Journey of Jesus: The Calling
Journey of Jesus: The Calling is a browser game developed by Lightside Games. It was released as a Facebook browser game.
| Journey of Jesus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Lightside Games |
| Publisher(s) | Lightside Games |
| Platform(s) | Browser |
| Release | May 15, 2012 |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
In Journey of Jesus, the player takes the role of Jesus Christ, performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water.[1]
Development
Journey of Jesus: The Calling was developed by Lightside Games. Self-described as the first-ever video game about Jesus Christ, Lightside's CEO Brent Dusing wanted players to “walk in the Messiah’s steps, in an authentic experience of Israel in Christ’s time.”[1]
The game was released on May 15, 2012. The same day, Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo 3 was also released. Lightside acknowledged the timing by having an image of Jesus fighting Diablo in a boxing ring on "Journey of Jesus's" Facebook page.[1]
Reception
The game was praised by Christian leaders. Darrell L. Bock, research professor at the Dallas Theological Seminary, said the game would take players closer to Jesus in a "fun, reflective and entertaining way".[2]
Kotaku's Luke Plunkett called the gameplay of the game "horrific" due to its emphasis on microtransactions, which in his view was antithetical to the idea of the game.[3] He commented that it squandered the potential of the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, as an "amazing story".[3]
References
- Newcomb, Tim (May 15, 2012). "'Journey of Jesus': The First-Ever Messiah-Based Video Game?". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- Fox News Staff (May 15, 2012). "Video games about Jesus, the devil released on same day". Fox News. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- Plunkett, Luke (May 16, 2017). "Don't Travel Through Hell, Play With Jesus Instead". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved July 29, 2017.