Why There Aren't More Good Mormon Games, Part 2

Here is the second part to Mark Hansen's discussion of why we don't have good LDS-themed games.

 

Mormon gaming suffers from some of the same ailments that plague other LDS oriented arts, like music, literature, visual arts, and even performing arts.  These are:

A Small and Mostly Unaware Audience

Most of the world is not Mormon.  Yet.  I know, I know, we're working on that.  Still, we haven't gotten there as of this writing.  

Of that small part of the world that is Mormon, the percentage that speaks english (the language that most of our stuff is currently published in) is steadily shrinking.  Of the English speaking Mormons, how many of them are aware that Mormon games even currently exist?  And, of that percentage, how many can and actually want to buy one and play it?

I'm convinced that this audience is gradually becoming more and more sophisticated in their gaming tastes, because more and more of them are buying more and more intriguing games.  Eurogames, for example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game), once only for a more intense gamer crowd, are becoming more and more mainstream in America. That means that LDS games have to step up to the plate as well, and (pun intended) compete.

Relatively Few Game Publishers in the LDS World

Since the audience is inherently small, Mormon publishers are cautious in entry.  There are, however notable examples when they've kicked in:  "Feast or Famine", "Warriors of the Promised Land", "Hagoth".

Games can be more expensive to produce than books, and don't usually sell as well, so it's a bigger risk for a publisher to invest in one.  And, since fewer publishers handle games, they don't seem to be as confident marketing them as well.

Game Designing Ain't Easy

Even though there are a handful of LDS artists, writers, and musicians that are pros, I don't know of anyone who makes a full-time living designing games for the LDS market.  And the time it can take to hatch an idea and take it through multiple cycles of prototyping and playtesting can sometimes stretch into years.  All done as a labor of creative love, before the publisher even hears an intial pitch.

In spite of all this, I am ever optimistic.  I've seen good games be concieved, prototyped, tested, and published.  It can be done, and it is being done!

Mark Hansen

Why There Aren't More Good Mormon Games, Part 1

Sticking with the current topic of why there aren't good LDS themed games available, today we've got a guest post by Mark Hansen. You can learn a little more about Mark from his blog: Mo' Boy Blog (here) and find out about the game he is designing, Chapter & Verse (here).

Show us what you've got Mark!

What IS a Good Mormon Game?

One of the first issues that comes into my mind is simply to ask what we're really talking about.  I mean, how can we ask about good Mormon games if we're not really sure what a good Mormon Game is?

I'd like to break the definition into three main areas.  First of all, a great Mormon game would have a good theme, that's recognizably LDS.  The concept of the game would be clear.  Second, a good Mormon game would be relevant to the Gospel in some way.  Third, the game's mechanics would have to be fun, clear, and simple.  Let's look at these concepts one at a time.

Theme

This is somewhat controversial, but I think that for a game to be called a "Mormon Game", it needs to look and feel Mormon.  It should be set in a Mormon scriptural or cultural setting, have Mormon iconography in the graphics, and generally be "about" something LDS.  That doesn't mean that it has to be serious.  It can be very light and entertaining, like "Split the Ward"

I've seen a number of games designed by church members that are just good, healthy family games.  I love playing them.  But, I don't consider them to be "Mormon Games".

Gospel Relevance

To carry on with that theme, I like it when a Mormon game relates to the gospel in some way.  The essence of gaming is learning.  That doesn't mean it has to be heavy-handed preaching, but if the game play basically breaks down to a game of numbers that happens to have gospel characters printed on the cards, then the game, at its core, is not really a "Mormon game".  It's just a game, that happens to look Mormon.

So, games that remind me of Gospel concepts while I'm playing really interest me.  If a game mechanic rewards me for making a game choice that is in line with the Gospel, that's great!  I know that I often overthink things, but I wonder about Mormon games where the rules actively reward a player who "digs a pit for his neighbor".  This makes it challenging to make a competitive game.  While there are currently some exciting things being done with cooperative games, there is still a common expectation to have a "winner".  And that's not really a bad thing.  I do feel, however, that competition needs to be handled carefully.  What does it teach when the Gadianton or the Babylonian player wins the game?

Mechanics & Game Play

This is where it gets very difficult.  This is the part where all of those lofty ideals have to get translated into practical rules and game mechanics that make it easy to learn, quick to play, fun, and challening all at once.  The rules have to make it effective to pay attention to the gospel principles involved, without beating them over your head in a preachy way.  

The game must be abstract enough to be easy to grasp and play, and yet concrete enough to fit into the theme and engage the players' imaginations.

The game mechanics must be tested over and over again, and people must push extreme strategies in the testing process to make sure parts of the game aren't broken.

I would want the game to be original, not a rebranded version of an old, non-mormon game.  Let's get creative and explore some new territory.

Now, honestly, I can't think of a single Mormon game (including the ones that I've designed) that meet all of these criteria perfectly.  I don't think it exists.  I'm not sure that it can exist.  There are probably other game designers in the church that disagree with me, and think that these ideals are not what we should be shooting for and that such a game shouldn't exist.  I'm cool with that.  I do think that these are ideals that we can work toward.

In the meantime, we can still create great games that help us all to celebrate our "Mormon-ness", and have a great time doing it all together!

Mark Hansen

Mormon Board & Card Games

Aye, Aye Nephi
Bee Attitudes
Bishop Rick
Blast from the Past: The Mormon Timeline-Trivia Game
Book of Mormon Battles
Book of Mormon Bingo
Book of Mormon Card Deck
Book of Mormon Card Game
Book of Mormon Challenge
Book of Mormon Characters
Book of Mormon Checkers & Tic-Tac-Toe
Book of Mormon Football
Book of Mormon Go Fish
Book of Mormon Jungle Journey
Book of Mormon Mania
Book of Mormon Quest
Book of Mormon Who
Build the Kingdom
The Celestial Companions Game
Celestializy
Choose the Right Match Game
Church Ball the Game
Count Your Blessings
Crossing the Plains
Do What is Right
Eternal Progression
Family Night Frenzy
Fast Sundays
Fishing for Nephites
Forever Families
Go-Spel Game
Greatest Mission is the World
How to Host the Greatest Mission in the World Party Game
Hagoth: Builder of Ships
The HearSay! Game: Book of Mormon Edition
Hold to the Rod: Book of Mormon Edition
Ironrod: The Search for the Tree of Life
It Came to Pass
Journey to Zion
LDSopoloy
Missionary Blues
The Missionary Board Game
Missionary: Impossible
Mormon Baseball
Mormon Trek
Mormon Mouthful
Mormon Sports Trivia
Mormon-opoly
Mortality
Nephi's Courage
Nephi's Knowledge
Nephite Appetite
Noah's Ark Card Games
Out On a Limb
Righteous: Book of Mormon Edition
The "Roll" of the Missionary
Search, Ponder, and Play
Seek
Settlers of Zarahemla
Speak It Not
Split the Ward
Strive for Five: Book of Mormon
Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
Temple Chess
Temples CCG
Warriors of the Promised Land
Who Am I?
Who Said...Follow the Prophet Game
Who Wants to Be a Celestial Heir