Waaaaay back when I was in youth group... 10-12 years ago... my dad hosted a video game youth event at our house where we set up a bunch of video games around the house and just had a good, clean fun time of fellowship. Since then, the media have continued to focus on he growing violence and sexuality in games, sometimes making it difficult to really know if video games are "ok" in churches and - if so - are any of them safe?
Just as there are movie clips that are totally inappropriate for use in sermons, there are some scenes that make for great visual illustrations. Just like there are songs that should never be considered to be sung in church, there are a wealth of churches that sing modern songs from the choir loft. And so, just as there are plenty of games that involve killing and sexuality and shouldn't be played by your youth group... perhaps there are some that might offer some good, clean fun and create new memories and experiences for your youth group.
So, if you already have a gaming system set up in your youth area, here's a few that might be worth taking a look at this Christmas to add to your church's gaming collection:
XBOX 360
Lips
Lips is, essentially, two-player Karaoke. When you buy the game you get 40 songs and two wireless microphones. If your students love to sing - or just be the center of attention - this game is for them.
First, the caveats: check the
track list. Like most (all?) music video games, you can't stop the songs that come on the disc from being played. So, if there are any songs on the disc that you wouldn't want to be played by your youth group, consider that before you purchase Lips (this is why I can't recommend Rock Band on this list. While it is a
great four-player group game... there are just too many questionable songs on the disc that you can't turn off). Second, there is a "kiss" mode in the game where, if the two singers are doing well, their on-screen characters will try to kiss.
However, here's the best reason to pick up Microsoft's Lips for your youth group:
They can sing along to any (non-DRM) music track. Plug a Zune or iPod in and - if you have songs ripped from CDs or downloaded without DRM - you can sing along to any song. Currently there isn't a whole lot of faith-based content for music games (Rock Band 2 has only 4 or 5 songs from Christian bands... depending on your definition of "Christian band"), so being able to play songs appropriate for your youth group is a huge plus for Xbox's Lips.
A Kingdom for Keflings
Basically, you play as a giant who is trying to help the Keflings build the community. With up to four players working together, the game becomes a quick effort into teamwork building and problem solving. And it's so cute that even the girls in your youth group might want to pick up a controller. And... it's only $10. Can't beat that!
Nintendo Wii
Wii Music
To be honest, this game is going to be a tough sell to the older kids in your youth group. However, for the junior-high crowd, getting to make music as a
barking dog might be just the ticket.
Basically, Nintendo has made a fancy music toy out of the Wii's remote. By moving the Wii remote in specific motions and at different speeds the players help contribute to creating their own version of the songs on the disc. As always with music games, check out the
track listing before purchasing.
Mario Kart
It's one of the original party games that defined it's own genre of kart racing games. When I went home for Thanksgiving this year, my dad played almost nothing but Mario Kart: it appeals to all ages. Nintendo did a great things with this racing game in that the challenges and power-ups you get keep the race competitive at almost all times, and even the best players can be overtaken every now and then.
Mario Kart is a four-player racing game featuring the characters from the world of Mario games. It's good clean fun, "E" rated game.
Sony Playstation 3
LittleBigPlanet
If you have a youth group and a PS3, you should already own this game. The tagline for the game says it all: "Play. Create. Share." In this game you essentially team up to walk through side-scrolling levels ala-Super Mario Bros. The key difference is that as you play through the game you get objects and stickers with which to build your own game levels - and then share them!
Not only can four people play through the levels together, but they can also build together. Imagine a game where instead of working together to kill aliens and monsters, your youth group is working together to create a fun level to share with the world - and maybe even put a positive, faith based message in it.
The one caveat is that, if you're online, you can also play other people's levels. Like anything online, there will be some gems of levels and some levels that shouldn't enter your church. You can find out more about LittleBigPlanet directly from the creators
here.
Echochrome
Echochrome for the PS3 is going to be for the "smart" kid in your youth group. It's not a party game by any means... but the very design of the game seems to mesmerize anyone watching it.
Echocrome is basically a game where you make the 2D-perspective issues made famous by M.C. Esher work by changes the perspectives in a 3D space. Your character will follow the image on-screen as if it's a 2D image, so you must rotate it in a 3D space to navigate the level. The graphics may be some of the most bland of any game out there, but it will draw in the attention any any passer-by and calm the physical energies into a mental stimulation.
One final caveat about games and youth groups...
As always with games, please be sure to check out their rating at the
ESRB before purchasing and bringing into your youth group. If you don't allow "R" rated movies to be watched at youth events, don't allow "M" rated games to be played at youth events. If you don't allow "PG-13" movies, then don't allow "Teen" rated games.
