Selah

A pause for reflection - I haven't forgotten about the BibleGames website - but right now, other projects have a higher priority.

I have set a target for All Saints' Day to be ready with two Bible study resources available for download. I may include some of the types of tool I have been piloting within the BibleGames website. I shall just have to see how much time I have left after I finish my writing...

Games as Bible study aids

This is my goal - to produce activities that don't merely test knowlegde of the Bible's text or the principles underlying it - but to create tools that will provoke thinking and discussion, provide a springboard for meditation, give a clear focus, demonstrate patterns or contrast truth and error.

Why?

Because, as humans, we relish challenge. We want to be told we have done something well, to have our achievements recognised - we therefore shy away from putting ourselves in positions where we would not be able to demonstrate mastery.

Games and puzzles are less threatening than formal tests. In a non-threatening environment, they can be used as a gateway into discussion. They may not be the only tool that can be used in this way - but they should not be overlooked.

So many things...

I have made up a few scripts - mainly adapting work I've done before - there are a couple of other game scripts I'd like to work on too - particularly a script that reveals successive clues that will help you identify a specific person, place, book of the Bible or whatever - I just need more time.

I also need traffic - I need people to pop in and visit - and let me know what they like (or don't like) about the different versions of the games.

Perhaps it's time to pray...

Research...

I've been spending some time looking around today to see what other sites offer, and to see if there is any interesting discussion going on anywhere about authoring Bible games - I've found a few bits and pieces here and there - but nothing to excite me just yet.

My own contribution to the subject may seem small right now - but that's partly due to wanting to get some simple scripts out first before the more ambitious, study-related, structured interactivities.

First draft for a drag and drop memory game

Well, today I modified my fill in the blanks game to work as a simple drag-and-drop game. The only thing I don't like about it is that each one needs the droptargets to be added manually- and that their placement is only approximate due to the formatting of the font I've chosen - if I switched to a monospaced font I wouldn't have this problem - but I'd lose something in visual appeal - or so I think.

My next job, after a graphical version, will be to create a version of the scripts using a timer and one with a more interesting scoring mechanism and invite some feedback - that's where you, the readers of this weblog come in.

The drag-n-drop wesion of the script can be found at http://www.biblegames.biz/dragdrop/ - enjoy!

Simple ideas...

Sometimes a simple idea is not so easy to implement.

I've been thinking of a graphical version of a Bible memorization drag-and-drop game.

This one is doable - but destined to be less playable than dome of the others I've been working on.

Purpose of the Bible Games Weblog

Why am I writing this?

Well - the obvious reason would be to get you to visit http://www.biblegames.biz - the site where I'm uploading my Bible games where I'm also inviting feedback on improving the quality of what I produce.

But, part of the reason for the writing is to clarify the rationale I'm working under. At present, I'm working on relatively simple puzzles and challenges.

I'm planning, eventually, to be able to bring out Biblical concepts and principles through games. That people would see applications and connections that they had not seen before through this type of activity. To have structured activities that communicate Biblical truth effectively and allow God to speak to people in a way that might have been ignored in some other medium.