Joseph's Story 2.0 ~ A 3d style "lesson game"

September 2009
Sunday Software just released Joseph's Story CD version 2.0. Our first version was a lot of fun, but had some technical issues, and it took too long for the average Sunday School class to play. So we committed to completely rebuilding the game. Version 2.0 is richer in detail, has tighter code, and its game fits in the average length of a Sunday School class.

www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph

We call it a "lesson game" to differentiate it from the 20 level 3d shoot'em ups that have plagued this category of Christian software.

By "lesson game" we mean: the focus is on teaching the story and the story's meaning, and not on whacking things or solving puzzles.

To be sure, Joseph's Story 2.0 IS FUN, but not in the typical "first person shooter" way that most associate with 3d style software of this genre. Rather, Sunday Software is using 3d game engines to travel through a story landscape, and teach the story's meaning in an engaging "adventurous" way.

Robin, the main character in Joseph's Story 2.0, does get to blast a few spiders in the opening level. But the rest of her adventure consists of finding her way through the "ruins of Joseph's Egyptian Palace" ...found beneath the sands of Egypt by her Grandfather, Sir Dabney MacTavish. Sir Dabney acts as a guide in the game, teaching Robin about key parts of the story.

The "game" part of the content consists of discovering parts of the story, following through on instructions, and finding your way through mazes. Kids love "playing through" a story like this.

The CD's storyline is that "the ruins were created by Joseph to teach his story to future generations." When Robin falls through the well, it's a bit like going down the rabbit hole. The ruins begin to think that SHE is Joseph.

After being sold to Potiphar, Robin finds herself by the pool and Potiphar's wife. The guards arrest her as she approached the wife, and Robin is thrown into prison, until her grandfather comes let her out. Afterwards, she must find the baker and cupbearer, meet Pharaoh and interpret his dream, and find the Cup of Benjamin, --which unlocks a scene at the end where Robin can talk to 3 of Joseph's brothers.

For more details, go to www.sundaysoftware.com/joseph

Review: Bongo Loves the Bible

Bongo Loves the Bible CD is a "Bible Knowledge" 3D adventure game from Sunday Software. We made it to fill a HUGE hole in the Christian software offerings: a game "about" the Bible that wasn't just a pile of Bible trivia. read more about it at (www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo)

Question: How many priest did Saul kill at Nob?

Answer: Who cares. Knowing this isn't going to make you a better Christian!

Rather than trivia, we created 80 questions "about the Bible" that we thought every older elementary students and young teen SHOULD know the answer to. Bongo's four level Bible game has questions like: "What does the word 'Gospel' mean?" and "What were the names of Abraham's two sons?" and "Which book of the Bible is a collection of poems and lyrics?" We researched our 80 questions using a number of "about the Bible" curriculums and books published by a number of denominations. The 80 questions are split into four levels. Bongo runs through the

But Bongo Loves the Bible CD doesn't stop there. Also included is a game about the Books of the Bible.. where Bongo must jump on them in the correct order to cross a canyon and win the treasure chest.

Bongo Loves the Bible CD also has a game about "How the Bible Came to Be" (great for Confirmation classes), and yet another game about "How does the Bible describe itself?" ...light, lamp, treasure, etc.

All these games take place in a 3d environment. Students navigate Bongo through jungles and caves and canyons using their keyboard. Bongo is occasionally chased by Surf Mummies and Bongo-eating plants, which he can repel by slingshotting bananas at them!

Some older gamers will think the game is too easy, and it probably is. We made it for play in a church environment where, on average, students only have 40 minutes of class time to use the computer. We also made it to run on older Windows 98/Me/XP computers... which is the typical kind you'll find in a church or kid's home computer in their bedroom.

For more info go to www.sundaysoftware.com/bongo

<>< Neil