Attention Pastors of Youth,

Did you know that one third of all the people in the world identify themselves as gamers? This metric includes not only individuals from this generation, but also many who are now well into their 70s. The fact that gaming has now overtaken both the music and movie industries in terms of production costs and revenue combined is simply staggering. 

In fact, according to the NPD Group, the U.S. video game industry grew to almost $57 billion in 2020 alone, and that number has only skyrocketed since then. For something that began for many as a hobby or even as something to be shunned, gaming has now become the dominant force of entertainment globally, and has embedded itself into our culture and history. 

The Need for Christian Games

With this in mind, it’s easy to see where the attention of young adults is at – their eyes are fixated on their screens and their hands are firmly wrapped around game controllers. It’s not just digital gaming that’s taken the world by storm though – both card and board game players remain an active and passionate group of individuals who have positively affected togetherness in their families, friend circles and communities. This is all the more true when we consider the fragmentation that has been caused by the global pandemic over the past few years. The fact remains that gaming unites us all, and we can all find common ground in fantasy worlds whether they be controlled by a gamepad, a card, or dice. The only thing that’s missing now in many cases is the transformative message of the Gospel!

The Christian Game Developers Conference (CGDC) has a unique vision for the future of gaming – to take the success and popularity of mainstream gaming media and infuse it with the Holy Spirit, creating games that glorify God. Because that vision is so broad and can encompass such a vast array of ideas, approaches, and definitions of what it means to create something that honors and embodies Christian values, we’ve historically seen that individual projects rarely get the backing that they need to run the race to completion. 

The CGDC Community Game

That’s why several creators who are a part of CGDC have come together to collaborate on a “Community Game”. The purpose of the community game was to have one project, one team, and one vision to see what could be possible if we all came together and combined our separate God-given talents and giftings into one pool to not only create a game, but to create a great game! 

Our experiment was a success. Last year, CGDC released “Dreams and Nightmares” on Steam. This is a free multiplayer Action RPG that sees four modern-day friends share in the dreams and visions found in the Book of Daniel. More incredible than the adventures these friends go on as a result is the fact that the game was developed just and only by highly motivated volunteers in their spare time over the course of nine months! As you can see, the power of collaboration in the Holy Spirit is incredible.

As a result of that success, we’ve taken what we learned from Dreams and Nightmares – the creation process, team and talent management, and more and have applied it to a new game project this year. We want to let you know about Space Beastz, a music and rhythm game inspired by Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and mixes the frenzied pace of Overcooked with the visual style and space theme of the incredibly popular Among Us.

Introducing Space Beastz!

Surprise, the game is now released! Our favorite way to play is story mode, because we’ve centered the narrative message on the Biblical passage of 1 Samuel 16:14-23 where David plays the lyre to calm Saul. In Space Beastz, we’ve fictionalized this story and have added a space-themed twist! 

You’ll join the crew of David, an intergalactic music composer on a mission to bring the gift of life-changing music to the galaxy. The spaceship has a collection of out-of-this-world instruments built into it, but they are prone to breaking down if they are not consistently used. That’s right, they need human players to keep the beats flowing.

You can attempt the challenge alone or enlist the help of up to three of your friends in local or online multiplayer modes. The more players get in on the action, the more instruments will malfunction, and frantic action will ensue as you race from one station to the next, trying not to miss a beat!

Each world that you visit and play for has unique problems and preferred music styles, and the difficulty ratchets up as you and your team play gigs for increasingly powerful planetary rulers. If they succeed in pleasing the hardest of all audiences, they may be able to bring peace to a troubled galaxy. It’s a fun-filled way to experience the Bible, and Space Beastz shares the story of David and how the music he played had a positive impact on the world around him.

We Need Your Support

Please feel free to download the game and share it with your youth groups and anyone else who you feel may be interested. We believe that this game could help you engage your youth in meaningful ways using Biblical concepts, all while creating a fun and interactive environment – especially for those who love music as much as you do. We hope you enjoy it and leave a Steam review to help bring a new awareness to the idea of games that glorify God!

God bless and happy and safe gaming.