If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated after losing your 10th team deathmatch in a row because Game X’s matchmaking system has some vendetta against you, and if you’ve ever wished there was some way to enjoy the thrill of games without having to constantly fight the urge to rage-quit, you aren’t alone. Quintin Smith left […]
Violent Games are Gonna Hurt You for Real
Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku recently wrote about an interesting study on violent videogames: In a ground-breaking new study, Professor Dong Wong Cho, who hails from a college in South Korea, has put his very life on the line to save you from videogames. But it’s not your mind he’s worried about, it’s your very […]
Revelations Live: Episode 2
Last night I was joined by our dashing editor-in-chief, Drew Dixon, to talk about videogames, the meaning of life, and other light, fluffy topics. After the fiasco of our first episode, where Drew was unable to join the chat, leaving me to monologue for some twenty minutes, we got out act together and things ran […]
Better Late Than Never: Australia Adds R18+ Videogame Rating
Until recently the Australian gaming population has been suffering under an iron fist of censorship in the gaming industry. Games like Grand Theft Auto and God of War were either censored or banned outright for any content that exceeded their 15 rating, meaning most gamers either pirated the american versions or simply went without. But […]
Introducing Revelations LIVE
Introducing Revelations LIVE. For the first time in the history of Gamechurch, we’ll be streaming a live video event that will bring you the week’s best and freshest insights on the convergence of videogames and issues like morality, religion, and the meaning of life. Tonight at 5PM Pacific / 8PM Eastern, I’ll be joined by […]
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Scoutzor on CS:GO
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Gaems // PAXEAST 2013 // Gamechurch.com
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10 Minutes of: Divekick | Gamechurch.com
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The Yawhg - We're Playing It
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ThanksGaming
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Revelations Live - Episode 10 - Hollyanne Setola
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Revelations Live - Episode 1
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Revelations Live - Episode 9 - Gabe Patillo
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PAX EAST 2013 // The last of Us // Gamechurch.com
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Revelations Live - Episode 8 - Side Quest[ions]
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ThanksGaming
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Revelations Live - E3 2013 Wrap Up
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Videogame Missionary: April-Lyn Caouette
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E3 Time Lapse
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DuckTales Remastered // PAX East 2013 // Gamechurch.com
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Revelations Live - Pre-E3 Special
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The Elder Scrolls Online // PAXEAST 2013 // Gamechurch.com
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Revelations Live - Episode 5
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ThanksGaming
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Revelations Live: Episode 4 - Xbox One Special
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ThanksGaming
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Revelations Live: Episode 3
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ThanksGaming Fundraiser
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Revelations Live: Episode 2
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Casual GW2 Leveling w/ Gannon.
