Finding God in Video Games

In this episode of "Ministry Spotlight", we are getting to know more about  @CleanFiction  magazine and how Amy uses this incredible platform to support independent authors with gaining visibility to their work, shares valuable insights on her creative process, and demonstrates how our faith in Christ and a love of fiction can not only co-exist, but intertwine! #fiction #fictionwriting #...

If you had told me years ago that the act of watching other people play video games would become an industry that is worth over $3 billion dollars annually and growing, I would have never believed you. It just sounds like such a crazy idea… a crazy idea that has changed the world of video games forever. From televised competitions for elite players who compete for fame and fortune to the humble ga...

In this episode of "Ministry Spotlight", we are learning more about our friends at Anilujah Podcast and how they are combining their love of animated films across many different genres with their passion for the Lord! Join us for our discussion and please follow them for more of their content each week! #christianvideos #christianpodcast #christianpodcasters #christianpodcasts #anime #an...

Let’s do a quick exercise. If you are currently playing through a video game raise your hand. If you are ALSO playing through another game simultaneously raise your other hand. If IN ADDITION to those two games you have yet ANOTHER game in the queue that you are still messing around with raise another hand. And finally, if those games are on different video game platforms raise just ONE more hand....

Three of my LEAST favorite words to see on a video game screen are "Loading... please wait". Join us as we take a look back at some of our least favorite parts of the gaming experience... those loading screens and download bars that often break up the action but are performing functions behind the scenes that make the entire game experience better. While enduring them is rarely "fun...

Origin stories. They are not only an expectation, they are practically a rite of passage. If you want to get to the part of the game where your character can execute their coolest moves and demonstrate the abilities you saw and drooled about in all of the game trailers, then you better buckle up for a long ride because the person you will start the game as is rarely that person. They tend to lack...

"Co-op gaming" is one of our deepest passions, but playing together in this mode also adds ONE more variable when trying to take on an incredibly challenging platforming title such as Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. Join us as we take a look back on the challenges of navigating not only this classic co-op game, but the reality that many times in life we will need a co-op partner to get us t...

From their home consoles to their portable gaming juggernauts, Nintendo currently stands without equal as the longest running entertainment company in the video game space. For over 130 years, Nintendo has had their eyes firmly focused on delivering relevant gaming content with entertainment options that are both affordable and portable. No… that wasn’t a typo. The Nintendo company that we all kno...

DC fans, let me apologize in advance for offending those of you who adore Krypton's most famous son....but, personally I am not Superman’s biggest fan. Nothing against those of you whose heart swells every time you hear his theme, but for me everything just seems to come a little too easy for the son of Krypton. He lacks both the pathos of Batman as well as the humanity of the Flash. Lois Lane...

The surge in popularity of class-based games such as Overwatch and Apex Legends and the continuing dominance of titles like Team Fortress and League of Legends has brought the age-old concept of building a perfect team into the limelight… these class-based games allow participants to choose roles that are better suited to their play style as tank-like warriors, range-focused fighters, nimble assas...

Not every game can stand the test of time. Don’t believe me? For every Super Mario Bros. or Legend of Zelda that looks and feels just as solid as you remember it, there are those other poor monsters that simply were not meant to enter into this millennium. Go ahead and dig that old PS1 out of the garage and give that old copy of Bubsy 3D a try. But the original Metal Gear Solid is, well, not to be...

Overwatch 1 is gone… the game that became a standard in esports competition and redefined team-based shooters for a generation of gaming fans has been wiped off of the face of the earth, never to be played again. When the inevitable sequel was first announced, the impact it would have on the first game wasn’t fully understood… most of us probably assumed these two titles would peacefully co-exist...

I may be in the minority here, but of all the conflicts that have existed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have found the interplay between the heroic Thor and his trickster younger brother Loki to be the most human and compelling. And it's more than just the classic "brains vs. brawn" or "sibling rivalry" aspects of their conflict that make their relationship so interes...

The time has finally come to say goodbye to the world’s most well-known Pokémon trainer… Ash Ketchum. After 25 years of leading the Pokémon anime series as the leading protagonist and face of the franchise, Ash has finally achieved his dream of becoming “the very best, like no one ever was”. With his (and Pikachu’s) victory in the Pokémon World Coronation Series Masters Tournament, Ash has proven...

Branding is an exceptionally powerful part of the gaming medium, and licenses have either succeeded or failed many times simply due to the effectiveness of the marketing campaign and a catchy title. The console side of the business is no exception, and over the years we can really gain a lot of insight into both the mindset and the future of a company by how they choose to identify their signature...

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Seriously, we are going to spoil the daylights out of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series… so if you have not watched the series through to completion, please proceed at your own peril. The most difficult part of watching this series was witnessing the complete disconnect of Obi-Wan Kenobi from “the force”… this was most certainly NOT the Obi-Wan Kenobi we had grown to know and love. T...

For a short time retro gaming consoles were bigger than anything NOT named Fortnite... gamers worldwide were getting to enjoy many of the experiences that ruled my adolescent life with pixel perfect versions of titles such as Super Mario Bros 3, Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong Country lighting up high definition televisions in all of their original 8-bit and 16-bit glory. With the monstrous succe...

After three trilogies of movies as well as multiple spin-off cinematic adventures, animated series, video games, comics, and novelizations, you would THINK that the story of the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker has been told as thoroughly as any story in the history of time. You would THINK that, but it seems we would be incorrect… because we NEEDED the Obi-Wan Kenobi series to connec...

Were you there when it happened? The "Black Hole event"? If you weren't, let me enlighten you. In a move that was completely unanticipated by the masses, Epic Games did the unthinkable… they shut down Fortnite. They did what no other game, not PUBG, not Destiny, not even the omnipotent juggernaut Call of Duty could do…. they made people stop playing Fortnite. DINNER doesn’t even stop...

We DID IT!  We pushed through all of those cold, lonely, painful, Mandalorian-less nights and have FINALLY made it to the new season of "The Mandalorian".  Fortunately, I had Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order to scratch my Star Wars itch... at least for a little while.  Fallen Order is a mostly satisfying journey in the shoes of Cal Kestis, a Jedi who has the responsibility of protecting...

If you have ever wished you could take a few steps in the red and gold armor-plated boots of Iron Man, you are not alone... and there are a handful of games that allow us to live out this part of Tony Stark's alter ego.  We may not get to enjoy the wealth, the intelligence, or the other infamous pursuits of the world’s greatest “genius billionaire playboy philanthropist”, but the opportunity...

Who is on your list of the most important heroes in video game history?  Let's list a few... Master Chief.  Link.  Lara Croft.  Commander Shepard.  Bob from accounting. Solid Snake.  Hold on, hold on… let’s just back up the train for a second. Who is “Bob from accounting” and how did he make it onto this list of epic gaming heroes? All of these other gaming icons have...

Pokémon is a franchise with few peers, equally dominating the worlds of gaming, cinema, television, merchandising, and pop culture for decades.  The central theme of these games that keeps us coming back for more is the need to "Catch 'Em All",  as we amass a menagerie of unique Pokémon that we collect and train so they can defend us with their specific capabilities during our adventures...

If one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, then it may be possible that a game that one of us would truly enjoy may simply suffer from negative press and poor ratings from those who don’t share the same taste in games.  And as a case in point, I would like to present to you, in all of its jumbled and unappreciated glory, the magnificence that is... Sneak King.    &nbsp...

Faith-based video games are not terribly common in the marketplace, as they face a massive number of unique obstacles. The gaming community is a challenging place for ANY new IP to find space amongst the larger publishing companies... but the difficulties inherent in making a game that is truly fun and compelling while STILL remaining consistent with Christian values are on an entirely different d...