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Greetings!
Thank you for your interest in our company and in Visions. I pray this day finds you well, I have always believed that if you follow the leading of your heart, you will not go wrong. And it is with this focus that I am persuing the development of this game. Please read along, and I encourage you to follow the leading of your heart also, in all that you do.
The original idea for the game sprouted from watching my children, and how they could memorize all manner of useless details about the games they played, but were uninterested in memorizing things which were important and vital to the success of their rapidly approaching adult lives, like history, language, scriptures, science and math. I thought that, if perhaps we could harness that level of interest into a game that was foremost fun and captivating, but also with an educational content so that they would be able to learn without realising they were learning something, we would really have something. And because so many games currently on the market today are not particularly suitable for children, yet still find themselves in homes where children live, and played by children, this game should be made suitable for people of all ages. And while it was always somewhat part of the concept, as the idea grew it became more and more clear to me that this game needed to have God at it's very core foundation if it was to fulfill it's purpose completely. Once these basic principals coalesced into a single goal, the game began to take form in my mind, and has grown through many stages to an intricately detailed, monumental entity.
As the game design has matured, the more precisely I have defined the underlying purposes for creating the game in the first place:
#1. To make the Bible and the Holy Land come to life for the player in a real and meaningful personal experience.
#2. To encourage the players to read and learn the Bible in a fun and enjoyable environment.
#3. To create a family friendly game that will be suitable for children while still challenging and stimulating enough for adults.
#4 To make a game that is FUN, that appeals to gamers who like the stimulation of playing games with other people, but just haven't quite found what they are looking for in other games currently in the market.
#5. To create a game that I would want to play, one that does not feel like a waste of time, that has a larger purpose to it beyond just loot & levels, and yet is still enjoyable and one that I do not worry about letting my children play it also.
#6. To step outside the box, and create a game that perhaps has not quite been done before, to reach an untapped market of people who are still searching for a game that speaks to their heart, that challenges them on an intellectual, social and spiritual level that other games have not attempted to accomplish.
The concept for the Visions game has been forming for years in my mind. Slowly at first, and in small fragments. Then later inspiration came in larger more detailed brainstorms. But all along, the largest and most daunting barrier to proceeding with developing the game has not been a lack of ideas or imagination, it has been a lack of funding. I believe I have a well defined game idea (more than 290 pages of Design Documents, and a growing library of more than 17 GB in art resources) that is unique and marketable. But I do not have the funding to purchase the development tools, or hire even the smallest team for the duration of time it would take to create a game of this magnitude, and do it well. We have processed more than 170 applications for people interested in helping us develop Visions over the years, but being a volunteer team, only the strongest and most dedicated individuals survive for the long haul. We are in a constant state of fluxuation.
In the summer of 2003 I spent some time approaching game development companies, investors, and the Small Business Association for assistance and advice. To make a long story short, traditional funding is not available, and thus is not an option. And there are no game companies interested in making my idea, they have enough ideas of their own - I am the only one who is passionate enough about my game idea to see it to completion. It takes a lot of work to make a game. There isn't a whole lot of "fun and games" involved in making a game; it's blood, sweat and tears, and countless hours of work. No one else is willing to take the risk on an untested game concept that incorporates taboo content (the Bible), for an untapped audience (there is no gurantee they will buy it!). We are on our own.
After a year of trying to give up, trying to get rid of the game idea, trying to focus on other things, the idea for this game continued to develop, ideas would come to me whlie I was in the middle of doing other things, everywhere I turned I was seeing new ideas for incorporating various elements into gameplay, and I could not give up. I could not forget about it. If anything, the ideas came faster, stronger and in more detail! I must have asked God several dozen times "Isn't there someone else who is more qualified to do this?" But God kept telling me "You need to make this game. I will help you." So here I am. I invite you to join me.
The reasons for creating this particular type of game persist, and become stronger rather than lesser. Children are still growing up in homes where games are played. Parents are still looking for fun games to play that they can play together with their families. College students are looking for something new, something different, something unexpected. People of all ages are looking for a different kind of game that meets the needs of a different kind of gamer. So once again I found myself searching for a way to make the dream come true. I already knew that no one would help me with finances to last 4-5 years of development, so the question remained: How can I do this on my own, without an "angel investor" or any other sort of funding, and still produce a high quality game that I and others will want to play? The answer: A miracle! Well, I happen to know that God is in the business of miracles. So I prayed that as long as God would help, I would keep working on the game.
We haven't been blessed with money, but God has been bringing people with exceptional skills who have volunteered their time for the benefit of the project consistently, and repeatedly for the entire duration. I have continuously been supervising the efforts of volunteers in our virtual office since 2004. Currently we have about 15-20 active volunteers working on various aspects of the development process. Due to the volunteer nature of the team we do have a high turnover, so we constantly need more people to volunteer their time and talents. If you know someone who has programming, artistic, writing, recruiting, musical, or researching talents, and you think they might be interested in helping, send them this way! If that person is YOU then please fill out the Job Application and email it to me. Sparkling And PLEASE add tinyzoo@yahoo.com to your "Trusted" email list, so that my reply to you doesn't get lost in a spam box! Thank you!
God has given me peace. I have peace that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. God has given me confidence. Even if the game is never completed, I know that I have tried. I am giving it my best shot. And God has given me training. When I started I knew absolutely nothing about how to make a game, but in the past few years people have come into my life with the knowledge and skills and willingness to teach me everything I need to know to make a next-generation 3D graphics online game. I know that anything worth doing, is worth doing well, and I fully intend to produce a quality game that will be fun and interesting if I produce any game at all. And I know that as long as I keep my eyes on HIM, God will help me do it.
I have done a lot of market research which suggests that the Christian movement in the entertainment industry is growing, with as much as 7% of music and games sold today are of Christian content. Recent research suggests that Christian entertainment continues to grow and will rise to over 10% of the market in the next few years. Even in this time of economic distress when people are cutting back on food, cutting back on vacation spending, and cutting back in other areas of their spending, there has been a significant rise in video game sales. People get more entertainment value dollar for dollar out of games than from other forms of entertainment. A $20 game gives them 50 hours of entertainment while a pair movie tickets only lasts 2 hours. People are staying home to play games rather than going out for dinner and a movie as a means of cost effective entertainment.
The blockbuster success of Mel Gibson's movie "Passion of the Christ" shows one example of how Christians are more willing than ever before to support the entertainment industry with their dollars. Christian games are advancing on the market as well with titles such as "Digital Praise" on the PC and their newest release "Guitar Praise" for an alternative to the "Guitar Hero" craze. Sony released "The Bible Game" for the PS2.
I can not guarantee that Visions will be a success, anyone would be a fool to guarantee such a thing, for no one knows the future. However, I have peace that God will work all things together for good, for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. Either people will contribute according to their calling and their ability, or they won't. I have peace that I have done and am doing my part.
If you feel a leading in your heart to help the development of Visions, please respond. I have set up a PayPal donation link on this page. If you are unable to donate financially, or as a volunteer to work on the project, but would still like to support the Visions game, please pray for all of us who are involved in the project. We each experience the struggles of living in this fallen world, and we all need the support of one another in prayer. I know that God works through prayer, and He works in amazing ways. I have seen it many times. Thank you for your time and attention. May God bless you, and may He grant you peace.
-Sparkling
Please note all donations are non-refundable, and non-tax-deductible.
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Email me: Sparkling