New release has critics
By John Chadwich
(Hackensack, N.J.) Record
HACKENSACK, N.J. - The story takes place in a time of violent upheaval, with humanity divided into three groups: Christians, the forces of Satan and everyone else.
The Christians' mission is simple: defeat the bad guys and convert as many people as possible to Christianity. This apocalyptic story line, some Christians believe, is prophesied in the Bible. Now they're bringing it to a toy store near you.
Next month, a California company will release Left Behind: Eternal Forces a computer video game aimed at teenagers. In it, Christians battle the forces of the Antichrist on the streets of a smoldering, war-ravaged New York City.
Based on the successful Left Behind book series, the game enlists players in a virtual version of the battle between good and evil. Players can fight on the side of the Christian ``Tribulation Force'' or join the Antichrist's ``Global Community Peacekeepers'' -- a thinly veiled reference to the United Nations, critics say.
To win, the Christian side must recruit converts, set up bases and train combat units. As in other real-time strategy games, players use violence -- including modern military weapons -- to vanquish enemies.
The game will be distributed to major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, said a spokesman for Left Behind Games, which developed the game.
Except for a truncated demonstration model, the game has been largely unavailable to the public. But accounts of its content have stirred up scattered outrage and debate, mostly on Christian Web sites.
One prominent opponent is Florida lawyer Jack Thompson, a veteran critic of video games who said Eternal Forces promotes an us-against-them mentality that has little to do with the Gospels' themes of love, reconciliation and sacrifice.
``If the people making the game were really concerned about growing moral Christians, they would encourage kids to do their homework, study their Bibles and stop wasting time on a game like this,'' Thompson said.
Company executives said players can choose to use violence, but their actions carry consequences. They said players lose points through indiscriminate killing, eventually causing recruits to defect.
The game received a ``Teen'' rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, meaning that it's deemed suitable for ages 13 or older.
Original Source