Hobbies And Interests
Definition
Christian games feature themes from the Bible. They often feature direct quotes and characters, situations and themes from the Bible. They are designed to teach Christians about their faith, including passages of the Bible they may not have read before.
Secular games do not feature any religious or biblical themes. Secular games are designed to entertain people without teaching them anything about religion or the Bible. They are for entertainment purposes only.
Similarities and Differences
Often, a Christian game will be a secular game with a biblical or Christian theme added to the game. For example, the normally secular Jeopardy could focus on biblical trivia instead of more general, secular trivia. The rules could remain the same except for the shifted focus.
Differences between the games can be defined by keeping the Biblical games appropriate for all ages. Secular games such as "Spin the Bottle," where players spin a bottle and kiss who the bottle points at, would be inappropriate as a Christian game. The appropriateness of secular games will vary depending on the ages of the players playing them but Christian games must be appropriate for all ages. This avoids conflict between the teachings of the Bible and the activities of the games.
Examples of Christian Games
Websites like Christian Answers have collections of online Christian games that vary from arcade games to puzzle games. All these games teach biblical themes, such as forgiveness, or mention specific characters or moments from the Bible. Church youth groups commonly play games identifying passages of the Bible by memory or games like "Positivity." "Positivity" has everyone sit in a group. Each player says something positive about the person to the right, focusing on how that person exemplifies Christian values. Many sports can also be changed to reflect positive values by removing elements of competition and anger by focusing on working as a group and promoting positive Christian ideals.
Examples of Secular Games
Secular games have no pressure to promote Christian values. As a result, secular games often focus on heavy competition or even violent action. Websites like Mini Clip feature violent and aggressive arcade games, where players have to shoot opponents to win. Most video games are secular.
Group secular games include sports, board games and card games. The competitive aspect of sports is secular in nature. Board games focus on direct competition. Some games like "Battle of the Sexes" have inappropriate content. Secular games are not designed to be anti-Christian and aren't always violent or excessive. Many of these games can be converted into Christian games with a little imagination and creativity.