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Greetings!
Thank you for your interest in our company and in our game. 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 this and 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 been growing more detailed and more magnificent with each stage of growth.
The more this game idea matures, 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. More recently the details have been forming faster though, and in larger more detailed components. 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 40 pages of written notes, over 80 pages and growing in my design documents, over 500 development related messages in the private dveloper forums, and a growing library of 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.
Three and a half years ago (summer 2003) I spent some time approaching game development companies, investors, and the Small Business Association for assistance and advice. From investors and the Small Business Association counselor I got a unanimous response that can be summed up as "Forget about it, you need too much money, with no personal capitol, and no guarantee on a return. After the big Dot.Com crash, no one is interested in investing in computers or comptuer games anymore". And from the game companies I got a variety of responses ranging from "We already have too many game ideas in development as it is" to, "You can send us your idea, and we may or may not create a game based on that idea, but we can not guarantee that we hadn't already thought of a similar idea on our own so we can not offer you payment for your idea." I felt discouraged, disheartened and dejected. Yes, I had hoped to get some compensation for my game idea, but I was willing to share. The notion that people would just take someone's idea to make a profit off of it and leave the inventor nothing at all was infuriating. I was left feeling like the human race is little better than parasites, and feeling very bitter and hurt.
But as time went on, the idea for this game continued to develop, and I could not give up. I could not forget about it. The reasons for creating this particular type of game persist, and become stronger rather than lesser. So once again I found myself searching for a way to make the dream come true. I did not bother seeking help from investors or the traditional avenues of starting a small business this time. I started my search on the internet, returning to sites I remembered visiting during the research phase of forming my Business Plan, and looked at those resources of information from a new angle. 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, and so I have been praying that if it is His will that this game should be created, that He would help me.
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, on the hope that eventually the game will launch successfully. Over the course of two+ years we have had over 110 volunteers join the team. Currently we have about 15-25 active volunteers working on various aspects of the development process. I would love to be able to pay my team for their help on the game, but we are still functioning without funding. This translates to low participation and high turnover. People have to pay their bills and buy food, so when the going gets tough volunteer activities are always the first to be cut from people's schedules. As such, we constantly need more people to volunteer their time and talents to achieve the equivalent number of hours that a full time paid team of 100 developers would invest on a project of this calibre. 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. Even if the game is never completed, I know that I have tried. I am giving it my best shot. 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. 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. 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 "The Bible Game" for the PS2. However, I can not guarantee that the game will be a success. Indeed, I would be a fool to do so, for no one knows the future. 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