Gaming for the Gospel

Mae Tacke (New Ulm, Minnesota USA)

Archived discussion

About the presenter

Beginning her education in a one-room country public school, Mae Tacke embraced new technologies as they emerged, getting electricity and phone service in second grade, through the first TV, DOS computers, and the Internet. A graduate of Minnesota State University, her interest in life-long learning centered on technology’s impact on learning. Now 81 years old, with four children, 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren, she teaches online game programming to high school students with a special interest in game-based learning to share the Gospel message of Jesus.

Introduction

In this project we take a look at the blessing of technology and consider how that blessing might be used to spread the truths of the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the use of projects and games I invite you to help in the process of making this a reality.

This will be a collaborative presentation. In doing the research for appropriate age level game programs and game engines, it soon became evident that I would not have enough time to create a project with each and all the resources available. We will start in this presentation with some foundations, and I invite you to work with me throughout the duration of this conference's discussion period to help each other build portfolios of ideas, plans, games and projects.

First we look at the concept of creating projects and games that will not only be a learning experience for each of us, but will in the end provide learning experiences for others. The following guidelines for game or project design should help us get started.

  1. Game/project design is deciding what a game should be and for us what learning will take place.
  2. There is no simple formula that shows us how to make good games/projects.
  3. Good game/project design happens when you view your game from as many perspectives as possible. (This is the purpose of this presentation.)
  4. Good design comes from thinking outside the box, exploring new concepts even though the traditional rules work and are comfortable to use.
  5. Listen to those who would be learners and users of the game.
  6. Create a map of design relationships. Look at how the objects of the game will interact to make the game innovative and successful.
  7. Game/project design is a continuing process.

  8. Learn to think. To paraphrase Confucius — "Every game/project has four corners: as a presenter I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three."

Getting Started

Consider the following as we get started:

With the Lord begin your task; Jesus will direct it.
For His aid and counsel ask; Jesus will perfect it.
If your task is thus begun With the Savior's blessing,
Safely then your course will run, Naught your soul distressing.

For those of you having the certainty of Jesus in your life, this becomes a daily prayer that reminds us that the skills and learning we bring to this conference are a blessing and supported by the One in control of our lives. For those of you less certain about the presence of Jesus in your life, I hope that this conference and sharing Biblical messages through creating games and projects will strengthen you as you share the knowledge of Jesus with others.

The Skills a Game Designer Needs

Anything that you can be good at can become a useful skill for a game designer. I have listed some of the big ones in a supplemental document — Skills a Game Designer Needs. No one person can master all of these. That is why game/project programming is normally a team effort. Not appearing on the list, but the most important, is the skill of listening. That is not just hearing words but a deeper, thoughtful listening that will drive the creativity and communication of the project. There are five listening categories to consider: Team — Audience — Game — Client — Self We will consider four of these.

Our Four Listening Categories

  • Team — The makeup of the team for this presentation is all who attend, contribute to the discussion, and collaborate in the activities presented. Each will have a voice in the final results at the end of the conference.
  • Audience — These are the users of the games and projects we will complete. Is the true message of the Gospel evident in each game/project for an appropriate age level? What method do we use to hear from them?
  • Game — The message we get from the game is in the testing. As we test the game is it playable, user friendly, challenging, and does it deliver the Gospel message in such a way to encourage the player to want more?
  • Self — I need to think outside the box and listen to my misgivings and discount any that might keep me from being creative and innovative in this changing world of technology.

Items for Corner #1

Resources: One does not need a computer to create or use a game/project. For our purposes, we will use the computer and the technology available to us to create and share games/projects that will provide a learning environment for sharing the Gospel message.

Game/Project Software

  • PowerPoint — This provides a simple method of creating and linking slides to create a successful learning game for young children. Develop in Microsoft Office, create a link and share.

  • Scratch — A drag-n-drop interface that allows for importing images and applying ready-made script to provide animations in a 2-D game project. Get a free download here. An e-book Getting Started Guide is available for download at the official site.
  • Kodu — A Microsoft product that provides easy tools to create elaborate 3D landscapes, and control the lighting and camera. Free download here. A Kodu Classroom Kit is available for download on the official site.
  • Game Salad Creator — A 2D drag and drop interface that allows you to create completely original games and applications. Images and sounds can be imported into the project. A combination of Rules, Behaviors, and Attributes jointly define how a project operates. You can download a free e-book manual. There is a free trial, then subscription is $17/month paid annually.

  • Unity — This is a professional quality game engine used to create video games for a variety of platforms. It is for those who have some knowledge of or experience in computer programming. Importing assets and writing programming code in JavaScript or C# builds on the foundation of prewritten code in the program that takes care of the fundamentals of building a game/project that exist in all games. Many assets are available in the software and online. In addition, it smoothly handles importing custom assets created in image management software and 3D object construction software. There is an online Unity manual available, and they offer free download of software for personal use.

I invite conference participants to add to this list.

Images and Assets

  • Gimp — This image management software is easy to learn. One is able to cut and paste images from a photo or picture and create sprites which can be used in the game/project software. It is a powerful, open source program and excellent documentation is available. Find it here.

    There are very few Christian sprites available, so we create our own.

    Here is an example of an image selected and copied in a new window in Gimp where it is prepared by deleting the background layer and then exported into a folder of Sprites for a project. The white background color that still exists around the image will be erased with a finer and finer erase tool brush.This camel will be used in a nativity project where children can manipulate the images to develop the nativity scene as the Christmas story is read from Luke 2.

  • Inkscape — This is an open-source professional vector graphics editor. This drawing program lets the user create and manipulate objects in the same way as Gimp or PhotoShop. It allows for originality in creating objects, and is an excellent program for creating backgrounds for 3D games/projects. There is a free download. On the Inkscape site look for Inkscape, A Guide to a Vector Drawing Program, 4th Edition under the Help menu.

  • Blender — This is the go-to open source software for developing objects for 3D game/project programming. When using a game engine to develop a 3D game, finding the right 3D object can prove to be very expensive. So we look to building our own objects, which in our case may be the only way to find objects that meet the criteria of our game/project maps. There are very few, if any, biblical 3D objects to be found on the internet, either free or for a fee. Get Blender by a free download, and check the online User Manual in wiki format, updated daily.

Mapping the Game

  • Identify a Bible truth or Bible story to share in a game or project environment.
    • Create a storyboard to visualize the game or project.
  • Determine the level of the audience (age range)
    • Choose the software that will maximize the experience.
  • Determine the level of presentation to the identified audience.
    • A completed "You Win" game.
    • Interactive participation that generates a variety of successful attempts.
    • Interactive participation that allows the player to help build the game.
  • Determine the resources needed to illustrate or demonstrate the Bible truth or story.
    • Software to be used
    • Types of objects needed
    • Internet search for free objects that illustrate the theme.
    • Create Sprites from clip art and images that can be imported into the game.
  • Design the layout and levels of the game or project (is it a linear learning experience or does the player move up when successful?).

APPLY THE FOUR LISTENING STRATEGIES OFTEN!

Let's Map Some Games/Projects

  • Bible truths or Bible stories
  • Audience to be served
  • Appropriate game venue
  • Resources needed
  • Game layout and levels

Example 1: Jesus Loves Me (Sample completed)

  • Ages 5-10
  • PowerPoint Game
  • Resources: Microsoft PowerPoint; Jesus Loves Me song text; Pictures to illustrate the theme of each slide; Audio of Jesus Loves Me
  • Linear learning experience

Example 2: The Nativity (Sample a Work in Progress)

  • Ages 5-10
  • Scratch Software
  • Resources: Scratch software; 2D objects of the Nativity scene; Audio of the First Christmas from Luke 2;
  • Linear learning experience; the scene is complete at the same time that the audio is finished.

Example 3: Creation (To be created during the conference)

  • Grades 1-6
  • Game Salad Creator
  • Resources: List of the 6 days of creation; 2D objects illustrating each day of creation; Audio background music;
  • Levels of learning experience
  • Story board required

Example 4: Epiphany — The Wise Men (To be started during the conference)

  • Grades 6-12
  • Unity game engine
  • Resources: Unity and Blender software; 3D objects of three wise men; 3D Star; 3D background of the Nativity; Audio of Epiphany music
  • Levels of learning experience
  • Story board of the game an important piece for this one

Conference attendees' ideas are encouraged and welcome! Mapping their ideas will take priority.

Two Samples

This is the link to my simple, completed PowerPoint for young children. Let me know if you can access it.

Here is another link to a project I have started in the software "Scratch." You may have to enable Flash to work with it. I am in the process of developing the 2D characters that I will need to create a simple animated Nativity scene. Since it is shared, others may add to the characters. Each figure exists in a free page of Nativity characters. I then copy each character into Gimp and remove the background so that the character exists as a 2D game object. Let me know if you can open it in your browser.

I have provided Corner #1. Now it is up to you and me to spend time over the next weeks to work on corners #2 - #4 and get a project going. Choose a theme (Bible Story or Bible Truth) and map it out for an appropriate age level, using appropriate software. You will add to your programming skills as you do this while building on your knowledge of Jesus. This knowledge opens the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to grow faith in your hearts. May God bless our efforts and our learning.


[ Here is another resource, especially for children, referred to us by Mae Tacke: From Dabbling to Doing: 6 Tools That Excite Kids About Coding ]


[ Listen to a 10-minute interview with Mae Tacke about her presentation, conducted by Andy Bates on KFUO-AM radio on his "Faith 'n' Family" program, September 28, 2016. Audio courtesy of Worldwide KFUO. ]


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Discussion

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Brandon, Ryan, Jesse, alicia (Fox Valley Luteran) 2016-10-10 3:08:29pm
Have you created any well-known games, and how many games have you created?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-10 6:56:37pm
I have not created any well-known games, My goal is to create interest in students to create games and so I am involved at a very entry level position in creating games. I teach game programming, so I have a different group of students each year. When I had the privilege of teaching students in a classroom setting on the West coast, I was able to bring Microsoft game programmers on campus to work with my students. For now I provide a jumping-off point for students to get a feel for what a game engine and computer language can do to get them started.
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Nikilette Cottini (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-31 1:46:15pm
I think designing games would be a lot of fun! I think you have a great goal to create interest in students to create games because that will easily interest them and they can get their friends involved or just spread news through word of mouth. I also liked how you brought Microsoft game programmers on campus to your classes and letting your students work them them, that must of been a great time for your students. My brother is huge into games and for a good year and a half he stopped playing and he said it was because all of the games are too similar now and they aren't keeping him interested so having your students come up with game ideas I feel is a great way to get interest out of many other gamers.
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Tanner Schieve (WLC) 2016-10-31 10:11:55pm
What about children that might not be able to have technology at their home. Some students that I taught did not even have a computer at their house. Do you think that public libraries would allow these technology games to help children that might not be able to afford the technology.
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Carl, Janice (Fox Valley Lutheran ) 2016-10-10 3:45:58pm
How would making a game like one of these examples be a good learning experience for younger people?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-10 7:02:21pm
Using a child-friendly software to create games could provide learning in a number of ways. The organization of an idea into a story or game would create the opportunity to lay out the steps, determine how those steps could be carried out and then determine what the final goal might be. Is this a game that has winners or losers; is it a game that tells a story on completion, which is one of the main concepts of this conference? The idea of understanding a Bible story, creating how that might look as it plays out in the game (which leads to deeper understanding of the Bible concepts); and, then having the opportunity to share that Bible story with others creates an additional opportunity for learning for anyone that might play the game.
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Tanner Schieve (WLC) 2016-10-31 9:12:45pm
I want to branch off of that and ask if there is anyway that teens could get a game that would help them learn but yet still be fun to play. Kids today are very into the first person action games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield but would it be wrong or weird to have a game that you are living the live of Jesus and have to go through some of the actions that he had to go through. I feel that today so many students learn visually that it would be a great way for people to learn but still have fun doing so.
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Tom Kuster (Bethany Lutheran College) 2016-10-13 6:20:50pm
Most people today, when they hear "video games," think about the elaborate hi-definition action adventures, usually involving a lot of shooting and blowing things up, on Xbox, Playstation, and similar platforms. I don't think that is what you are talking about, is it? How would you describe the kinds of games you are teaching people to make?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-13 7:16:37pm
I want people to be able to play games that provide a learning experience without competition, winning, or violence. By creating a game, a player can provide a learning experience that with be visually interactive for them as the develop the game. It will require research and developing the models, either 2D or animated 3D, that will help share the concept of the game. Their learning is reinforced and they have a product that can be shared with others so that they can learn the concepts through a visually interactive environment. This is a challenge for developing games that share the Bible stories, as there are very few resources available for models, so one adds the learning opportunity to create the models and games assets through the use of modeling and programming software. The success comes in meeting the challenge of developing the game, doing the research and developing the assets needed. There is a great opportunity for collaboration, as one developer does not have the time to do everything. And just think how one can share the Bible truths with team mates as they work through the process of creating the game.
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Brian Klebig (Michigan State University) 2016-10-14 10:26:03am
What might be an example of an objective for a player in a Christian game?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-15 7:40:50pm
The objective for a player in any Christian game is to view the intended Gospel message.
For young children the game has simple steps with success demonstrated in a catchy song on completion or an animated object rejoicing that they have met the goal. Young children enjoy repetition, and will play the game many times to see the end result.
For elementary children the game has twists and turns, with choices that help reach the intended Gospel message, with points being logged in the process. To add interest, a more complex level could be designed to explore applications to every day living, which again would have choices the consequences of which the player could accept or reject as appropriate in light of the Gospel message.
For high school students and beyond the player would encounter roadblocks to maneuver and other players or objects to convince that he/she is on the right path to the truth in the Gospel message. Again, another level of play could be designed to explore applications to every day living with roadblocks and peer pressure that would trip them up in trying to reach the goal of Gospel motivated living.
This is such a diversion from the usual competitive, win at all costs that is prevalent in gaming as we know it. I am most excited to have students, especially on the high school or college level, share their thoughts and ideas about how this can be accomplished. I want to learn from them as they are the ones that will be developing and playing the games that will share their faith.
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Judy Kuster 2016-10-17 12:18:01am
Mae,

There are some free apps for kids I have found that have nicely-done story activities, including games, that are obviously professionally created. Do you have your students review these kinds of apps for inspiration? Bible.is KIDZ (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible.is-kidz/id890527353?mt=8) is for ages 6-8 that includes stories, games, and an armory.

The Bible App for Kids (https://bibleappforkids.com) is an animated storybook app including games. A month ago they released a huge update that included a new interactive map, new story icons, and all-new story activities, including the Story Mixup game. This morning I got an email announcing their next new game: Story Memory Match.
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/web-assets.youversion.com/html-email/2016-09-bafk-games-memory-match/2016-09-bafk-games-memory-match.html)

I wish I had your expertise and knowledge for developing apps! Your students are fortunate.

Judy
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Aimee John (MLC) 2016-10-25 3:21:36pm
"we will use the computer and the technology available to us to create and share games/projects that will provide a learning environment for sharing the Gospel message."
This quote caught our attention because we think that it is a unique idea to spread the gospel through games. It isn't a topic that would usually come up in average gaming, so it's a new idea that could fail because it might not make sense to others but yet it could also offer reprieve from the general theme of violence in video games.

"Determine the level of the audience (age range). Choose the software that will maximize the experience"
How are you supposed to determine what age group to target? You could take a concept and direct it towards any age group depending on the intellectual content level.
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-25 10:00:20pm
Any Gospel outreach through the use of games could certainly fail for lack of knowledge of its value. Certainly the audience would be limited, but as the Good Shepherd emphasizes, reach one lost sheep at a time.
You could work two ways to determine a target audience. Is there an age group that you want to reach, then look for the software and resources that will give that age group the best learning experience. If you start with a concept/theme, then determine what software and resources are needed for each age level that you want to reach. For young children one would use something simple as Scratch for the software and provide a bundle of resources to compliment that software. For older age groups, one could use Scratch and its ability to create animated objects within the software. For the middle school or high school level, Unity is a very user friendly software that can provide the game engine to create 2D or 3D games and there are many resources available. However, for all of the software that might be considered, Biblical objects are hard to find, so one would have to expand the learning experience and use image manipulation software or object development software, such as Blender to create the objects needed for a given game.
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Bethany, Justus (Martin Luther College) 2016-10-25 3:22:12pm
As stated in your article, "In this project we take a look at the blessing of technology and consider how that blessing might be used to spread the truths of the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the use of projects and games I invite you to help in the process of making this a reality." We found this interesting because we'd never thought of reaching out with games. It's refreshing, especially now, to see Christian values being brought to this area that's dominated with violence, vulgar, and sexual content.

As you said in the article also, "There are five listening categories to consider: Team — Audience — Game — Client — Self", and continued to talk about four of these, we were wondering about the fifth-clients. Would it be wrong to charge individuals to use the game created? Especially if one would put their own money into creating said game. And if one wouldn't charge for the game, how could the creation of the game be funded?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-25 10:14:25pm
Clients certainly would be a consideration, especially if a team were to develop a saleable game. There is nothing wrong with charging individuals to use the game created. As for funding the creation of a game, it would depend on how this was done. Open source software, such as Scratch and Unity are free, unless one chooses to use the professional version. There is the resource or time that is required by an individual or a team to create the game from idea through completion. The value of that resource is dependent on one's situation. Does the time required to develop a game take away from being a student or working a job? There may not be an actual outlay of cash to develop a game but resources are expended. My interest in this presentation was to get Christians thinking about how we can share the Gospel through gaming. Your input and comments tell me that has been successful. Thank you for your comments.
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Aimee John (MLC) 2016-10-25 3:25:50pm
"we will use the computer and the technology available to us to create and share games/projects that will provide a learning environment for sharing the Gospel message."
This quote caught our attention because we think that it is a unique idea to spread the gospel through games. It isn't a topic that would usually come up in average gaming, so it's a new idea that could fail because it might not make sense to others but yet it could also offer reprieve from the general theme of violence in video games.

"Determine the level of the audience (age range). Choose the software that will maximize the experience"
How are you supposed to determine what age group to target? You could take a concept and direct it towards any age group depending on the intellectual content level. Is there an age group that you think would be most receptive to games focused on a Gospel message?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-25 10:24:23pm
I think one could test the waters for sharing the Gospel with games with the young age group that does not expect the action and violence that older children have come to expect in games. However, the person and author of the manuals I use to teach game programming believes in learning through games and teaches that subject at Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. He has written several books on the use of video games for educational purposes. I have just enrolled in an online course with him that will take me through creating 2D and 3D games which I believe can be transitioned into developing some Biblical games. Game programming takes time, and like preparing for a good lesson, it needs a plan. We just need to start developing those game plans around a Gospel message.
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Katy Jahns (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-25 4:38:10pm
Miss Tacke,

Your article on games caught my attention because I think this is somewhat unfamiliar territory as a means for spreading the Word of God. Your goal of creating educational, useful, and fun games without the violence that exists in so many others is an exciting thought and has the power to change the world of "gaming." I have a lot of little cousins who like video games and it would be great to be able to offer more options like you described.
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-25 10:27:34pm
Thank you for your remarks. I have a lot of little great-grandchildren who like video games and I plan on exploring and researching the resources I need to create some simple games that can be shared with them and for them to share with others. The Gospel does have the power to change the world of "gaming". Now we need to get creative and develop games that share the message and at the same time capture the attention of those who would play games.
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Heriberto Diaz (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-27 1:40:02pm
How well do you think these games will create a good learning experience for the younger culture?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-29 3:40:26pm
I think this is a good place to start with games that will demonstrate a Bible truth or reinforce a Bible truth. I also believe that the younger culture learns from repetition and so they will be willing to play the games more often without expectation of something new each time the game is played. When they are ready to move on to games with more levels of success, then the challenge becomes to build on basic Bible truths and expand the learning to application and choices while still making the game fun to play reaching to a variety of goals. This is a challenging concept, and those of us exploring the possibilities of creating these games are looking to your generation to help with some of the logistics. It will be team work to build a fun, fast paced game that still meets the core standards of learning based on Bible stories and Bible truths.
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Katy Brodesser (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-30 11:05:33am
I think this is really interesting. The learning through games and apps is, I think, a good learning tool for kids nowadays because of how dependent our society is on technology. I know when I was young, we used to play outside and now kids have tendency to play inside on their gaming systems or iPads. So if there are games or apps that are fun and have the benefit of helping them learn, I think that's a great idea!
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Javion Morgan (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-30 4:25:11pm
I like the idea of created games of this nature. It's appealing to today's generation and very relevant. As a college student who plays video games myself, I think the approach should be to teach kids without them subconsciously knowing they're being taught. A communication teacher by the name of Jane Elliot (who you may know) conducted an experiment which allowed 3rd graders to comprehend racism and discrimination without it actually happening to them. She made those who had blue eyes wear blue collars. This meant that they were less important and came second to those with blue eyes. I bring this up as an example that maybe you could use when it comes to forming and creating your games. Also, most kids learn better that way when they're learning through an experience without knowing.
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Jared Bruemmer (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-30 5:15:03pm
I think this is a great way to get children involved in their own learning process. It can be what makes children want to learn more. Have you thought about doing something involved with a Sunday school curriculum tied to it? I think some churches with more access to technology would benefit greatly from interactive games that go along with their lessons.
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Micah Kom (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-30 6:30:56pm
Jared, I really like that ideas of having something tied in with a Sunday School curriculum! I think that it would give the children a higher chance of retaining the information learned on Sunday morning. I think that if there was a matching app or game that the children could use throughout the week they would better apply and understand the message learned during Sunday school or church.
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Tanner Schieve (WLC) 2016-10-31 10:06:22pm
For students that go to a public school they do not get to learn every day about the bible and by having some sort of app or way for a child to interact with technology to help them learn but still have fun would be great. It would be a great way to teach to students, that might not get the correct teaching at home, how to become a better servant leader.
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Eden Ehlers (Wisconsin Lutheran College ) 2016-10-30 6:14:29pm
The ideas you have laid out are incredible. What really stuck it to me was was how you began. Your inspiration from the hymn With The Lord Begin Your Task is evident in your plans. It is clear that you have a firm foundation for your aspirations. It is so powerful to be guided forward knowing that God will be directing you every step of the way.
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Benjamin Gorr 2016-10-31 11:44:29am
Mrs. Tacke, this is quite an interesting idea. Most name-brand gaming systems have kids captured from 5-25 years of age. Even in the Christian home many games that are not Christian have made there way onto the computer or T.V. screen. How can we capture these kids attentions and make the games "fun enough" so they keep playing them? Also, at what point is it acceptable to start exposing children or teenagers to the real world? After all, we cannot shelter them forever. Is it better for them to find out with their parents or better to find out on their own?
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-31 9:52:41pm
Your question on how to capture kids' attention and make games "fun enough" is the challenge. I am looking for ideas to answer that question. I think games can be designed for older children that will give them choices that include real world choices and what the consequences might be if a world view choice is made as compared to a spiritual view choice. However, that presents the challenge to make the consequences in light of Biblical truths. In designing the game, the developer has to really be on guard not to let his/her own biases affect the consequences. Finding out about the real world takes Gospel oriented parent guided exploration.
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Anna Naumann (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-31 3:16:09pm
I have a lot of young nieces and nephews and every time I see them they are always glued to a tablet playing meaningless games. Reading your article really got me thinking: my nieces and nephews can play games, but also keep Jesus with it. I enjoyed your presentation on "Jesus Loves Me". I think it would grab the attention of little kids.
Having activities like creating a nativity scene is good for older kids I think because it requires creativity and some time. I know my niece loves to do arts and crafts, so the nativity scene is right up her alley. I will have to try it out with her and see how she likes it.
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Mrs Tacke (Association of Lutheran High Schools Online) 2016-10-31 9:57:51pm
It is a blessing to have so many students thinking about how we might accomplish developing Gospel centered games for people of all ages. I am inspired to keep exploring this avenue of game programming and I encourage all of you to share ideas and resources with me.
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Ryan Michael (Wisconsin Lutheran College) 2016-10-31 11:42:43pm
Personally, I love the idea of bringing games into a learning environment. Being a student for the vast majority of my twenty years here on earth it can get mentally draining at times with some of the ways teachers teach nowadays. I think bringing in new, innovative ways to enhance student learning (especially in regards to the gospel) can go a long way for how a message is taught to students. Also, I like the idea of competition-based ways of learning. In the world, there is a lot of competition no matter what aspect of life one deals with and I think the sooner an individual (teacher, pastor, parent, etc.) can get that out to young people, the better.