We finally get a look at the evangelical Christian RTS Left Behind: Eternal Forces. There is no look at the actual gameplay, but the audience is clear here. The missionary zeal of the people behind the book series has not dampened one bit. The artwork looks a lot like a cross between The Sims and Republic, and the use of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet as misplaced as you can possibly imagine.
I will admit to being mostly unfamiliar with the books themselves, if not the message therein. The whole Rapture/Evil World Government/Jesus’s Wrathful Return are staples of religious programming and much of the evangelical movement.
I’ve often said that I wanted a game with a message, and it looks like Left Behind could wear its message on its sleeve. This will be religious edutainment and might point the way for other developers. Will it work as a game, though?
It will be interesting to see if the option of playing as the forces of the Antichrist persecuting Christians will be a viable choice for the player. I somehow doubt that it will attract the same outcry that cop-killing has in games, though I would somehow think that religious persecution of the one true faith ranks pretty high in evil.
Yeah, that last paragraph there seems a bit tongue in cheek. You and I both know that nobody is going to raise a stink about it, because it deals with the ideals of the fastest growing religious philosophy in the Western world.
I am always wary of evangelical religion wrapped up in various media. Considering how prominent the movement is in the United States government, it’s alarming to see a doctine based on total control over the actions of others make its way further into mainstream American culture.
This isn’t to say that anyone but the curious or indoctrinated will buy LB:EF, but it’s a general trend in media that I don’t feel comfortable with. I’m sure that I could go on all day about the who’s, where’s and why’s of it all, going back decades, but yeah…no need for that. Instead, I’ll entertain you with smoke and mirror shows, full of candy treats to delight your senses!
Not really.
Yeah, completely tongue-in-cheek. I expect zero fuss about this game from the usual quarters, though I am personally intrigued by it. I’m not an evangelical, but I am a Christian so I am curious about how they will integrate the message into the gameplay.
All I have to say is,
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Thanks.