They Just Won’t Leave it Behind

One Left Behind novel wasn’t enough, so the creators made about a dozen sequels and two movies. That wouldn’t do, so now there are at least two prequels on the market.

What’s next, you ask? Newsweek reports that the Left Behind: Eternal Forces video game is due in the second half of this year:

The game revolves around New Yorkers who are “left behind” after the rapture. Players scour the streets for converts, training them into a work force to feed, shelter and join a paramilitary resistance against the growing forces of the Antichrist.

Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon, whose company went public in February, says the game’s Christian themes will grab the audience that didn’t mind gore in “The Passion of the Christ.” “We’ve thought through how the Christian right and the liberal left will slam us,” says Lyndon. “But megachurches are very likely to embrace this game.” Though it will be marketed directly to congregations, Forces will also have a secular ad campaign in gaming magazines.

Yeah, sounds like loads of fun. I’m not much of a gamer, but I’d take Call of Duty or Medal of Honor any day over this. My prediction: the game will belly-flop harder than the Left-Behind movie and the remaining unsold copies will mysteriously vanish.

What’s more disconcerting than an inane video game is Troy Lyndon’s notion of the megachurch as a market.

2 thoughts on “They Just Won’t Leave it Behind”

  1. In my view, the world gives so much credibility to Newsweek. The author of the article has apologized for his inaccurate statements. And although inaccurate information could generate more press for us, I’d prefer to share the truth of our game for those who read you column.

    Let me reassure you that our AAA quality game has been in development for more than 3 years with developers on 4 continents.

    Having been the original developer of the first 3D Madden Football, and numerous other games since, you can bet the quality will be great.

    I spent 7 years serving in the ministry with one of the largest Christian ministries in the world. It was there that I learned the importance of partnering with more than 1500 organizations to perpetuate the Gospel, while doing our best to keep ‘eternal thinking’ far above ‘devisive’ religious talk.

    But mostly, I’ve come to respect others free choice and recognize that the Gospel message is devisive and offensive to others.

    Therefore, what you can expect from our game is not a specific religious doctrine. But instead, a game that encourages gamers to think about what might happen when we die in a manner that is intelligent, while playing a great RTS. It’s got to be better for our world than a lot of other games out there.

    And in this way, I’m hopeful your readers will wait and see the game before jumping to conclusions.

    Thank you,
    Troy Lyndon
    Chief Executive Officer
    Left Behind Games Inc.

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