Objective: Assist Christian Parents in Navigating the Video Game Arena
by Allie Martin
November 1, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Helping parents make informed decisions about interactive entertainment for their children -- that's the purpose of the Christian Game Developers Foundation. The non-profit CGDF was formed to help parents track trends and to provide resources for video and computer games. Co-founder Ralph Bagley, known for developing the first high-quality Christian-themed video game, says parents must be informed and educated about video games.
"The video game industry is a dark, violent, satanic, sexually explicit place that is full of dangerous traps," says the video game veteran. "And so the CGDF is dedicated to informing and educating parents about that -- and also pointing them in the direction of some good, high-quality, alternative games."
According to Bagley, because of the popularity of video games among children -- Christian and non-Christian alike -- parents need to know what their children are getting into.
"Probably eight out of ten parents really don't understand the level of depravity in some of these games," he shares. "They don't understand that [with] games like 'The Sims,' which is rated 'E' for everyone, you can buy a modification on the Internet and modify it to be a completely pornographic game."
Bagley says the CGDF interviewed children of staff members of a prominent church in Southern California and found that 70 percent of the children had access to a well-known, blatantly offensive video game.
The CGDF has offices in Oregon, California, and Indiana. The group's website offers parental resources, articles of interest about the video game industry, and links to video game reviews by such organizations as Al Menconi Ministries and Christian Spotlight's "Guide 2 Games." The group also offers seminars for parents on topics such as "Safely Navigating the Digital Universe" and "Trends, Issues, and Options in Interactive Entertainment."
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
