The Passion Of The Game

There's nothing in the Bible that says that you can't mix religion with a little free-market capitalism. The upcoming game Left Behind: Eternal Forces, which is based on the best-selling Left Behind series of Christian novels, is getting a boost via in-game advertising company Double Fusion. The title is expected later this year, and has been a source of some controversy, largely because of the game's source material.

The book series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, interprets the Bible's prophecies regarding the apocalypse, the antichrist and the second coming of Christ, and has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide. The Left Behind books have been accused of being rampantly anti-secular, anti-Semitic and anti-liberal by non-Christians, while many Christians themselves feel that the books are a gross misinterpretation of the Bible's teachings.

Eternal Forces has also come under fire for its own content: many Christians have objected to a video game that portrays mass killings. Video game critic Jack Thompson has accused Eternal Forces of compromising Christian values by glorifying violence, while others have accused the game of promoting the destruction of all things non-Christian.

Whatever the case, Double Fusion saw an opportunity. Because Eternal Forces takes place in New York City, thousands of billboards and other advertising spots will need to be filled by real corporate sponsors. But just who will advertise in such a game? Well, according to the title's developer, Left Behind Games, Double Fusion will only show "brands from product categories acceptable to parents concerned about positive values." So I'm guessing ads for Trojan condoms and Crown Royal whisky are probably out...

Left Behind: Eternal Forces

Perhaps the most curious element to this in-game ad deal is that Double Fusion is backed by a number of folks who practice Judaism instead of Christianity: the company's venture capital partners include Jerusalem Capital and Jerusalem Venture Partners. That seems like an odd marriage, since the Left Behind series has been accused of anti-Semitism, and I'm guessing a large number of its Christian fundamentalist fans believe Jews are going straight to hell (along with pretty much all non-Christian-fundamentalists for that matter). At times like this, I like to remind myself that the central message of Buddhism is not "every man for himself"...