Traditionally, the American video game industry has been very skittish about producing games with overtly religious content. It may have something to do with not wanting to offend, avoiding any appearance of proselytizing, and maintaining appeal across cultures.
We know, for example, that in the 1980s, Nintendo of America had a strong policy against the use of religious iconography in NES games. Items such as crucifixes, which commonly appeared in Japanese versions of the games (think Castlevania), were often censored or changed for American audiences.
I think the industry's reluctance to embrace religious games is unfortunate, because while I am not a religious person, it is obvious that religious belief plays a big part in American daily life, and very few games have deeply explored those concepts. It's a big blank spot in the cultural tapestry of video games. I am fascinated by all cultures represented in video games, and I think game creators should feel free to explore those spaces without censorship.
In the slides below, we're going to look at seven retro computer and video games with strong religious themes. In this case, "religious themes" is slightly misleading because our survey is quite limited in scope. In studying the handful of early religious games out there, I have found exclusively Christian-themed games—which is reflective of the culture of the country in which video games were first invented.
(I have looked for retro Muslim, Buddhist, and even exclusively Jewish video games, but I have not found any yet. If you've seen any, please let me know in the comments.)
In exploring these games, we need to remember that faith is a very personal thing, and I think that video games should be a safe medium in which people can explore and express that faith—or even lack of faith—if they so desire. So consider this a cultural study and not a religious analysis.
1. Captain Bible in the Dome of Darkness (PC, 1994)
Publisher: Bridgestone Multimedia Group
You'll find lush 1990s VGA graphics in Captain Bible, a point-and-click educational adventure game for MS-DOS starring a Christian superhero. In the game, Captain Bible wields a literal sword of spirit and shield of faith against a vague and menacing cybernetic enemy. Along the way, the Captain grows stronger as he finds Bible tracts lost throughout the city. Very unusual, but also very interesting.
2. Spiritual Warfare (NES, 1992)
Publisher: Wisdom Tree, Inc.
In the 1990s, Wisdom Tree created many educational Christian games for both the PC and consoles such as the NES, Genesis, and even the Super NES. This game, like Captain Bible, takes some of the Bible's powerful metaphors (The Armor of God) and turns them into literal artifacts and weapons that can be used against the army of Satan. Except this time you're playing an overhead action-adventure game similar to The Legend of Zelda. You can even blow up enemies and rocks with Vials of the Wrath of God, which conjures up some pretty intense imagery for a religious game.
3. Red Sea Crossing (Atari 2600, 1983)
Publisher: Inspirational Video Concepts
It's one of the Bible's signature stories: Moses lead his people out of bondage in Egypt, and after meeting the Red Sea as a barrier, God parted the waters to allow them to pass.
In 1983, an American company called Inspirational Video Concepts published a video game account of the Red Sea crossing for the Atari 2600, but few have heard of it. That's because this very rare cartridge (possibly produced in numbers less than 100) remained generally unknown to collectors until it popped up online in 2007. It later sold at auction for $10,400, making it one of the most valuable games ever sold for the Atari 2600.
4. Bible Adventures (NES, 1991)
Publisher: Wisdom Tree, Inc.
Here's another classic Wisdom Tree game that appeared on the NES, Genesis, and MS-DOS PCs. Somehow, the NES version is best known. Bible Adventures contains three separate platforming games, each rooted in an Old Testament story (Noah's Ark, Save Baby Moses, and David and Goliath). My favorite of the three is Noah's Ark, which sees Noah literally jumping on top of and picking up various animals in the forest (a la Super Mario Bros. 2) and tossing them in his gigantic ark. For all the negativity this game has garnered on YouTube, I think it's a lot of fun.
5. Defender of the Faith: The Adventures of David (PC, 1992)
Publisher: NavPress Software
I have never played this early 1990s MS-DOS game, but it looks absolutely fascinating and it is definitely overlooked. This Old Testament adventure follows the life and times of David, told in various action-filled chapters with educational quizzes at the end of each. Of course, the future king's duel with Goliath makes a prominent appearance, as seen in this screenshot.
6. Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land (Genesis, 1993)
Publisher: Wisdom Tree, Inc.
Moses, always popular in these games, makes a strong appearance in a Wisdom Tree title for the NES, Games Boy, MS-DOS, and the Sega Genesis (seen here). In Exodus (not to be confused with Ultima III), one guides Moses through a treacherous field of dirt and rocks in an overhead puzzle game reminiscent of Boulder Dash—with a good helping of educational quizzes built in, of course.
7. Super 3D Noah's Ark (SNES, 1994)
Publisher: Wisdom Tree, Inc.
And last but not least, we have Super 3D Noah's Ark, a unique Wisdom Tree game that is famous for being the only unlicensed game released for the Super NES in North America. It's also well-known for its use of id Software's Wolfenstein 3D game engine, which means it might be the only biblical first-person shooter. In the game, you play as Noah, soothing wild animals aboard your mighty ark by shooting food at them with your slingshot, thus putting them to sleep. Wisdom Tree also released this title on the PC as well with higher resolution graphics, and it's just as fun.
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