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Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.
What’s covered in this episode:
- What is the role of evangelism in gaming and the arts? In this episode, Neil Sauvageau and Mark Soderwall join Chris Skaggs to have a conversation about it.
- The church has largely failed to be present in the media industry. We usually approach this by asking questions like, “How can we bring Christianity into our games?” and “How can we evangelize with our content?” But these are the wrong questions.
- Chris explains that using a video game to evangelize is similar to using a video game as an educational tool. People don’t want to be preached at where they go for recreation, so typically these are not effective. If games are a tool, then we’re “using a screwdriver with a flathead nail.”
- Making games with evangelization as the endgame puts on a massive pressure to be reaching the masses with big-budget, high-production content. Mark cautions that, in reality, what is really needed is to strive for excellence, which can be achieved with small teams and budgets.
- Instead of mass evangelization, let your goal be that one person that might be positively impacted by your work. Consider how positively the secular industry could be impacted by having people making decisions by co-laboring with The Holy Spirit. “That way, when you put something out, you know that you know that God has been with you all the way through it.” Mark explains.
- “God loves to see our gifts in operation. He doesn’t need our protection, he needs our exploration. Get personal, vulnerable, and making mistakes is okay. We correct it and we can move on. Go to Holy Ghost and see what you’re called to. Don’t be afraid to go to the desires of your heart.” - Mark Soderwall
- Soma desires to create games with rich culture and art, that in a sense shows a vision of what heaven could be like. They want to make games that express good and evil, and apostleship.
- “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman
Resources mentioned:
Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at tempusdivum@somagames.com