A Place to Call Their Own: The Development of the First Church of the Game


So far, as the project has progressed throughout the semester, the concept of adversarial and non-adversarial games have been expressed through the use of a Second Life avatar, several digitally remixed images, and a machinima music video. The emphasis has thus far been placed on the differences between the two broad game genres, focusing on reconciling these differences through various means. However, it is important to note that within the gaming discourse community, there are two prevailing trends. The first, expressed in the video, are the cautionary controls implemented to prevent the kind of escapist gaming that resulted in the unfortunate death of Leonen. The second is expressed in the final portion of the project: the construction of a representation of gamer culture in the form of a church.

Whether they engage in competitive games or cooperative games, gamers play together, enjoy talking about games together, and helping each other get through games. This sense of community has permeated all aspects of gamer culture, and could be considered a belief system. Gamers believe in cooperation and competition. Gamers support each other in much the same way a traditional church community would support itself.

Additionally, certain sects of the Christian and Muslim faiths have demonstrated significant resistance toward video games and those who play them. Gamers are ostracized by large portions of traditional and radical religious organizations. These religious fanatics denounce gamers as worshipping at an altar of a false prophet, and are therefore damned to join the denizens of hell or some other equally horrible place. Gamers, for the most part, do not engage in this kind of finger-pointing except amongst themselves, in much the same way religious sects engage each other in holier-than-thou shouting contests.

Given that gamers engage in many of the same community activities as church organizations do, the design for a gamer church flowed smoothly from concept into actuality. Using the basic construction tools provided by Second Life, building a basic house is relatively simple. However, the design of a gamer church has to be a blend of gamer culture, including adversarial and non-adversarial game genres. To this end, it made sense for Jacques Morrisey, the avatar created in the first portion of the visual construction project, to be the driving creative force for the design and construction of the First Church of the Game.

The basic design of the church was to be classic and simple, as the earliest Christian churches were. The walls and floor are created using the basic cube templates and given a light blue stone “skin” with a bumpy, concrete-like texture. Blue, as outlined in Kress and Van Leeuwan, is a calming color, and blends nicely into the surrounding landscape of the church grounds on Clemson’s development island. However, it still stands out from the greens and browns of the island just enough for an observer to see it.

The roof is detached from the walls by a couple of meters. This design is to maintain a sense that the church is open to all, since anyone can fly into the church through the door or through the opening between the walls and the ceiling. Gamers are free to join and leave as they please. The church feels truly open. A network of beams holds the fabric roof in place, which provides little more than shade for parishioners. The default pine skin was left on the support beams, which reminds me of the simple outdoor chapels I attended during the war. However, the canvas roof with a diamond-steel texture provides the sense of rigidity and protection most churches attempt to provide.

Entry to the church, as previously stated, is made either through the gap or through the front entrance. There is no door to block people in or out. A stair case leading to the main entrance is partially covered by the rolling hills, whose slight grade allows for wheelchair accessibility. Every aspect of the church has been built for maximum accessibility, within the constraints of the Second Life engine.

Upon approaching the front entrance of the church, visitors are greeted by the bulletin board, which details the latest church services or gaming sessions. The green line emulates the controller cable from an older style game console, and also depicts a link between gamers. After all, in the earliest days of cooperative gaming, a cable was used to connect multiple controllers or game systems together. The details of the service and gaming session are clearly displayed, with the time and date visible as well. Jacques, the pastor, consented to have his image placed on the bulletin board, though his modesty didn’t allow him to look directly at the camera. As a pastor, he decided that having his picture up would help new members identify him, since he does not wear traditional clerical garments.

Inside the church, ten pews are available for gamers to sit and collect their thoughts between services, or to chat and enjoy the company of friends between game sessions. Gamers are also protected from the elements by the simple roof, but are able to hear rain fall or enjoy the beautiful sunshine of the island.

Lining the walls are images of the dreamlike combination of adversarial and non-adversarial games. More information on these image designs is available in the digital remix portion of this paper. However, these games serve as glowing beacons of what gamers should aspire to: combining their competitive nature with their desire for free play. The images themselves were re-imagined to resemble stained glass windows with soft, angelic light flowing through them. This furthers the sense of sitting in a modern church, where beacons of true values are highlighted and illuminated to remind visitors and parishioners of the core tenants of the faith.

At the front of the church is an altar. The altar is little more than a simple table, built using blocks from Tetris. This altar embodies the welcoming, open feel of the church. Anyone is free to approach the altar at any time, and the image of the fallen gaming martyr, Leonen, will greet them. If a visitor wishes to touch the image of Leonen, the image invites the visitor to view the movie of the tragic death of Leonen. At this time, I am still working to link the object to the video’s URL, but interested parties can simply cut and paste the link into their favorite out-world browser. To the right of the altar is the father of modern gaming, Mario himself. I felt that any examination into gaming culture and the fellowship therein wouldn’t be complete without Mario’s presence.

Ultimately, the First Church of the Game serves the purpose of displaying the various subproject designs in a coherent form, as well as bringing a suitable level of closure to the entire project as a whole. Gamers have a quiet haven for spiritual refreshment, as well as a place to meet and enjoy the fellowship of their comrades. Finally, gamers are given a place to call their own, to refresh themselves, and to revel in all that makes them a community.