Soma Games is the newest video game developer to enter Christian game industry. We interviewed CEO Chris Skaggs of Soma to find out what makes them unique in comparison to companies like Digital Praise, Rebel Planet, White Knight, Brethren, XrucifiX, and others.
ICE If you don't mind for this first interview I'd like to focus mostly on vision and ideas. Once you are further along in development I'd like to get back with you to discuss the games themselves.
CHRIS
Roger that. I was frankly expecting a handful of quick questions needing quick answers like “what platform(s)”, “Favorite color” stuff like that. These are great questions! Thoughtful, provocative...these are awesome!
ICE
On the website you say: "Soma was created in direct response to what we like to call "God's nudge." One day an article appeared in the news talking about a new trend, Christian video games. Following the link lead to the Christian Game Developers Conference(http://www.cgdc.org/). Registering for the event lead (within about 10 minutes) to an invitation to go to Boston and appear on TV (View Here) - to discuss Christian video games and how this trend mashes up against games like Grand Theft Auto. Literally in the course of a single week, Soma Games came into being and the story continues...In time, I'll be sure to tell this story in more detail, but for now, the fingerprints of God are unmistakable and we're basically along for the ride." I just read Part 1 of your story at: http://www.somagames.com/soma-story.php Do you have any details you want to add to that now? How many people are in Soma Games and what are their backgrounds?
CHRIS
I’m currently writing what amounts to a part two of that story you already saw...and now I also se that you’ve pointed out a place where the home page text is a little out of date...got to fix that.
That said, for me, the whole experience of Soma up to this point has been like some kind of weird drama. I don’t have that story page right in front of me here so I’m not certain exactly where it stops, but when I was flying home from Boston I was all fired up and wondering what was going to happen next and very distinctly I heard God tell me that nothing was going to happen for a while yet – the whole thing needed to cook for a while. And really that’s exactly what happened. There was no swell of response to the interview (excepting our first hate mail, which I’m very proud of) and within a week or two the whole idea sort of went dormant in my mind as life continued on.
I had a son a few months later who had some medical complications at his birth and I entered what was unquestionably the hardest year of my life as my wife and I drove back and forth to the hospital every other week with our infant boy. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to make a start-up work at that moment, but now it seems like simple providence. (BTW – Odin is totally fine now and strong as an...well strong as a Norse God).
You’ll also remember that shortly after my interview, Left Behind was launched and the fact of the matter is that the whole niche of Christian video games has suffered a kind of black eye over that. Regardless of what happened or why, the public and investor perception of our niche was hugely impacted by the way that game flamed out.
But about a year ago, the idea of Soma started to bubble up again in myself and in my team at my day job. We found ourselves coming up with new ideas that started to flesh out Soma’s game concepts, where they were barely skeletons before. Story-lines, styles, mechanics – all this stuff just started appearing in our heads, and it wasn’t uncommon for a while there that a quick prayer time would turn into a four hour white-board session talking about the various games. It was like the idea had ‘cooked’ long enough and it was ready to start coming out of the oven.
It was then that a huge pile of homework came to me. I’d never made any kind of formal business plan or financial projections. As the ideas were coming I felt I really needed to capture some of these things in an organized way, but along the road I had to learn what that format looked like, and what investors expected to see.
And I guess that’s about where we are now. All that homework has lead to where I can start showing my concepts to people with fat checkbooks and we’re attracting a great team of ‘C’ level people who just dig the vision even if they don’t know a thing about gaming. Basically, it looks like I just had to wait for God’s timing...and that timing seems to be now.
ICE
Did you ever consider seeking employment/volunteering with one of the existing groups or companies? If not, is the reason a conflict in vision?
CHRIS
No, nothing like that. Simply put, I’m unqualified to join a team like that. I’m not a game programmer or artist or anything like that. And frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that God put this vision in front of me, I can’t imagine that I’d have stepped into this industry. But He did, and with that in hand, the only role that really made sense was to be a kind of vision caster and what amounts to a game designer even though I don’t have any real training in that job...you can se now why we need so much prayer.
Some believe that attempting to create a separate Christian game industry is misguided. Instead we should be seeking to enter the mainstream industry and transform it from within. I include a quote from Steve of the Christian Developers Network: "The video game industry is quite large and growing. It's already been said that the games we produce will reflect our hearts. Making "Christian" games and selling them in Christian book stores will not influence gamers or the industry in any meaningful or lasting way. Making "Christian" games and conniving them onto the shelves of Walmart will also not have a lasting or meaningful influence on the video game industry. However, if more Christians would be part of the video game industry, we can change the industry from the inside out. Look at the most reprehensible of video games. I don't have to name them. What if some Christians who worked at those game studios or even one made a stand against the objectification of women or the exploitation of gruesome violence? The reason that these games get made is partially because there are so few Christians working on the inside of the industry. How can food be salty if there is no salt added? How can the video game industry change if no Christians work at mainstream studios? There are Christians who work in the video game industry and I believe that games would be much worse than they are if this were not true. "Christian" games can scratch the surface, but Christians working in the industry can transform it." What do you say to that?
CHRIS
You need to understand something really central to me and Soma and I’ve already hinted at this in the previous question. I’m doing Soma the way I am because that’s the vision I received, not because I looked at all available options and picked the one I thought made the most sense.
ICE Now personally while I think it's great that Christians be in the game industry I'm a bit skeptical of our capability to greatly influence the overall moral direction. Part of this is due to the makeup of the business. The publisher management is contained within separate offices from the actual developers. I know talented Christians working within the industry who honestly don't even know the names of the upper management who make the decisions. The local studio management are the only people to have contact. And even if a Christian were to become the head of a studio he'd still have to convince publishers to finance a project. Essentially, in order to have any effect Christians would have to be employed in key positions throughout the entire industry. It's theoretically doable but in my opinion not a practical hope to lean upon. I'm not going to name any names to protect these people, but I know of one person who was one of the founders of a well-known company. He's still there, and in the last couple years attempted to jumpstart an internal project with Christian leanings. Not sure about the whole story, but that failed. Another person was a founder of one of the big publishers. He's personal friends with some of the biggest names in the industry. Yet even he was incapable of raising interest from publishers and investors. Other people I know of working in the industry sometimes are afraid to even discuss their career. Now many employee contracts have stipulations that disallow lower level employees from publicly discussing their company and products. But I was trying to do a series about "life as a game developer". After thinking about and discussing the possibility, one person declined for fear of losing his job. The topics I wanted to cover were not even slightly critical of the company he worked for. He was afraid that by merely mentioning he was a Christian he'd jeopardize his employment. Needless to say that experience killed my interest in pursuing that story angle. So, in my experience, it seems likely we'll need to form companies separately from the established industry. (Although that does not address the real and looming problem of getting games on consoles.) Perhaps like the Christian Music Industry we'll eventually see ourselves sucked back into the primary industry via mergers and acquisition. But that's far off in the future.
CHRIS
Patrick, you and I are thinking exactly the same thing. You say right in your question “we'll need to form companies separately from the established industry” - and that’s exactly what Soma is doing.
Now I’m with you about the dilemma facing Christian gaming. Either we get subsumed into the machine that is game publishing, where ultimate creative control is lost, or we marginalize our product to live in the tiny market of Berean bookstores next to Thomas Kinkaid paintings – only Christian’s see them and only Christians play them. Both options make an influence marginal at best.
BUT – and it’s a pretty big but – I still think the ultimate decision has to come down to a person’s calling and not a market analysis. I’m pretty certain that there are folks who are genuinely called to make video games that will never see a Wal-Mart shelf, and that’s cool. Likewise, I’ve met many Christians who really feel lead to work covertly in the secular industry, that’s cool too. I expect a multi-pronged approach will be the most successful in the long run. So you see, my particular angle on this rests more on my gut and my heart than it does on my research...even though all the research supports what my gut already told me.
ICE
I agree entirely. I believe all of these approaches are valid. I believe God has given people each their own individual calling.
Chris, you said earlier that, "I've been reading some of the stuff on your site to try and get a sense of what you guys are about and so far I really like what I've seen. I don't [know if] you and I are on exactly the same track, but it definitely sounds like we have more in common than not." My guess is that you might have read the article "How To Do Christian Games Right". Keep in mind I was highlighting comments I thought interesting...not necessarily ones that I agreed with in full. Nor did I get a chance to finish my thoughts. Could you elaborate on your own thoughts? Where do you see us as disagreeing?
CHRIS
Actually I was referring to the ‘about’ page when I wrote that. I missed the article you’re referring to so I’ll need to go read that.
As for disagreeing, it’s really just a turn a phrase. I didn’t se anything so far that I disagree with, but I guess I just don’t want to assume that I know you from a few articles or pages. I think that I sort of expect to be seen as a newcomer to this field, and to that end also an outsider. While I play a lot of games, I’m not exactly hard core, so I don’t know the lingo too well and this sub-sub culture of Christian gamers is ultra new. So maybe I more assumed that you would disagree with me rather than the other way round and so my obsequious comment just sounded lame. ;)
ICE At this point I'll elaborate a bit on ICE. Originally the vision for ICE was to provide a digital distribution system for Christian games. I won't get into that complicated backstory, but obviously things have changed. Our current mission is to ensure that all our services are targeted at the hardcore demographic (metal, punk, emo, goth, etc.) and that all content is aesthetically accessible to Christians and non-Christians alike in order that we may bring the lost to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. My partners and I are sick and tired of reviews that only focus on the negative in the entertainment industry. Personally I call such oversensitivity the "gated community mentality". Many people ignore "Christian haters" because all they're ever exposed to is the hate and never the love. The self-defending hypocrisy and never the serious commitment of acknowledged sinners. Yes, parents do need to know what content is out there to protect the kids, and there is a place for sites like PluggedIn (which I read regularly), but we'd rather focus on uplifting the positive elements. What positive elements? Halo 2/3 can be viewed as a fable that warns against the dangers of organized man-made religion instead of seeking a relationship with God. For interviews, I wouldn't mind having an interview Marilyn Manson, a very polarizing figure. We'd be able to minister to Manson, bring up important topics about loving others in Christ regardless of their past, discuss with Manson his beliefs and it'll also bring a ton of traffic to the site which will expose people to ideals that touches on genres that appeal to Manson fans. I don't know if you've ever read the lyrics to Manson's song "Beautiful People" but it's a stinging indictment of the wrongs within the Church. (Of course, his statements are unbalanced, in that he focuses entirely on the problems, but that's another topic.) I'd directly ask Manson why he rejected Christianity (he was brought up in a Christian home and went to Christian schools), if the rumors are true that he was mistreated by Christians and how he was affected by the hypocrisy he saw within the Church (some in my family have fallen away due to this problem). The point of the interview is to show how Christians themselves mistreat people and completely turn them off from Christ and how we should reach to people with the message and love on people that hate us, our beliefs or anything even remotely related to faith. We'd rather forge positive relationships with mainstream companies/sites and make the good news of the gospel our focus. At the same time I don't want to outright ignore the negatives. There is a place for constructive criticism; I just don't want to delve down into straight-out bashing. I'd have to no problem with establishing a relationship with organizations normally shunned by other Christians. Why? It'd give us opportunities to reach the lost for the Kingdom of God. We cannot fix their problems. God can. If we are constantly bashing such people how can we reach them? My desire is that ICE becomes a place where non-Christians are loved and then restored through God's grace. I also don't want to gloss over the problems within the Church body. Quite frankly, Christians are sometimes the biggest obstacles to God's plans. Unfortunately, that's not something new. Despite viewing physical manifestations of God's glory, the Jews seemed intent on rebelling and causing trouble. Another goal for ICE is to be quite frank about these issues, to establish a dialogue with non-Christians that will give even more opportunities to witness. Any comments?
CHRIS
Any comments he says...there’s a lot there to comment on. ;)
The truth is, I probably have more questions than comments though. You say you want to reach out to the lost in the hard-core set, I’d be really interested to know how that’s working. How do they respond? What’s the feedback, etc.
ICE
Many find our approach to be appealing. They like the artwork and the site design. So far we have not had any major criticisms.
CHRIS
But this probably isn’t the place for those questions...that’s more like talk late hours over a pint of Guinness stuff. More to the point, this is the kind of stuff that made me say that I think you and I are maybe quite alike. I’m way more of a hang-with-the-lost kind of guy than a dine-with-the-saints guy.
Still, I know for myself that’s it’s pretty easy to cross a line where I’m pissed and disappointed in Christians as much as they’re pissed and judgmental about head bangers...in which case I’ve become the monster I behold.
I do think the ‘gated community’ mentality is a disaster (for both sides of the wrought iron) but there is at least one thing in your ‘question’ above that I’ve changed my mind about in the last few years. For a long time I was aware of the same kind of ‘Christian haters’ that you mention and it just seemed overwhelmingly awful. And I’d rant about how dreadful that was and how the whole frakking church was missing the love.
The thing is, I think I’ve come to believe that is not, in fact, the whole church acting like that. It’s really just a small handful of bad apples like that idiot from Oklahoma(?) with the God Hates Fags signs. His absolutely miserable example shows up on the evening news all over the country and even though there are like four people in his congregation, the impression is that he represents the mainstream of American Christendom. As a result, the ‘avowed sinner’ you mention hears me say, ‘You’re going to hell!’ when what I really said was, ‘I think Jesus rocks!’ I guess all I’m saying is that I don’t think the hate you and I appropriately condemn is as wide spread as I used to think. But regardless, the impression is a very tough hill to climb.
A few years back there was a referendum on the ballot here that defined marriage as being specifically between a man and a woman. As you can expect, it was a controversial issue. But I remember a fascinating article from the big city paper in which several of the gay marriage advocates were quoted as saying something like, “We were expecting the God Hates Fags people...but instead we’ve been meeting with all these very intelligent, articulate, compassionate people. We never knew Christians could be like that.” The measure passed...and now I’m not sure why I told that story...oh right! I’ve had to learn not to fall into the same miss characterization of the church as those folks.
ICE
Getting back to game development, I believe that Christian game developers are too enamored with the question, "How must we limit ourselves?" We're Christians. We have freedom in Christ! There is a balance of course. Paul says in Corinthian 10:20 "all things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial." An example would be a "game" that is a "torture simulator". Simply tacking on a message at the end that "torture is bad" probably could not be considered "beneficial" to the extent that it overrides the bad influences from the majority of the gameplay. All in all, I believe that prayer and seeking guidance and balance from Christian brothers is a must. What do you consider a good "limit"...how much is going "too far"? What are your thoughts on "magic" in games? Do you have a person or a group that you go to for guidance?
CHRIS
Have you seen that they have Christian porn now?
ICE
No, I was not aware of such a thing... There is xxxchurch.com but that’s more of a ministry, not porn itself.
CHRIS
I understand it’s just like normal porn except the people are married...so I guess that makes your voyeurism ok [somehow]. :)
Really, that’s an awesome question, and I agree with you. Anybody who makes something should do so within the boundaries of their own conscience. So I’m moving forward on the really basic understanding that my own heart (as well as the other team members) will guide us about what lines are where. If playing the game makes me twitch, well then I’ve gone too far. Being willing to throttle back from there to be sensitive to the more sensitive, I can see that as well.
For example, the language in Rainbow 6 Vegas never bothers me (four years in the Navy) but I can certainly see how it’s not right for a Christian audience – but more to the point, it really doesn’t add value to the game – so I wouldn’t put that in.
The big and ongoing discussion I hear is usually about violence in a game, and what level of violence is appropriate. For Soma, let me just be clear – our games will include violence. Not gibbet splattering, Jericho style violence, but this world (and the Bible) is full of violence, to artificially create a game where we conspicuously avoid the violence seems terribly contrived.
As for magic, I don’t see magic making a show in our games (at least not as such) but that’s more a matter of storyline and subject matter than one of principle. CS Lewis is a major influence on me and on Soma, and if magic is good enough for Narnia, it’s good enough for Soma.
ICE
You said: "While Soma Games is a group of Christians making video games, we're not what you might call a "Christian Video Game company" and it's important for us to be very clear about this to avoid inaccurate expectations. We're making games that will be founded upon, and informed by Christian thought and the Christian understanding of reality - however, we don't plan on making games that teach Christian theology." This is how I personally define things. "Christian games" are those designed to be targeted at a Christian-only demographic. "Games informed by Christian thought and the Christian understanding of reality" encompasses everything else. Both approaches are different but valid in their own right. Despite these differences, I see no reason why those following the second approach cannot identify themselves as "Christian game developers". Do you agree or disagree? Why?
CHRIS
We may only be disagreeing on terminology. I would say that there is no such thing as a Christian Game, nor a Christian Book or a ChristianCollege. In the end, ‘Christian’ is a matter of the soul and none of those things have souls. QED.
But of course people use that terminology all the time to describe just what you say, things targeting that specific demographic.
The point I really was trying to make in that quote form the site is to say that we are not making games that are specifically and exclusively targeting the Christian audience. Now of course, we really hope Christians will like and buy our games, but I don’t want a pass on quality and game play just because we’re Christians.
So I’m not at all shy about who I am and what turns my crank here, but I’m not about to slap a fish on the box and try to get by on the well wishing of other believers.
...which I think is something other folks have done...
ICE
I believe the major component to why many Christian game developers fail (besides the obvious quality issues caused by the lack of resources) is that people are attempting to forcefit Biblical characters and ideas into games in a fashion that feels contrived (does not mesh). It's difficult to enjoy a game when it's gameplay mechanics have been mashed up by the theme. Furthering the problem is that these games are then marketed to a general audience. I also believe there is no reason that Christian game developers cannot simply make "plain fun games" with no major message or story. Cramming a bunch of Biblical figures into go-karts for a racing game is just kitschy. I'd rather see no mention of the Bible at all and instead see gameplay that encourages teamwork or other basic values. My personal preference is for a "Ted Dekker"-like approach, where the "overarching theme" is embedded with Biblical lessons, much like the parables of Jesus in the New Testament. In Ted Dekker's books deep truths are explored, often times without using "Christian-eze" terminology. At the same time I do believe there is place for games that make explicit mention of Christian theology. How do you see Soma Games tackling this issue? Looking at the 4 game concepts, Dark Glass seems to be a combination of Deus Ex and Splinter Cell with spiritual warfare serving as the backdrop. How explicit do you plan on being in your representation of Christianity?
CHRIS
To tag back to an earlier question, I see Soma filling a space similar to CS Lewis’ work. It’s not quite allegory, but it’s closer to allegory than Tolkien. Dark Glass, as an example is a game that will include a huge under laying framework that includes things like prayer and fasting and discernment, but we’ll never use that terminology and folks will mostly need to discover those dynamics by experimentation as opposed to them being explained in the manual. The game includes angels and demons, but never in a form that you would recognize from traditional forms.
We want the secular viewer to say, ‘That level boss was awesome!” where the Christian might say,”That was a great example of a demon.” and a Christian mysticism scholar to say, ‘That was Asmodeus.’
Lewis’ fiction was described as “written for people who would never read the Bible or enter a church, [they were] designed to draw unsuspecting materialists into a story that would tempt them to contemplate spiritual realities and the struggle between good and evil.” I don’t want our Christian symbolism to be so clouded in abstraction that it becomes too generic. It needs to retain a very specific Christian feel, not just a vague sort of Judeo-Christian-Western feel. But at the same time, I’m SO agreeing with you about the forcing thing. During the Renaissance, Christians were making arguably the best art in history and in almost every discipline, and it was very often overwhelmingly overt...IT WAS AWESOME! Where has that spirit of creativity gone?
....hmmm...this is really a soap box topic for me and I could on for a long, long time. I guess in short I just believe that Soma’s work needs to aesthetically excellent, technically flawless, and incontrovertibly fun. I want to tell stories that have no option but to reflect my Christian vision of the world in very specific and obvious ways, but I’m not interested in remaking Halo with a little fish on Master Chief’s breastplate.
ICE
I'll include a quote from game developer XrucifiX for you to comment on: "XrucifiX's primary goal is to reach out to hardcore gamers and as such we're producing content that will appeal to them. Yes, we've gotten a lot of flack for the violence in our initial title although EW: SOL was never intended for younger children. We design our games in order to convince players to accept critical ideological conditions as a foundational basis when considering the plot and the moral elements contained within.
In fact, I'd say that is the Christian entertainment industry in a nutshell. We define reality within a fictional universe. Though fictional, many aspects are purposely designed to be analogous to real life. If it's a video game, we then expect players to play by the rules with the imperative to believe the basis for the fictional backdrop and behave as if it was true. In this manner real-life concepts can be introduced in an non-threatening manner since players would be considering them within the context of the game. In the case of a book we'd still have characters consider different scenarios within the context of a Christian framework and thus readers will come to understand the logic and reason since they'd be following the viewpoint of the characters. This is the same for other entertainment that can instead have a negative influence. But while the creators of this other entertainment may not directly contain the motive to negatively influence we obviously are motivated to be positive influences. My personal preference is to attempt to target a Teen ESRB rating for future titles although Mack's primary goal is to make certain that certain topics (child abuse, anger control, suicide/depression, lust, etc) are discussed in adequate detail and not be worried too much about the rating. As such it's possible the ESRB may give us a Mature ESRB rating but we're not purposely seeking it. I imagine the most difficult section will be lust, although we have ideas on how to tackle that subject without unnecessary graphic displays. We've already adjusted multiple concepts for EW: Nightmares based upon feedback. quote: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I really enjoy the game development due to its complexity and challenging problems but I have failed to see how games could help in the expansion of God's kingdom. To my knowledge, I have never heard games could be used as an effective tool in evangelization nor Biblical worldview development. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EW:SOL could hardly be considered a "success" from a financial perspective. Nor were its production values very high considering the non-existent budget. But on the other hand God has used our work beyond what we'd ever expected considering the limited plot, other issues, etc. We've received letters/emails detailing how people decided to visit Church after playing EW: SOL and then became saved. A teacher friend of mine lets her students play EW: SOL during break time. There have been multiple instances of kids trying to convince their parents to take them to church. The Russian mafia also sold EW:SOL. Yes, that was lost money for us but I'm hoping some Russians got to hear a basic gospel message for the first time. I think God can use whatever He desires to spread His Word. Even an admittedly flawed work like EW: SOL."
CHRIS
Not really any specific comment here. I like what this guy is saying but I think we’ve gone over the main points already. I know I have a bad habit of repeating myself so I better avoid the temptation to do so here. :)
ICE
For Eternal War: Shadows of Light the Christian bookstores were literally attempting to rewrite the game for us, dictating to us what a "Christian game" was and then expecting us to rewrite the game to meet their whims. Not just story points but gameplay, the appearance of characters, everything. Be forewarned: quite frankly if your conception of what a Christian game should be is different from that of the management of the Christian bookstores then don't even bother considering them for distribution. It's an exercise in massive frustration. Unfortunately, at the time we had little choice since (a) they were the few even willing to consider carrying our game (b) we could not afford normal distribution via Walmart, Gamestop, etc. and (c) digital distribution platforms had not become widespread. We're hoping that console markets like WiiWare and XBox Live MarketPlace will allow us in.
Personally, I consider it a badge of honor that Family Christian bookstore rejected us several times. You want to know the reason why? They thought the subject matter "too dark" because we dared to broach upon the subject of teenage suicide in a serious manner. That is one concession we are completely unwilling to make. I believe it's high time that subject is addressed.
Also, expect to be slammed. For example, I still have a magazine clipping from World Magazine. Their editorial had a negative slant, quoting Mack and others out of context, and complaining that we have any type of violence in our games. In the letters to the magazine section I saw letters about that article printed over a period of several months. These letters were all negative, saying they were appalled we were making such games, calling us hypocrites, and even doubting we were "real Christians".
But enough about XrucifiX. We’re here to talk about Soma Games!
Looking at the estimated release dates you've set a very aggressive development schedule. The first two games appear to be casual games, am I correct?
CHRIS
Casual/arcade – right.
ICE
While, depending on your company's resources, I believe your goals for these 2 games seem reasonable I admit that I think the dates for The Race and Dark Glass are unrealistic. Are you counting on external investment or support from a publisher to develop these titles? If so, do you plan on continuing to develop casual games if this does not occur?
CHRIS
I am counting on quite a bit of outside investment. Up the page a bit you said that you thought the way to get moving was to start companies that were outside the main industry. I reckon it isn’t explicit on our site, but Soma is designed to be a major company from the studs on up. It’s not just that we have some IP to develop. Soma needs big bucks to get moving, and it needs to make big bucks to keep rolling. Developing the third game is likely to cost no less than $20M, which is a hard nut to crack, but the plan is much more comprehensive than games. I can’t really go into much detail on that because we’re still getting this thing funded and so the plan amounts to a trade secret for the moment, but I can say yes, we count on money from the outside and yes, we will almost certainly continue with additional arcade/casual games outside of the four game plan described on the website.
ICE
On CDN you said, "Right now, we're about 90% sure to be using the Source engine from Valve (Half-Life, Portal, etc.) But some of the new stuff Id has is also very interesting." Financing a stable multi-platform game engine is one of the biggest hurdles that small developers face. I forget the exact number, and it's covered by NDA in any case, but the Source engine license is fairly hefty.
What will you do if you cannot raise that kind of capital?
CHRIS
With this and the last question, we’re really tapping into what I think is the single largest hurdle to Christian gaming - resources. For Soma it’s really simple - without adequate resources, the plan is dead in the water. The reason however, is not scope - but quality. ICE
Dealing with limited resources, many Christian game developers have been forced to lower quality standards. It's "publish or perish". Many of these developers are very critical of their own products, perhaps as much as some non-Christians cynics who blast the games. Do you have any other comments on these issues?
Really excellent artists, modelers, voice actors (and a bitchin’ game engine) all cost money. Doing Soma on a shoestring is just not an option. I’m not saying it shouldn't be an option for anybody, I’m just saying it’s not an option for us.
And with that in mind, it’s just not enough to say to an investor, “Hey, I have this great idea for a Christian game.” The business plan has to be bigger than that, more comprehensive, and it has to account for a lot more moving parts.
Now that said, the situation is not untenable. Once we got our ducks in a row, there is a very receptive community of investors out there who see the opportunities here and are looking for the right vehicle to take advantage of the huge gaping hole in the market. Of course, the train wreck of the economy right now isn’t helping our pitch, but you know that’s in God’s timing as well. Somebody out there will know the old story about how well movie theatres did during the depression and they’ll make the obvious connection to today’s video games...and we’ll be golden.
This is more than just Soma though. Whether it’s us or somebody else, eventually we’ll see that crossover hit and when that happens, the capital market will be throwing money at Christian game developers...all hoping to find the next Soma. ;)
ICE
No one seems to have an overarching long term plan for the entire Christian game industry. What do you think all the developers should be doing? Since you're admittedly a newcomer with an outside view, what do you think organizations like ACE and CGDC should be doing?
CHRIS
I think the best place to invest for those organizations is in inspiration and connection. I really believe that someday fairly soon, this niche will pop open like a ripe peach and it will be critical for there to be a well connected but casually organized network of people who can cooperate to make hay while that sun shines. So for now I see a kind of underground railroad thing. Particularly, finding and connecting to the stealth Christians who already work in major studios. I expect to se any of them come to work for me and bring all the weight of their experience to work or the kingdom. :)
Also, too often I hear a consistent note of discouragement in Christian developers. I especially saw this around the Left Behind release. So many guys were really counting on that being the ignition point for the chance to work in their dream job, but the disappointment of that experience still hasn’t left a lot of people. That community needs to be fed stories of success, even if only modest success so they can get their smiles back. Depressed people have a hard time thinking outside of the normal expectations and boundaries...and that’s what we really need.
ICE
Despite video games being an art form the machinations of business will always rear its ugly head. The acceptability of Christian games in the general market is contingent upon profitability. The reason for this sad situation is quite frankly Left Behind Games (who have since changed their name to Inspired Media Entertainment). The raw numbers:
Raised around $7 million USD in investment capital.
Raised around $19 million USD via issuing stock.
Reported $1.2 million on actual game development costs.
Sold $768,000 worth of product but cost of goods was $694,000 USD.
General and administrative expenses were $24,417,381 USD.
Manufacturing and distribution costs were handled by another company, but I assume they billed LBG for that and perhaps that's a good chunk of the "general and administrative costs". They were also hosed when it came to inventory.
The investors who were interested in this industry mostly went to them. Publishers like EA, Activision, Microsoft, etc. viewed their first release as a "test case" for all of us, since it was the very first Christian game with a normal budget, a big brand name, widespread marketing, and distribution to all major retail outlets. It may not be fair, but when LBG bombed out so horribly investors and publishers claimed the whole industry was a failure and lost interest.
I'd simply respond that while, yes, LB: EF failed as one example, although startling and a definite setback, should not be used as an indicator for the long term success of the entire industry. Remember back in the late 80s? The entire video game industry was on the brink of bankruptcy and there were many large failed companies. But that did not mean the entire industry could never succeed.
With the slowing of PC games sales, and publishers unwilling to allow Christian games onto major consoles (one major exception is Veggie Tales), most companies have either closed up or are languishing. I'm hoping that Digital Praise's Guitar Praise will be a major success and open some doors.
But despite all that I agree that we need to move on. Left Behind Games was not the end of the world. The publishers may not be ready to forget so we need to create high quality products that MAKE them forget! I’m hoping Soma Games will be at the forefront of such development.
CHRIS I’ve really enjoyed this. I feel like there’s a lot more we could talk about but I’m a crappy typist and this letter took me like five hours to write. Argh! I need some kind of dictating machine or something...
ICE
I thank Chris for taking time out to talk with us. I know I overwhelmed him with my lengthy discussion but I feel it’s best to discuss topics that matter, not just the standard quick questions that typify most discussions about games. To me games are an art form and as such there is an emotional and social depth that few attempt to explore.
So three cheers for Soma for taking up the challenge!
You want to know the reason why? They thought the subject matter "too dark" because we dared to broach upon the subject of teenage suicide in a serious manner. That is one concession we are completely unwilling to make. I believe it's high time that subject is addressed.
http://www.luckystartups.com/2008/11/somagamescom-startups-video-game-development/