Norwegian Bible game should bring Gospel to young people
Screenshot of the game Gate Zero. The character Max runs towards the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill his quests. Photo Steam
Northern Europe
What would it be like to walk through the streets of Jerusalem at the time Jesus was preaching there? A new game will show you.
Ten employees of the Church of Norway have been thinking full-time about the question. They are working on a game that should bring the Gospel close to young people worldwide: Gate Zero.
The storyline is aimed at 15-year-olds. Together with the game character Max and his cousin, who live in the year 2072, they travel back in a time machine to solve the riddle of their deceased grandmother. During their quest, they have to fulfil tasks to find Bible verses, Vart Land writes. Max has to walk from the Mount of Olives towards the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Temple as well, for example.
Currently, only the proto version of the game has been released. In the meantime, it has been downloaded by about 1,600 people. Yet, this is only the beginning. The full version should be launched in 2024. By then, users should be able to witness the life of Jesus. The goal is to have more than a hundred thousand users, Vart Land writes.
The game will be released in four editions, developer Arve Solli says to Vart Land. The first will contain about forty Bible events. But the ultimate goal is to create the entire life of Jesus, he adds. "We don't know yet how quickly they will come out, but we hope we can do it within four to six years." By the time it is done, the game will be available via the game platform Steam.
Knowledge and understanding
The Bible game aims to reach more people with the Gospel, according to Solli. "We want to equip young people with knowledge and understanding of the Bible", he explains.
To that end, the Norwegian Church has put ten full-time employees to work with a budget of 15-20 million NOK (between 1.3 million and 1.7 million euros). This is because the Church wants to make sure that the game is of good quality so that young people actually want to play it.
"There are more than 3 billion gamers worldwide, and the game industry is bigger than the film and music industries combined", Solli points out. Therefore, he believes that games are the most influential medium in the world "for the most revolutionary message that has ever been told."
Currently, the Brunstad Christian Church (BCC) association finances the project. However, since June 6, the Church has also started a fundraiser to find more money.
Theologians
To ensure the game is theologically sound, the developers often consult theologians and Biblical scholars from various denominations. "Playing Gate Zero should be the same as reading the Bible, only in video game form. Not as a replacement, but as a supplement", Solli points out.
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