Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Jesus Wants to Save Christians


What is going on?

Welcome to the wonderful world of Alternate Reality Games (ARG). We created the Citizens of Virtue (COV) game to help expand the message of new book from Rob Bell and Don Golden, JESUS WANTS TO SAVE CHRISTIANS. COV is the fictitious parachurch organization featured in the ARG. We invite you to join the hunt, solve the clues, help the Seven, and immerse yourself in the message of JESUS WANTS TO SAVE CHRISTIANS.

Click here to visit the Jesus Wants to Save Christians Alternate Reality Game explanation page. It has a message from Rob Bell, explanation of the ARG and a spoilers/behind the scenes section.

What happens in the game?

The goal of the game is to bring down the Citizens of Virtue. Players will do that through solving puzzles, performing good works, and other fascinating activities. Activity will also occur on Jesuswantstosavechristians.com and other websites, in the book itself, and other places of interest. It will deal with real organizations and the hot-button issues of our time.

How do I play?

The game is played by people around the world working together to solve clues and puzzles found on various websites and on things in real life. To start, you might go to WikiBruce. That fan site gives a clear explanation of what is going on in the game. If you want to join in the fun, head to Unfiction.com, but aware that site is loaded with spoilers. There's also an entrance point at Jesuswantstosavechristians.com if you click on "Help the Seven." If you would like to start from the beginning, read this article on Relevant Magazine and see if you can find the clues on the page.

What’s an alternate reality game?

An alternate reality game (ARG) is an immersive experience where the entire internet can band together to immerse themselves in a story, solve puzzles, and interact with the real world. ARGs have the unique characteristic of pretending they are real. Part of the fun of an ARG is to figure out what it is and how you interact with it.

Who are the Citizens of Virtue?

The Citizens of Virtue, or COV, is a fictional right-wing fundamentalist Christian parachurch organization. They are headed by a powerful figure named Pastor Bryson Grace. The COV has launched a campaign called the Seven Virtual Virtues, focusing on one of the seven cardinal virtues every week. They think they’re the good guys. Maybe they're right, maybe not.

Why create an ARG for Jesus Wants to Save Christians?

A provocative book demands a provocative venue for discussion of controversial themes. Alternate reality games have been used for this purpose by videogame companies, movie studios, TV shows, and bands, but not usually for a traditional book publisher, and not with a religious theme. This ARG explores the concepts of the war for the soul of Christianity, with virtue (lowercase "v") winning out.

Where can I buy the book?

Family Christian Stores

17 comments:

Mike Morrell said...

How interesting! I look forward to trying this out...

maryE said...

As I worked through the sites yesterday I think that Jesus wants to save the people who are on the CoV board. Just not sure how yet. I am reading the book and I go to Marshill in GR so that is what I am thinking.

jennifer l said...

This can't be serious.

Priscilla said...

OMG! What will Rob think of next? I am living in the Ludington area, a wee bit too far for Sundays at Mars Hill on a regular basis -- but I intensely miss y'all! I'll pass the game on to my 17 year old stepson. And maybe take a peak myself. . .

Anonymous said...

Nice use of creativity, boys.

-Wes

Clamatius said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clamatius said...

There's a discussion of the game here.

dongil65 said...

This is so neat! I can't wait to be part of the discussion!

Unknown said...

why does dude look like the guy from Heroes?? Lol. Sounds like a nice cause.

naomi said...

please help a christian girl.......

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes... in the new age of glutonizational informationing, where google's endless acres of servers can't even keep up with everything being added to the internet on a real time basis, I would as a product of these times throw my hat in the air to ya! Horaaaayyy! A piece of beautiful creativity to address our current religio-cultural/pseudocultural e-world thirst for e-relevance... ha ha... Actually seriously, way to go! I love the concept, and I am excited about how it turns out! Need any help? let me know.

Hammertime said...

Seems like a lot of effort to mock the local church through high tech straw man tactics. Sad.

Miss Laura said...

I'm just so, so, so glad to hear that Passionix isn't real. The first time I looked at the COV website, I thought for sure it was all real...nice detail work, guys. Definitely provocative!

:::: Travis Keller :::: said...

hmmmm... i'm not sure what to say except, "hmmmm..."

Justacogitating said...

I absolutely LOVE how you guys continue to challenge others to really think about their beliefs rather than merely saying, "don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain."

Molter Family said...

You gotta check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kNXsFfq5nk

Noemi said...

Reciban muchas bendiciones desde El Salvador Centroamerica, desde mi blog www.creeenjesusyserassalvo.blogspot.com
MI TESTIMONIO DE SANIDAD PARA LA GLORIA DE DIOS.