The Salty Peanut Gallery

My son loves Guitar Hero. He and his friends play for hours on their Xbox 360 gaming consoles. On occasion he has invited me to join him. I’ve tried to explain to him that I do it for real every Sunday morning. Why would I find playing a pretend plastic guitar even remotely entertaining? Still I understand the popularity of the game. Who doesn’t imagine what it would be like to be a rock star?

On the other hand it is also true that some Christian households find the idea of celebrating worldly music a troubling thing. It’s for that reason that Digital Praise® Inc, the leader in Christian-themed, family-friendly entertainment software, has just released a new inspirational PC guitar game, Guitar Praise™. Here’s what the Digital Praise press release has to say:

Guitar Praise lets players act out their dreams of leading a rock band by playing along with their favorite Christian rock tunes.

As players shred through their guitar solos, Guitar Praise records high scores per song. New songs, in sets of five, are unlocked along the way to keep the player’s interest. By tilting the guitar, players can activate spinner bonuses; as they increase their skills they can earn new onscreen “guitars” with richer sounds and different effects.

Tom Bean, President and CEO of Digital Praise, Inc. explains:

People love the console guitar games on the market, but many would like more family-friendly songs and graphics. Guitar Praise gives kids, families and youth groups the play features they like best, plus some new twists as well as the best Christian rock titles out there today. Guitar Praise can be an exciting group event. Having the lyrics onscreen reinforces the positive messages present in Guitar Praise’s roster of songs, and allows everyone to take part in the game.

Sounds like Digital Praise has come up with a real winner, which got me to thinking. If a Christian version of Guitar Hero is such a great idea, maybe someone should come up with a Christian version of other popular video gaming titles. Here are some possible suggestions that I think could really catch on:

The Sims: Church Life – Create believers, design their worship centers and help your Sims fulfill their aspirations for a spiritual life-or neglect their needs and see what happens!

Final Fantasy: Left Behind – The church has been raptured and Rayford Steele has been left behind. Help guide him through a world without God’s people!

Grand Theft Auto: Restitution – Play a newly converted gangster as he returns to the neighborhood in a quest to give half of his goods to the poor and return fourfold all that he has stolen.

Resident Evil: Faith Healing – The outbreak has begun. You have only moments to spare before Raccoon City erupts into complete virus-infested chaos. Play the part of a faith healer against crushing zombie hordes!

Maybe you have an idea for a Christian version of a popular game. What Christian games would you like to play?