12.06.2010
Analysis by: Emily Greenquist
Heaven: The Game
For the inception of gamesagogo, I immediately knew which game to highlight first – “Heaven: The Game” – I liked the idea of a non-religious gamer speculating on a religious game that speculates on gamers.
The Premise:
As Joshua (yes, as the first act of game play, the player enters their name, and no, the chosen name does not show up in game; you are now and forever "Joshua"), the player is an astronaut caught in a fatal asteroid field, and lead to Heaven, where he must prove his worth.
Game Play:
In Heaven, the player, is lead by an angel, who directs him through various puzzles - like a guided Myst. Each completed task reveals more sections of Heaven to master, which ultimately brings fuller understanding and acceptance of the Christian way.
Game play is not complex and will not be expounded upon, as there is something more intriguing at work here, so let's press on...
Genesis Works Mission Statement:
"to create interactive games that stimulate Christian spiritual growth"
My Analysis:
Again, as a non-religious gamer, speculating on a religious game, there is a lens being used to analyze here. What is to follow are personal assumptions, not gospel (pun intended).
I am assuming that the purpose of “Heaven: The Game” is to draw the gaming crowd into the Christian fold. In my mind, the content is a meshing of what the designers think gamers want and what the designers want gamers to know about Christianity.
Let's pick through the themes / evidence...
Exhibit A - Sex Appeal:
The Premise:
As Joshua (yes, as the first act of game play, the player enters their name, and no, the chosen name does not show up in game; you are now and forever "Joshua"), the player is an astronaut caught in a fatal asteroid field, and lead to Heaven, where he must prove his worth.
Game Play:
In Heaven, the player, is lead by an angel, who directs him through various puzzles - like a guided Myst. Each completed task reveals more sections of Heaven to master, which ultimately brings fuller understanding and acceptance of the Christian way.
Game play is not complex and will not be expounded upon, as there is something more intriguing at work here, so let's press on...
Genesis Works Mission Statement:
"to create interactive games that stimulate Christian spiritual growth"
My Analysis:
Again, as a non-religious gamer, speculating on a religious game, there is a lens being used to analyze here. What is to follow are personal assumptions, not gospel (pun intended).
I am assuming that the purpose of “Heaven: The Game” is to draw the gaming crowd into the Christian fold. In my mind, the content is a meshing of what the designers think gamers want and what the designers want gamers to know about Christianity.
Let's pick through the themes / evidence...
Exhibit A - Sex Appeal:
"That's right, Joshua, it's me, Grandma."
That's right, player, Heaven transformed your sweet, deceased grandmother into an a sexy angel, who literally bends over backwards to show you the light.
In my mind, the logic of the "Heaven: The Game" creators appears to be something like this...
A. We believe that typical gamers are adolescent males, interested in sex.
B. We want to convert this audience into the Christian faith.
C. By using sexually suggestive imagery, we will convert typical gamers into the Christian faith.
The creators of "Heaven: The Game" did everything in their power to sexualize this spiritual guide - tan, curvy, very curvy, see through lace, knee high platform boots, miniskirt, smoky eyes, shiny lip gloss, strands of bleach blond extensions framing a come-hither face - all are deliberate attempts to entice an audience of young males in the hopes of creating Christian believers. The sly fact that this object of desire is your "Grandmother" is the veil that excuses the cheap ploy.
The end justifies the means? Which brings me to...
That's right, player, Heaven transformed your sweet, deceased grandmother into an a sexy angel, who literally bends over backwards to show you the light.
In my mind, the logic of the "Heaven: The Game" creators appears to be something like this...
A. We believe that typical gamers are adolescent males, interested in sex.
B. We want to convert this audience into the Christian faith.
C. By using sexually suggestive imagery, we will convert typical gamers into the Christian faith.
The creators of "Heaven: The Game" did everything in their power to sexualize this spiritual guide - tan, curvy, very curvy, see through lace, knee high platform boots, miniskirt, smoky eyes, shiny lip gloss, strands of bleach blond extensions framing a come-hither face - all are deliberate attempts to entice an audience of young males in the hopes of creating Christian believers. The sly fact that this object of desire is your "Grandmother" is the veil that excuses the cheap ploy.
The end justifies the means? Which brings me to...
Exhibit B - Wealth:
This heaven is not a tranquil float of fluffy clouds and introspection.
No, this heaven (although beautiful) shines with excessive opulence, as if it were constructed at the demands of a neatfreak, rich eccentric hoarder. Everything is gilded and jeweled to a degree of plush, claustrophobic tackiness.
Again, I seek to understand Genesis's perception of gamers. Do they assume that gamers are habitually drawn to superficial sparkles? Are they attempting to sell us on the riches of Heaven by depicting literal riches? If so, we seem to be pretty shallow - do they really want us?
Conclusion:
The answer is yes. In fact, they must REALLY want us, because making a game of this level takes lots of money, time, patience, and a group of dedicated creators who collectively and individually understand the ultimate goal of the project. I would do a "Grandma" backwards flip for a glimpse at "Heaven: The Game's" Game Design Document and Art Guide, highlighting any reference to audience analysis.
I want to know for certain that my assumption is right - that the intended audience for "Heaven: The Game" was that of stereotypical gamers, i.e. adolescent males. I would rather assume that Genesis (and possibly the general public) has a skewed image of gamers that we can directly pinpoint and work towards improving, than conclude that Genesis deems it appropriate to use sex and greed to sell religion.
So, let's take the heat on this one. And why not? We do like games to have overt sex appeal. We do seek to escape into worlds that offer us boundless riches not found in our mundane existences. Let's just take the heat, and move on.
To Genesis, I'd like to say "thanks for the tailored offer, but Heaven can wait."
To the followers of this site, I'd like to say "thanks for reading, and now let's show the world the greatness that games can bring."
Play Heaven
This heaven is not a tranquil float of fluffy clouds and introspection.
No, this heaven (although beautiful) shines with excessive opulence, as if it were constructed at the demands of a neatfreak, rich eccentric hoarder. Everything is gilded and jeweled to a degree of plush, claustrophobic tackiness.
Again, I seek to understand Genesis's perception of gamers. Do they assume that gamers are habitually drawn to superficial sparkles? Are they attempting to sell us on the riches of Heaven by depicting literal riches? If so, we seem to be pretty shallow - do they really want us?
Conclusion:
The answer is yes. In fact, they must REALLY want us, because making a game of this level takes lots of money, time, patience, and a group of dedicated creators who collectively and individually understand the ultimate goal of the project. I would do a "Grandma" backwards flip for a glimpse at "Heaven: The Game's" Game Design Document and Art Guide, highlighting any reference to audience analysis.
I want to know for certain that my assumption is right - that the intended audience for "Heaven: The Game" was that of stereotypical gamers, i.e. adolescent males. I would rather assume that Genesis (and possibly the general public) has a skewed image of gamers that we can directly pinpoint and work towards improving, than conclude that Genesis deems it appropriate to use sex and greed to sell religion.
So, let's take the heat on this one. And why not? We do like games to have overt sex appeal. We do seek to escape into worlds that offer us boundless riches not found in our mundane existences. Let's just take the heat, and move on.
To Genesis, I'd like to say "thanks for the tailored offer, but Heaven can wait."
To the followers of this site, I'd like to say "thanks for reading, and now let's show the world the greatness that games can bring."
Play Heaven
Special Thanks
To: Rich Coons for the game suggestion and the dare to try to figure this one out.
I'm still scratching my head.
I'm still scratching my head.
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