In the secularized world of gaming, Christianity is severely underrepresented. Most game developers try to keep authentic religion out of their games entirely, and when they do include it, it’s often in a demeaning or twisted way. Nevertheless, there are a select few creators who have bravely expressed their faith, despite pushback from the community.
In this article I will highlight the many ways these developers brought authentic Christianity into the gaming space, and give them some well deserved appreciation. Since I am including all denominations, please note that some of them may hold specific views that are at odds with the fullness of the faith. I am not here to discuss those positions, but rather to focus on the commendable things they have done. With that said, let’s get started!
Scott Cawthon (Indie, Steel Wool Studios)
Why not get one of the most famous ones out of the way first? Scott Cawthon is well-known as the creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s, an indie horror game that tasked the player to survive overnight in a pizzeria haunted by possessed animatronics. Its wild success spawned a steady stream of sequels and even a feature-length movie.
However, he has some creative works that are less known. Before FNAF, he spent twelve years developing Christian video games and movies as a member of Hope Animation, albeit not with much financial success. In his 2014 interview with GeeksUnderGrace, Scott looked back on them fondly:
“I don’t regret a single moment that I spent working on those Christian projects. I feel like God had commissioned me to make them, and I had an absolute duty to make them, even at the cost of my job and a comfortable life (which it cost me).”
Of course, with the attention that Five Nights at Freddy’s brought him, Cawthon began facing some criticisms. One uproar was over one of his older games, The Desolate Hope. This game tasked the player to rescue an unborn baby from being used as a specimen, and was criticized for “having a pro-life message”. In the same interview, Scott notes:
“The game places a very high value on human life, even at its smallest, and that draws a lot of anger from some people.”
He continued to face some pushback from the gaming community, with things getting the most heated in 2021 when people found evidence that he had donated to conservative politicians. He responded to the controversy with one of the most legendary Reddit posts I’ve ever read:
“I’m a republican. I’m a Christian. I’m pro-life. I believe in God. I also believe in equality, and in science, and in common sense. Despite what some may say, all of those things can go together. That’s not an apology or promise to change, it’s the way it’s always been.
If I get canceled, then I get canceled. I don’t do this for the money anymore; I do it because I enjoy it. If people think I’m doing more harm than good now, then maybe it’s better that I get canceled and retire. I would accept that. I’ve had a fulfilling career. Besides, most things that people can take from you are things that never had much value to begin with.”
For his work on Christian media and standing firm on his pro-life views, Scott Cawthon gets my respect. I also highly recommend you check out his interview with GeeksUnderGrace to read about his faith journey.
Jon Burton (TT Games, 10:10 Games)
Next up on the list is somebody I think should get more recognition – and that is Jon Burton, founder of TT Games and 10:10 Games! Being the founder of two game studios means he’s worked on a lot of titles, but some significant ones throughout his career include:
- Puggsy (1993, Sega Mega Drive & Sega CD)
- Toy Story (1995, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, PC)
- Sonic R (1997, Sega Saturn)
- Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube)
- Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PC)
- Lego The Lord of The Rings (2012, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS & 3DS, PC, Mobile)
He was also involved in the creation of The Lego Movie and co-produced The Lego Batman Movie. It’s clear that he’s had a successful career, and it turns out that he took a few opportunities over the years to sneak in some Christian Easter eggs into various titles!
He discussed a few of these in Christian Easter Eggs I’ve Hidden In My Games, and I’ll outline two of my favorites here. All Screenshots are from the YouTube video.
Ichthys in Sonic R
In the Resort Island level, you might notice an Ichthys (also known as “Jesus Fish”) on one of the houses. According to Jon, Sega was aware of this and allowed it. The 90’s were truly a different time…
Bible verse in Puggsy
As a reward for completing all bonus levels in Puggsy, you are taken to one final stage featuring the words “ALL LEVELS COMPLETE” and REV “22 v 31” spelled out in blocks. 22:31 Is the final verse of revelation and reads:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.”
And to top it off, the level is called “The End of All”. What an awesome reward for full completion!
Jon Burton, we thank you for the many awesome games you’ve made and especially the Easter eggs you’ve hidden that glorify God. If you want to hear Jon elaborate a little more on these and find out how he snuck 1 John 1:9 into the end credits of Lego Dimensions, check out his video linked above.
Paul Ehreth (Anchor Point Studios, 343 Industries)
Next up is (as far as I’m aware) our first Catholic on the list. Paul Ehreth, also known as “Bacon_Sanwich”, has worked on Halo, Shadowrun, Alan Wake II, and directed Control. A few years back, he did an interview with Word on Fire (Bishop Barron’s Ministry) and offered a few insights on his faith life while in the gaming industry. The first things that came up were his early struggles, including the difficulty of finding a job and the Hollywood environment:
“You know, entertainment in general tends to be a certain type of environment, let’s say. And it doesn’t always cater to people of different faiths, and so a lot of us tend to keep our faith a little bit close to the vest…”
“We [people of faith] are here, we just I think tend to be a little bit more muted about how we live our faith.”
Despite the difficulties, he persisted. Following the release of Halo 4, he found himself feeling unfulfilled and went on a retreat to a Trappist Monastery. After several days of prayer and reflection, he decided to start a Fellowship with two of his Christian friends at the game studio.
“It’s interesting how I didn’t know about any other Christians at the studio at that time, and we couldn’t really broadcast it… And yet, somehow people kept kind of hearing about this… it was crazy how the numbers kept growing and growing until I think we had around 10 or 12 people meeting once a month before work…
And that, you know, was so much more fulfilling than working on this project (Halo 4) that was my dream project to work on. And since then I’ve tried to keep that always in mind – the things of this Earth are never really gonna give us fulfillment. Doing the will of God is really what provides that.”
I know both his coworkers and our Lord are pleased with Paul for bringing faith into the studio. If you want to hear more about his life and how he convinced the lead writer of Control to remove an instance of suicide from the game, check out the interview linked above.
Bonus Section
I figured we ought to give some honorable mentions to Christians who aren’t exactly developers, but have still made a huge impact in the gaming space.
Jeremey Chinshue (TerminalMontage)
If you’re into fan animations of video games, then you’ve probably watched this dude’s stuff before. Jeremey Chinshue, better known by his alias TerminalMontage, is an animator famous for videos parodying Nintendo franchises as well as a variety of other game series. At a cool 4.57M subscribers and 1.2 billion views on YouTube, it’s fair to say his content has been a hit. Impressively, he has been using his position to help spread the gospel.
How so? Well, one of his most famous characters is a parody of Kirby known simply as “Kirbo”. A few years back he began portraying him as Christian, often taking out a cross & bible when some demonic-looking enemy gets in the way, invoking God to get rid of the evil.
There’s a specific scene I love from Something About Kirby & The Amazing Mirror where a giant image of Jesus (with flaming eyes and a chorus of angels) makes an appearance. You then hear God’s voice: “With man, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible” before the enemy explodes.
These gags serve as great examples on how to handle jokes about the faith. Jeremy being a Christian himself, he never mocks Christianity, and Kirbo’s status as one of the faithful is only used in uplifting and positive ways, garnering much praise from his fans. There are even some episodes where he takes things more seriously, such as in A Very Kirbo Christmas where the pink puffball goes around doing charitable work before heading back home for a nice Christmas dinner (saying his prayers first, of course).
So, for using his platform to positively portray the Christian faith in a world that prefers to do the opposite, Jeremy Chinshue gets my thanks (and my views).
Jonathan Blevins (BeardedBlevins)
Another Catholic for the list, Jonathan Blevins is a former Youth Minister turned full-time Twitch streamer. With over 100,000 followers on the platform, he regularly makes it in the top 50 most-watched Fortnite streamers each month (which is not an easy feat). I’ve watched him a good deal over the years, and think he strikes a pretty good balance at being wholesome while allowing things to get spicy every once in a while – adults and kids alike will get some good laughs out of this dude.
One of his overarching goals is to bring positivity and the gospel to online culture, and if you’re familiar with Twitch, then you know it needs people like this desperately. In a mini documentary by Grotto Network, he said he prays for the viewers and their intentions. And similarly to Scott Cawthon, I’ve seen him uphold his pro-life views on X even when it causes him to lose followers.
Oh, and if the name “Blevins” sounds familiar, it’s because Jonathan is the brother of Tyler Blevins, better known to the world as “Ninja”. You might catch the two playing Fortnite together if you tune in to the stream on a Friday!
For bringing the faith to those who are spiritually starving, I applaud Jonathan Blevins.
Conclusion
This has been but a small overview of some Christians in the gaming industry. I know there are many more out there whose deeds are unspoken, and hope that more will find the courage (as well as the security) to be open about their faith in this hostile world. May God continue to bless these people and use them to bring glory to His kingdom.
