Is Jesus Video Game Evangelism or Blasphemy?

Technology has come a long way in the past few years, and the innovation has stretched into all types of industries, many of which have benefited mankind. The video game industry is certainly among them, and here is a new game that could spark intense debate between Christians and non-Christians in the coming months.

Created by Polish game developer SimulaM, the video game “I Am Jesus Christ” is a historical, open-word simulation game where you can, as The Jerusalem Post puts it, “step in to the sandals of the ‘alleged’ Son of God himself and perform miracles, die and get resurrected.”

It also allows the player, as Jesus, to fight Satan and die “horrifically” on the cross.

“Perform amazing miracles, interact with a cast of biblical figures and travel around the Holy Land from Jerusalem to the Galilee,” reads the game’s page on the PC gaming platform Steam.

To watch the promotional trailer for the game, click here.

The game was most recently revealed at an IGN Fan Fest event. It takes players on a journey from the birth of Jesus, through his life and various miracles, all the way until his crucifixion and ultimately his Resurrection.

Some of the miracles players will be able to perform include walking on water, making a stormy sky dissipate, turning water into wine, and dying and resurrecting. There is, according to The Jerusalem Post, an “over-the-top boss battle with Satan.”

To perform these miracles, The Jerusalem Post reports, players need to “keep an eye on their ‘Holy Spirit’ meter, which depletes with each miracles—though, of course, it can be recharged.

The Jerusalem Post reports that many people have commented on social media about the game. While their tone is that of amusement, their comments could very well border on the blasphemous:

• “Hopefully, no one spoils the ending.”
• A game 2,000 years in the making.”
• “When Jesus said he would return, never thought it would be in the form of a video game.”
• As far as the ending goes, I’m just gonna touch wood, cross my fingers and hope that they nail it.”

“Nail it,” as in Jesus to the cross? You decide.

But then the game could also spark a renewed interest in Jesus and the Bible among Gen Zers, whom many have reportedly run away from the church in America’s culturally charged atmosphere.

One YouTube user refutes any blasphemy claims, saying “This game wasn’t disrespectful in any way and despite the bugs, it clearly has effort put into it.”

“I feel like it was created by a small group who’s just really passionate about Jesus,” Layla said on YouTube.

And The Jerusalem Post’s Aaron Reich wrote: “The game itself isn’t tongue and cheek. Rather, while it may have some unintentional humor—Jesus Christ shrinking to enter a child’s body to cure diseases—the game itself seems to be a serious attempt at spreading the story of Jesus and the New Testament. Each scene included in the game with each miracle is accompanied by a biblical verse from the New Testament describing it.”

The game’s prologue is already available to play at no cost, while the full game is slated for release sometime in the second quarter of this year. SimulaM is planning more biblically based games, with one centering around the building of Noah’s ark and another other featuring Moses and the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the promised land. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.