If you’ve been hanging out with us for a while, you know that we at Plugged In believe entertainment impacts us deeply. It affects what we think, how we feel and even what we believe. But while entertainment influences us mightily, different forms of it influence us in mighty different ways.

Take a favorite song. The tune might just last three minutes. But if we’re in the middle of a painful breakup and that song describes just how we’re feeling, we might listen to that three-minute song about a thousand times during a weekend.

Or consider a video game. Your average shooter might not have the emotional angst of that breakup song. But instead of passively listening to it while we sit in our bedrooms, we’re actively engaged in, y’know, shooting stuff. And we might go on shooting stuff for dozens, or even hundreds, of hours before we move on to the next game.

Both that song and that game impact those of us who engage with it. But each taps into a different part of the brain, plays on different emotions and impacts us in very different ways.

And our strategy for how to deal with those different forms of media needs to be tweaked accordingly, too.

We talk a lot about this dynamic in our new book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family. But we’ve got more to say. Our panel of experts—Bob Hoose, Kristin Smith and Jonathan McKee—joins our host Adam Holz to discuss these different forms of entertainment and the different strategies each requires.

And then, Adam talks with someone who knows all about the influence of entertainment: Christian music superstar Rebecca St. James. She and her equally musical brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone, otherwise known as For King & Country, are the subjects of a new movie called Unsung Hero, which focuses especially on the siblings’ dad, David. Accordingly, St. James talks about the film, her family and how she herself has navigated the sometimes high-pressure entertainment industry.

So join us, will you? Listen to what we have to say. And once we’re done jabbing, take a turn yourself. Let us know what form of entertainment is particularly enticing to you on Facebook, or Instagram, or by sending us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our podcast homepage. And then, get ready for another dynamic Plugged In Show episode next week.

The post Episode 228: How Different Entertainment Forms Influence Us. Plus, a Conversation With Rebecca St. James appeared first on Plugged In.

And when the apostles had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they began to preach the gospel in Jerusalem and then in all Judea and Samaria. It’s a message that continues to be shared all over the world. And in Commissioned, a game created by Patrick and Katherine Lysaght, players will experience that spread—as well as the difficulties those missionaries faced.

You, along with up to five of your most determined friends, play as an assortment of apostles, guiding them on their missionary journeys. And don’t worry: no matter if you decide to play as Andrew, Barnabas, James, John, Paul or Peter, you’re all on the same team. You’ll travel from town to town, preaching the gospel and building up churches while you play against the board as it throws various trials at you in an attempt to hinder your mission and extinguish your churches.

Commissioned attempts to showcase the spread of the gospel as seen through the book of Acts, as well as “the first 150 years of church history,” according to the game’s rulebook. Players will encounter pitfalls and resistance that will threaten a quick ‘game over.’

And though God confirmed that He would not allow the church to fail in our history, well, the fate of the church in Commissioned rests in your fallible and distinctly unsovereign hands.

Good luck.

Components

Commissioned comes with a 12-page rulebook. It also comes with five double-sided scenario cards that change the victory conditions for each playthrough. The box likewise contains various wooden stand-ins which represent player apostles, fellow missionaries and church members. Players use 96 “faith cards” to help them build the church and bolster themselves against the 27 “trial cards” they’ll face. Each player will also be given a personalized player board for the apostle they choose to play, and one player will get a wooden “Elder’s Staff” to indicate their leadership for the round. Other tokens depict the looming effects of trial cards, such as a church that is unable to gain more members and a counter for extinguished churches. Finally, a double-sided game board depicting the Mediterranean area and an eight-sided die round out the gameplay elements, while a “Theme Appendix” cites the Bible verses or historical context that served as inspiration for the aforementioned faith and trial cards.

Gameplay

Commissioned offers players five different scenarios from which to choose: Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s Gentile Outreach, The First Missionary Journeys, Appeal to Caesar, and To the Ends of the Earth. The scenarios start players on different portions of the board with different restrictions and resources, as well as special rules the players may have to follow and the conditions for victory. And, just to raise the stakes a bit, these scenarios also come with the consequences you’ll reap if you fail, from “The Roman Empire never adopts Christianity” to “The Church never expands beyond Judea.”

In addition to these scenarios, players will choose between the easier “Disciple” or harder “Martyr” difficulties, the latter of which includes far more punishing trial cards for players to endure. Yet despite the five different scenarios, games are relatively simple: move your missionaries and apostles around the board to create and grow churches in various cities. In terms of other objectives, players will sometimes need to collect cards representing the New Testament canon to show it being written throughout their journey.

But don’t expect the journey to be easy. Each turn, you’ll have to draw a trial card which will hinder your mission in some way, from eliminating church members from a region to imprisoning your apostle for a number of rounds, thus preventing the gospel from advancing to the next city. If five churches are extinguished (by losing all their church members) or if you run out of cards in the trial deck before meeting a scenario’s victory conditions, you lose the game.

Now, we played Commissioned a few times, and we found the game to be rather difficult. Even though we were eventually able to win a game, it took all of us planning and working together in order to accomplish our objectives before we ran out of time. But while it’s likely that your first game will end in a loss like ours did, the difficulty speaks to the very trials, persecutions and challenges that the actual apostles faced as they spread the gospel throughout the world. It’ll likewise make victory all the more satisfying.

Spiritual Elements

Notwithstanding the game’s inherent connection to the missionary journeys of the book of Acts, Commissioned’s components and rules alike are based in Christianity. Players play as the apostles and hope to raise churches across the Mediterranean region. The back of each scenario card provides a brief history of the events summed up in the scenario’s title, from Paul’s conversion to Christianity to Peter’s call to preach to Samaritans and Gentiles.

Turns themselves are based in Christian themes, too. At the start of each turn, players draw a trial card, many of which are based on a Scripture citation found at the bottom of the card. Then, players move into the “pray” phase in response to these trials, wherein they draw faith cards they can play to help counter these trials. These faith cards come in four levels: “1-Faith” cards usually provide one small benefit. “2-Faith” cards provide one board effect or the choice to add some books to the New Testament. “3-Faith” cards help add church members and missionaries. They also counter trials that prevent the church from growing. Finally, “4-Faith” cards “reflect miracles in the early Church” and provide powerful boons for the gaming group. Like the trial cards, each of the 3- and 4-Faith cards additionally have titles like “Great Commission,” “Jailhouse Earthquake” and Jerusalem Council” with Scripture citations for what those titles are referencing.

And for those who don’t have a Bible immediately on hand, the game’s Theme Appendix provides the verbatim Bible verses so players can read the aforementioned citations.

Noteworthy Potential Concerns

There’s nothing here that we think will immediately raise an eyebrow, content-wise. Some cards reference persecution, and Christians being martyred is here, too.

Though if we had to point out a more philosophical issue, some may dislike the idea of playing as the apostles and having the ability to fail their gospel mission.

Conclusion

If you’ve played the popular board game Pandemic, in some ways, Commissioned is like a reverse version of that game.

In Pandemic, players fight against the board as tiny disease cubes spread across the world—tiny cubes which players hope to eradicate before they spread too far. Meanwhile, Commissioned tasks players with spreading church-representing cubes across the board while the game attempts to eradicate the gospel before it gets too far.

That comparison is purely made to help people understand the gameplay. But the two games are similar in another way: the game can quickly become extremely difficult depending on the cards you draw.

It’s somewhat of a flaw for nearly any game that tasks players with strategizing against the board itself, wherein a single arbitrary card flip can make a playthrough feel too easy or near impossible to win. For example, your first Trial card may cause you to simply lose one Church member—not a big deal, you can recover from that quickly and continue on. But in your next playthrough, your first Trial card may cause you to lose half of your starting church population—making your initial spread into adjacent regions twice as difficult as it might have been had you drawn something else. And, if we’re being honest, that latter scenario can feel pretty frustrating.

But at the same time, Commissioned benefits a little from that randomness. Because even though those card draws can feel oppressive and unfair at times, they also give players more appreciation for the things the apostles endured–especially children who may not have truly thought about the difficulties the disciples faced in their missionary journeys. In essence, the game’s historical and spiritual basis gives its challenges more leeway perhaps than other historical games.

So, maybe you’ll win every game of Commissioned you ever play. Maybe you’ll never manage to succeed. In either case, the game reminds us that the events it references really did happen and that the apostles endured these trials and prevailed through the power of the Lord. And that’s a victory that was guaranteed, even in spite of your gaming table’s uncertain success.

The post Christian Board Game Review – Commissioned appeared first on Plugged In.

Introduction to the Franchise

Gotta catch ‘em all.

Well…maybe. Catching every Pokémon is quite the difficult task, and it’s made even more difficult because some of those Pokemon are designed as literal gods. That’s a tall order for a protagonist who isn’t even in his teens.

Of course, when the permanently 10-year-old Ash Ketchum first appeared on televisions around the world in 1997, catching all of “‘em” sounded much more manageable. When Ash first set off into the world of Pokémon with dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master, there were only 151 Pokémon around to catch. (Well, 152, if you count the early appearance of the Second Generation Ho-oh.) As of time of posting, there’s more than 1,000.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon has captured the hearts of many. Its 1,200-episode series (and counting), 24 movies and more than 100 video games can testify to that fact. And even if you’ve never played a game or watched an episode of Pokémon, you’re still probably familiar with a certain yellow electric mouse.

But just as some Pokémon like Pikachu accrue greater popularity than others, so it is that not all Pokémon are created equal in power or stature, either. As Pokémon’s roster has grown, the variety of these “pocket monsters” have grown as well—expanding well beyond the occasional ghost or rock monster. Nowadays, where one Pokémon stands as a literal personification of a god, another is a literal bag of trash (sorry, Trubbish).

And with its ever-growing roster comes a monumental amount of spiritual lore—so much, in fact, that we’ve chosen to cover Pokémon as our next entry into our growing Theology Of … series. Below, we’ll unpack Pokémon’s creation narrative, discuss some people or things of particular importance to the series and introduce you to some of the show’s most notable spiritual themes. Then, we’ll help you think about how those themes either connect or contrast with the Gospel. . And, remember, for reviews of specific Pokémon games, you can search Plugged In’s video game section. We might not have ‘em all, but we have a lot.

So, without further ado, let’s grab a Poké Ball and learn how to capture and teach some of these spiritual themes.

Overarching Spiritual Worldview

In Pokémon, the creation narrative starts with a void of nothingness. And from that void (according to the narrative) came an egg of light, one that hatched to reveal Arceus, a giant white deer-like being. Arceus created the universe, and it made three legendary Pokémon to help it do so. These Pokémon are Palkia, Dialga and Giratina, who were given control over Space, Time and Antimatter, respectively. However, Giratina (Pokémon’s unofficial version of Satan) was banished to another realm when Arceus saw its evil nature.

Other legendary Pokémon were soon created, and they in turn helped make things like the sun, moon and planets. Other legendary Pokémon—Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie—were created as the embodiments of willpower, emotion and knowledge, respectively. Because these three were made, the path was set for life to form—namely, humans and the more common Pokémon. Over time, humans learned how to capture and train Pokémon, logging the creatures’ abilities into reference material such as the Pokédex. And in modern times, it is common to see Pokémon engaged in contests and battles, trained by their human trainers.

Glossary of Important Characters/Topics

Ash Ketchum – Ash is the central protagonist for the vast majority of Pokémon products (especially in TV and movie releases, which we’ll pay special attention to here).The 10-year-old Ash desires to become a Pokémon Master, though the title is rather vague. Ash treats Pokémon with kindness, and he is quick to protect or help any Pokémon in need. Because of this, Ash makes many human and Pokémon friends throughout his journeys. These journeys often include engaging in Pokémon battles in tournaments or defeating villainous teams with nefarious motives. Though Ash catches and uses a lot of different Pokémon, his first Pokémon (and the one to whom he is closest) is Pikachu.

Pikachu – Pikachu is a Pokémon who resembles a yellow rat with a lightning-bolt tail and is capable of attacking with electricity. Pikachu is Ash’s first Pokémon, and the two form a deep bond throughout the course of their travels, often risking their lives for each other.

Jessie, James and Meowth – Jessie and James are two grunt members of Team Rocket, a villainous group of people who want to steal, sell and exploit Pokémon for profit. Just as Ash has Pikachu, the duo’s main Pokémon is Meowth, a talking cat-like Pokémon. In the TV series and elsewhere, they frequently attempt to steal Ash’s Pikachu, and they almost always have their plans foiled. Typically, they’re dealt with in some sort of way that causes them to go flying off into the sky before returning again later.

Villainous Teams – And speaking of villainous teams, there’s actually quite a lot of them. In most of the video games, the player will likely have to take down one of these teams as the central antagonistic group as they attempt to accomplish a nefarious goal. Other than the aforementioned Team Rocket, these teams are:

• Team Magma (appearing in games Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), who desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Groudon in order to expand the landmass of the region through its volcanic powers.
• Team Aqua (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire),who serve as the foil to Team Magma. They desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Kyogre to use its water abilities to sink a lot of land and expand the oceans.
• Team Galactic (Diamond, Pearl and Platinum), who desire to use the space-time powers of Palkia and Dialga to recreate the universe.
• Team Plasma (Black, White, Black 2 and White 2), who believe that Pokémon should be liberated from trainers, even through theft. Later, a schism forms in the group, with the latter group desiring to freeze the region to take all the Pokémon for themselves and rule the land.
• Team Flare (X and Y), who desires to use something called the Ultimate Weapon to “obliterate all life except themselves and start anew.”
• Team Skull (Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who are more of a nuisance than a threat as thugs who just want to make money, sometimes through stealing Pokémon.
• Team Rainbow Rocket (Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who desire to use a specific type of Pokémon called Ultra Beasts to take over the world. This team is made up of the leaders of the other villainous teams from alternate universes where they succeeded in their goals.
• Team Yell (Sword and Shield), who are simply overzealous fans of a rival Pokémon trainer.
• Team Star (Scarlet and Violet), who are university students who bully other students.

Legendary Pokémon – Legendary Pokémon are Pokémon that are “generally featured prominently in the legends and myths of the Pokémon world, with some even going so far as to view them as deities,” according to Bulbapedia, a community-driven Pokémon information site. While most of these Pokémon have immense power, not all of them have power directly related to spiritual concepts. However, some of the more notable legendary Pokémon who are related to spiritual concepts are listed below:

• Arceus and Giratina – Arceus is said to have created the universe, while Giratina stands as Pokémon’s unofficial personification of the devil.
• Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie – these three represent the “spirit of all consciousness,” that being willpower, emotion and knowledge.
• Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres – these three elemental birds are based on mythological birds—the thunderbird, simurgh and phoenix, respectively.
• Lugia and Ho-oh – these two creatures are based on the Shinto god Ryujin and the Chinese phoenix, respectively.
• Cesselia and Enamorus – Cessalia is said to be a sign of hope and good dreams, and a Pokédex entry in Pokémon Legends: Arceus states that it “resembles the heavenly maiden who created the Milky Way. Meanwhile, Enamorus is based on Ugajin, a harvest and fertility god in Japanese mythology.
• Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus – this trio is based on the Shinto spirits Füjin, Raijin and Inari, the gods of wind, lightning and fertility, respectively.
• Zekrom and Reshiram – these two Pokémon represent the concepts of Yin and Yang.
• Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde – while official Pokémon sources don’t say what inspired these Pokémon, many fans believe them to be based on Norse mythology. Regardless, Xerneas and Yveltal respectively represent life and destruction, while Zygarde “monitors the ecosystem,” balancing life and death.
• Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini – these four are based on Hawaiian gods.

Other Spiritual Elements – Some major spiritual elements furthermore take place outside of the aforementioned legendary Pokémon. These include:

• Resurrection – Some characters, including Ash, have died and been brought back to life through various means (including through the tears of Pokémon). Likewise, the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh has resurrected Pokémon before.
• Possession – Ghost Pokémon exist in the game, and many of them can haunt or possess people. In one reviewed episode of the series, Ash is possessed by a ghost Pokémon. Likewise, it is canon to Pokémon that people have souls.
• Aura and Oneness – Aura, or spiritual energy, is present in Pokémon, and some Pokémon are able to channel their aura into power. Likewise, we’ve previously noted how some messages regarding “becoming one with Pokémon” are present in the anime.
• Bond Phenomenon – This occurs “when the trust between the Trainer and the Pokémon reaches maximum,” and the Pokémon gets a lot stronger as a result, according to Bulbapedia. The trainer will feel the pain the Pokémon feels while in battle, and he or she can share the Pokémon’s point of view.
• Ghost, Psychic and Dark types of pokemon – Various Pokémon fall into the category of Ghost, Psychic and Dark (the last of the three literally translates as ‘Evil’) Pokémon. This last classification does not, actually, mean that these Dark Pokémon are inherently evil: Canonically, such temperament is based on the trainer’s methods of bonding with the creatures. However, these types are more likely to do supernatural things (ghost and psychic) or do nefarious things (ghost and dark).

Religion – Some of the Pokémon are canonically worshiped or revered as deities. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, two groups of people argue over whether Palkia or Dialga is the supreme god (with neither group realizing that Arceus is the canonical god). In the games Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a people called the Draconids worshipped the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, and it responded to their prayers at one point. Other Pokémon, like Enamorus, Reshiram and Zekrom are said to have worshippers. Various shrines have been built to other Pokémon, too.

Connecting, And Contrasting, the Gospel

As Pokémon has expanded its roster, it’s also created some spiritual questions for families to ponder. Below, we’ve listed a few topics that you can use to link Pokémon to Christianity.

Intentional God – According to Pokémon lore, Arceus had a beginning, and he created other Pokémon in order to help him create the universe. This starkly contrasts with biblical Christianity. God has no beginning nor end (Isaiah 40:28, John 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:17). Likewise, God did not make other “gods” in order to assist Him in the creation of the world—He was intentionally involved in it, down to the last molecule (Job 38:4-7, John 1:1-5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Revelation 4:11). Our God is one who is intentional, so intentional that He, who created all things, even cares for us (Psalm 8:3-9). And His love for us is such that the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily died in our place to satisfy the wrath of God against our sins—that while we were still enemies of God, He loved and redeemed us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

No Greater Love – Throughout the anime, Ash and Pikachu have an extremely strong relationship. In fact, Ash has frequently risked his life to save Pikachu from dying or being seriously hurt. Jesus tells His disciples that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). And earlier, Jesus confirmed that He would voluntarily lay down His life for His people, thereby proving His love for sinners (John 10:7-18, Romans 5:8). All those who are in Christ are reconciled to God and are made righteous by His blood. Christians no longer need to fear death, as they, like Christ, will be raised with Him into eternal life (Isaiah 53:10-12, Ephesians 1:7-14, 1 Corinthians 15).

Good Versus Evil – Ash (and, in the video games, the player character) battles against various villainous organizations that hurt people and Pokémon to achieve their goals. Clear villains are often depicted in Pokémon, and their deeds are likewise seen as evil. And the spiritual reality in our world is that, according to God’s holy standard of what is good, we are evil, too (Genesis 6:5 and 8:21, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Mark 7:21-23, Ephesians 2:3). Because our God loves goodness and justice, He would be perfectly righteous to condemn us for the wicked deeds we have done. But our God is also merciful, which is why He has provided Jesus Christ as a substitutionary sacrifice in our place who takes the payment for our sins and, with His righteousness, sets us free from sin and death (Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2:12-13, Colossians 1:21-23, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 15-16).

Conclusion

We hope that this serves as a helpful primer for parents looking to understand the spirituality presented in Pokémon so that you can be equipped with the knowledge you need to lead into a gospel conversation or to decide whether the franchise is for you.

The post The Theology Of … Pokémon appeared first on Plugged In.

Sometimes, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as stealing stuff and engaging in high-powered shootouts.

Or, at least, so would say fans of the online shooter The Finals.

The Finals is the latest in a string of online shooters where gamers pick up virtual weapons and fire virtual rounds at their virtual competition. The Finals adds a bit of burglary to the action, though: Gamers are asked (as part of a televised game show, the story tells us) to steal vaults and transport them to cash out points. But other contestants are trying to steal the very same vaults—and they can steal from you as easily as you can steal from them. This invariably leads to the real draw of the game—the shootouts. And not only can you shoot each other but you can blow up pretty much every bit of scenery you see, too.

We’ll use that game to launch (pardon the expression) into a wider conversation about online shooters such as Fortnite. Why are these games so popular? Are they cathartic, or could they lead to some real-world issues? Just how much should parents be wringing their hands over these Fortnite-style shooters? Adam Holz will talk to Kennedy Unthank, Jonathan McKee and our very own gaming expert Bob Hoose on these issues and more.

And once we’ve fired off enough conversation in that direction, we’ll turn our attention to Gracie Abrams, a relatively new name in the world of music. Kristin Smith will tell us about this up-and-coming musical star (and daughter of Hollywood director J.J. Abrams) and let us know whether the “I Know It Won’t Work” singer will work for parents.

And then, when we’re done with this episode’s fun and games, we’d love for you to join in the conversation. Do you play Fortnite-style shooters? What do you think of Gracie Abrams? Let us know in the comments below. Fire off a missive or two via Facebook or Instagram. Shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or pull the trigger on our new voicemail option, which can be found on our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com.

And, as always, we look forward to your company again soon on The Plugged In Show.

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 219: ‘The Finals’ and Other Online Shooting Games appeared first on Plugged In.

But the definition of a “good game” depends a lot on what you’re looking for. And if you’re looking for a good game for your 11-year-old, these “great” games might not look all that great. A lot of social media votes have been logged for games such as Bethesda’s Starfieldand Larian Studios Baldur’s Gate 3. And while those two RPGs are definitely well-crafted entries, they’re also M-rated. In Baldur’s Gate 3’s case, very much so. And we all know what that tends to mean. (Read our reviews if you’re not so sure.)

So, we here at Plugged In want to cheer a few other great games that could easily wear a golden Best Of crown. The toughest challenge was limiting the list to only five.

Here is our list of the best family friendly games of 2023.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

(Action/Adventure, Puzzle. Nintendo Switch. Rated: E10+)

This well-balanced game explores the vast lands and skies of the kingdom of Hyrule. It ventures into a creative story which twists its way through time and several Hyrulian eras. If you think the Zelda games are just kids’ play, you’re in for a challenging (and emotional) rebuttal. Tears of the Kingdom is tough and rewarding.Parents of very young adventures should keep that—and the game’s 50-hour-long questing, fantasy spirituality and perilous battles—in mind. That said, there won’t be any Zelda fans, young or old, shedding tears if they get this game.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

(Action/Adventure. PlayStation 5. Rated: T)

Spider-buds Peter Parker and Miles Morales take on super-powered threats to their beloved city, and the spectacular gaming action is arguably better than the movies. Aesthetically, this game is impressive to look at and play through. The character graphics aren’t, frankly, all consistently equal, but some are amazingly realistic. This game’s T-rating, however, lets some content slip through, including razor-toothed peril; sexual references; and some language issues. If you were never able to get your hands on a PS5, sorry. This game is a PlayStation exclusive.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

(Platformer. Nintendo Switch. Rated: E)

It’s been 42 years since a little mustachioed Italian plumber first jumped into an arcade game, and the newest Switch entry is one of the best in that historical heap. It’s a creative and joyously bouncing blast. In Wonder, the ever-troublesome Bowser transforms into a castle and threatens a neighboring flower kingdom. Players step into the shoes of any of Mario’s crew (including the likes of Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi) to set things aright. The biggest yellow flag here is that very young players may need some parental button-crunching help to best that bang-bamming Bowser by the game’s end.

Skye Tales

(Puzzle. Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One) 

While many of the most popular games tend to be all about fistfights, blaster action and all manner of mayhem, Skye Tales is what is known as a cozy game. It’s fun, but in a relaxing, put-your-feet-up sort of way. This puzzler introduces players to the island of Brinn, whose residents need help with all sorts of problems. And naturally, they turn to a cute little puzzle-solving dragon named Skye. The puzzles can get a little repetitive for adults, but kids will enjoy them. It’s practically free of content issues. And for both kids and adults, the game itself feels a little like a “soft blanket on a rainy day.”

Horizon: Call of the Mountain

(Action/Adventure, Virtual Reality. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 VR. Rated: T)

I held the last spot on our list open for those who want some solid virtual reality fun. No, you don’t play as the franchise’s über-popular protagonist, Aloy, but you do meet her. And you climb vast mountains; ride river rapids; navigate mountain lairs; craft items; shoot your bow; and hunt machines with your own two virtual hands. This may not be the longest or most intricate VR game ever created, but it is impressive. I should note that if you suffer from vertigo by looking down from great heights, this might not be for you. And there’s a bit of rough language in the T-rated dialogue as well.  

There you have our list of solid, cheer-worthy games for 2023. Of course, not a one of them is perfect and pure as the driven snow. So please check out our Plugged In reviews. In fact, check out all of our 2023 reviews. There are other gems in there that you may have missed.

Happy gaming.

The post Gaming Goods 2023: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks appeared first on Plugged In.

The real King Herod didn’t necessarily sing about how great being a king was. His soldiers probably marched more than they danced. But in Director Adam Anders’ take on the Nativity, the Holy Land takes on a Broadway-like sheen.

Journey to Bethlehem, being released this weekend, feels as if a mad scientist took the original Christmas story from the Bible and somehow smooshed it with a Disney Channel musical. And given that Anders is best known as a music producer for such projects as High School Musical 3, Descendants and Glee—Journey to Bethlehem’s musical bent makes sense.

I had a chance to talk with Adam Anders recently, and he proved to be a super-nice guy with some super-interesting things to say. You can check out my interview with him below.

Meanwhile, on The Plugged In Show, we dig into the movie itself—and hopefully give you some direction as to whether it might be a good fit for you and your family.

Then, host Adam Holz talks with Bob Hoose, our own videogame expert (and, I might add, a song-and-dance man himself) about the games that you might want to bring home for the Christmas season—and which ones you might not. That’s right—it’s Plugged In’s very own holiday gaming guide.

Then it’s your turn to sing along with us—metaphorically, of course. Did Journey to Bethlehem get you dancing? Or did it leave you in stunned silence? What did you think of my talk with Adam Anders? And are you planning on putting a video game or two underneath the Christmas tree?

Let us know on Facebook and Instagram. Or send us an email to Team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. See how easy it is?

And be sure to watch us do our own song and dance (not literally) during our Plugged In Show Aftercast, on Instagram and Facebook this Friday at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. We’ll not only talk a bit more about our show, but we’ll give a preview to the weekend’s biggest movies. We’ll even answer questions right on the spot.

But however much or little time you spend with us, we’re glad you do.

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 207: ‘Journey to Bethlehem.’ Plus, a Holiday Video Game Guide appeared first on Plugged In.

Eat your vegetables. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Max out your 401(k). Those are just a few things most of us know we should do but maybe don’t.

And if we’re being honest, implementing parental controls on our kids’ devices and on our streaming services is probably on that list too. We kinda know they’re available. But … we’re not quite sure what to do.

In this episode of The Plugged In Show, we’ll demystify parental controls and give some concrete encouragement on how you can begin to use them. It’s actually surprisingly easy, and setting them up will help protect your kids from potentially harmful content.

In our second segment, we’ll shift our attention to some Christian board games Kennedy Unthank recently reviewed for us. These might be just the ticket for imaginative family fun over the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

As always, we’d love to hear from you, too, about what we talk about each week on The Plugged in Show.

You can connect us several different ways. The comments section below is one way. Or shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts. (We might even feature your audio message on a future show!) And, of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too.

We’d also love to have you join us for The Plugged In Show Aftercast live on Instagram and Facebook each week,Fridays at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. We’ll discuss that week’s podcast and give you a preview of what’s new in theaters and what’s streaming that week that you need to know about. It’s a place that you can chime in with your comments, observations and questions related to those topics.

So make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and turn on notifications for that reminder when we go live each Friday afternoon.

See you there!

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 206: Focus on Parental Controls, Plus: Christian Board Games appeared first on Plugged In.

It’s been a long time since we’ve been told that little boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails. (Who even knows what a snip is?)

So what are boys made of these days? Entertainment, that’s what.

Oh, sure, maybe biologically that’s not true. But entertainment, pop culture and technology play a huge role in how boys are shaped mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. What do those influences look like? How can we guard against their problems? And how can parents use those influences in more positive ways?

Our podcast panel of parents—Bob Hoose, Kristin Smith and Jonathan McKee—join host Adam Holz to discuss these and other related issues. It promises to be a robust, rollicking conversation, because I know our experts won’t just male it in. (Get it. Mail? Never mind.)

And while we’re on the subject of influence, we transport our conversation to Hyrule and dig deeply into its spiritual underworld. That’s right: We’re tackling the Legend of Zelda video game franchise, from its ancient beginnings (in 1986) to its modern open-world incarnations, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Kennedy Unthank has unpacked the franchise’s surprisingly deep, murky spirituality in a couple of recent blogs (found here and here), and he explains what he found.

But we don’t want to hog the conversation. After you listen to us, why don’t you talk a while? Reach out via Instagram and Facebook. Write us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voice message, too, by going to The Plugged In Show homepage.

And, of course, join us for The Plugged In Show Aftercast, every Friday at 4 p.m. Mountain Time, on Instagram! It’s a grand old time. And we promise not to get snippy.

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 203: How Pop Culture, Entertainment and Tech are Shaping Boys. Plus, the Theology of Zelda appeared first on Plugged In.

Introduction

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back…” (Revelation 12:7).

Of course, that’s not the end of the sentence. But in Deliverance, it’ll be up to you to make sure that verse eight comes true: “But the dragon was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”

That’s because you and up to three of your mightiest friends play as angels engaged in that spiritual war. It’s not quite the one referenced in Revelation, but it’s a war that’ll certainly bring it to mind as you play. And until that Day of Wrath comes, it’s your job to protect the saints on Earth from the oppression of demonic spirits, sending the wicked creatures to the abyss where they will await the final judgment.

That’s why you’ve been sent to the town of Fallbrook. It’s so small a town that you have not yet deduced why such a large demonic presence exists there, but you and the rest of your heavenly host resolve to get to the bottom of it.

Deliverance depicts the spiritual warfare between angels and demons described in verses such as Daniel 10:12-14, Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12:7. The game is designed by Andrew Lowen, who is himself a Christian. It also stands as the publishing debut for Lowen Games, and it has become, according to the game’s PR, the “highest Christian crowdfunded board game of all time.” And according to the website for Deliverance, the game is Lowen’s attempt to “make an approachable and theologically sound fantasy game that was not preachy or sacrilegious.”

The box Deliverance comes in is huge. And as you might deduce, Deliverance carries a lot within it—and not just in physical pieces. This game displays a high level of detail from the moment you flip open the rulebook, from its gameplay mechanics to its exploration of Christian spirituality. We’ll dive into all of that in this review as we examine the game’s general play and how it handles its Christian setting. And, at the end, I’ll give some of my personal thoughts on Deliverance, too.

Note: Plugged In received a free copy of Deliverance for the purposes of this review.

Components

Upon opening the box, players will be greeted with a plethora of items. Aside from the rulebook and a campaign book, players will also be greeted with angelic player cards, each with their own powers, game lore, biblical inspiration and personal miniatures included. Likewise, demon princes and lesser demonic enemies have their own cards and inspirations, too. Game boards, status tokens, health and character trackers, dice, cards, standees and more round out the many, many items within Deliverance.

Gameplay

In Deliverance, players can choose between two styles of play: Campaign or Skirmish. In Campaign mode, players will utilize the story-driven module included with the game to set up specific battlefields that convey the general plot of the game. In Skirmish mode, players will fight against a wave of lesser demonic minions before they face off in a final battle against a demon prince and its army.

In either case, despite the size of its box, Deliverance is a relatively simple game. The main objective for players is to simply wipe out a group of demons. Players will also have what is sort of a side quest begging for their attention, as well—fighting to rescue and protect “oppressed saints.” And (other than because it’s a nice thing to do) players will likely want to do this because unprotected saints on the board will cause the players to accrue more and more “afflictions” in the form of Darkness cards, each with their own negative effect (more on those in a bit).

To accomplish your demon-slaying goal, players will choose from one of nine angels to play as, each with his or her own play style. They’ll use the actions available to them on their personal card to vanquish demons, and the demons will likewise strike back, hoping to send you and your angel army back to the Pearly Gates (an unfortunate but temporary setback in Deliverance, since angels can return to battle after being knocked out of play). Individually, you can be sent back to heaven and return to battle as many times as it takes, but if every angel is sent back  before any angel can return to the battlefield, it’s game over for your gaming group.

Spiritual Elements

In a game of angels and demons, Christians are bound to have a lot of questions. No one wants to see their religious beliefs be misrepresented or mocked for the sake of a game.

But as you slide the cover of Deliverance’s game box off, it will quickly become apparent how much thoughtful consideration and attention to detail has gone into its design. For instance, Bible verses that relate to the concept of striving against evil are prominently displayed on each side of the box and throughout the game’s contents.

But, as you may have gathered from my description of the game thus far, this is a game that’s diving deeper than merely printing Bible verses on its components. So, let’s cover the biggest Christian elements in this game.

Prayer, Darkness and Heavenly Treasure Cards

We’ll start with the various cards a player will encounter on each playthrough.

There are many types of cards within this game, four of which are shown—with examples for the front and back of each card—in the image above. We’re going to focus on the first three in the image: Prayer, Heavenly Treasure and Darkness cards. Because they’re not inherently spiritual, we won’t be covering Talent cards, which serve as an upgrade to your (or your enemy’s) abilities.

According to the Deliverance website, “prayer is the angel’s answer to the Darkness, and neglecting it is likely to spell doom for your team.” In Deliverance, though all players will have their own unique abilities, each will have the ability to “pray” as one of their character actions, and, in doing so, gain a prayer card. These cards contain a verse from Scripture on their fronts, and each contains a helpful power on the other side that is related to the verse. Praying also has the ability to “cast down” accrued Darkness cards.

These Darkness cards are bad news, each with its own ability to impede your angel’s progress in some way—from damaging your health to decreasing your player stats. These cards will build up over the course of the game, and players must use the prayer action or prayer cards in order to cast them down. These Darkness cards have titles that relate to hidden sins, doubts or other things that might cause a believer to have their faith in God shaken, such as “Keeping Appearances,” “Seeds of Despair” or “Perilous Gambit.”

Contrasting Darkness cards are Heavenly Treasure cards. They’re boons that angels can obtain throughout a game to help them in their fight. They contain references to both literal and metaphysical things, concepts or themes that you’ll be able to find in the Bible (such as “Crown of Glory,” “Bronze Serpent” and “Sword of the Spirit”), as well as some other helpful items that come from other inspirations, such as “Winged Sandals.” A few of these cards come with penalties. For instance, various pieces of King Saul’s armor come with straight penalties along with their boons for equipping them, and the “Carpenter’s Burden Gloves” come with a damaging penalty if the angel doesn’t use a Pray action each turn while using them.

Angels

Of course, we can’t analyze the spiritual side of Deliverance without addressing the focal point of the game: a spiritual battle between angels and demons.

In the base game, players get to choose one of nine angels to play as, each with its own distinct cover art, powers and play style. (I should note that the game’s website has a detailed article explaining its depiction of its angelic figures—including why they’re depicted as humanoid, why they’re shown as both male and female and what Scriptures the company used for their inspiration. The game’s site says that the “angelic stances are specifically designed to point to their creator. They aren’t meant to bring the angels glory, but to glorify God.”)

On the backs of each angel card, players can read more about the specific angel they have chosen. The “Lore” section is filled with the game’s fantasy plot for the angel, while the “Inspiration” section reveals a Bible verse and facts that relate to how the angel was created for the game. For instance, the Bible never records any angel named Mikko who has authority over the waters, but it does record of an “angel of the waters” in Revelation 16:5, and we see other texts that tell of angels with some sort of authority over various elements elsewhere (Revelation 7:1 and 14:18, for instance).

Were we to cover each angel and its references in the Bible, we’d be here for some time. Instead, we’ve compiled a list of each angel in the game below with its respective title and verse reference.

• Gabriel – “Messenger of God” – Psalm 91:4, Luke 1, Daniel 9
• Michael – “The Archangel” – Psalm 144:1-2, Daniel 10:13, Jude 9, Revelation 12:7-9
• Uriel – “Flame of God” – Genesis 3:24, Revelation 14:18
• Mikko – “Riverwatcher” – Revelation 16:5
• Sardius – “Stonespeaker” – Ezekiel 28:13, Luke 19:40.
• Azrael – “Angel of Death” – Exodus 12:23, 2 Kings 19:32-35, Habakkuk 3:4-5, Hebrews 11:28
• Taolu – “Windwalker” – John 3:8, Revelation 7:1
• Christine – “Voice of Thunder” – Job 37:2-4, Revelation 14:6
• Shula – “Keeper of Light” – Isaiah 9:2

Demons

Just as Deliverance offers many angels, it also contains many demons. The strongest demons in this game are Fallen Princes, each of which is taken from a section of the Bible. Some of these are directly stated in Scripture to be demons, while others are inspired by various strange biblical references for the game. They include:

• Daeva – “The Prince of Persia” – Daniel 10:12-20
• Herod – “The Great” – Matthew 2:1-16
• Ba’al – “The Silent” – 1 Kings 18:20-25
• “Our Name Is Legion” – Mark 5:1-9
• Antiochus – “The Prince of Greece” – Daniel 11:30-38
• The Euphrates Frogs – Revelation 16:12-16

In addition, players will need to fight against other demons, too. While some of these demons come directly from the Bible, such as “Unclean Spirit,” others are taken from fantasy accounts. These lesser demons are:

• Fallen Seraph
• Abomination
• Unclean Spirit
• Sandman
• Meddling Imp
• Hateful Fiend
• Masked Evil
• Cruel Archer

As of now, Deliverance does not have an article on its site to explain its demons as it does with its angels. However, the publisher did supply us with this statement:

“The demons of Deliverance vary from biblically backed by Scripture to highly allegorical in nature. Much of this flavor is captured on the back of the demon character cards … However, even the fantasy expresses a kernel of truth, much like C.S. Lewis depicted within the demons of The Screwtape Letters. The minions of Deliverance illustrate how a lesser demon might attempt to antagonize or oppress us in our daily lives, and the Fallen Princes of Deliverance pay homage to accounts pulled directly from the Bible.”

Good Versus Evil

Finally, we don’t want to gloss over this important point: in Deliverance, there’s no gray area when it comes to spiritual warfare. As it says in the game’s post about angels,

“Deliverance is a fantasy board game that fits within the biblical narrative of things. Thus, angels are good, fallen angels & demons are bad, and Satan is the worst of them all.”

We’ve seen many movies, TV shows and games try to flex our understanding of angels and demons, allowing demons to be these misunderstood anti-heroes and angels to be not-all-that good. But in Deliverance, there’s no mistaking that line between good and evil.

Noteworthy Potential Concerns

Though Deliverance takes great pains to be as biblically accurate as it can with its subject matter, there are some things of which you’ll want to be aware.

It should go without saying that anyone who is uncomfortable with games dealing in spiritual warfare probably won’t enjoy this game. And on a similar note, some may be uncomfortable playing any game that has anything to do with demons. If you fall into one or both of these categories, Deliverance will inherently be a no-go.

Likewise, some elements in this game can be quite dark. Without giving too much away, one of the campaign’s final quests is called “Suicidal Survivors” and deals with a teenage girl who contemplates suicide. Likewise, one Darkness card is labeled as “Suicidal Thoughts.” And on a similar note, one type of lesser demon, the “Hateful Fiend,” has an ability that causes it to potentially self-harm.

Conclusion

Deliverance just may be, physically, the biggest Christian game ever made. That’s fitting, since the game is based on a spiritual war that has waged for thousands of years.

Of course, Deliverance’s battleground doesn’t span such distances. As a player, you’re not fighting the final battle as described in Revelation 16. You’re simply delivering a small town from its demonic oppression through the power God has granted you. But even with its zoomed-in perspective, Deliverance reminds its players of the real spiritual reality that’s emulated through its many tiny pieces. It points to a reality that the Lord will one day cast down every evil and wicked thing and restore all to righteousness.

I approach every Christian game with quite a bit of caution. It’s easy for a game to fall into one of two extremes: either in being so loose with its Christian theme that it goes against its own theology, or being so strict that the game itself, while true, isn’t that much fun, making families hard-pressed to come back to it for a second play.

Deliverance strikes a balance between the two: it’s biblically accurate insomuch as it can be—at least, for most of what we’re told in the Bible about angels—but it still accomplishes what it inherently must be as a board game: a game.

Andrew Lowen, a Christian, has plastered relevant Bible verses throughout Deliverance. Biblical stories are referenced, too. Good and evil are clearly defined, with all that is against God being evil. We can hope that such things may plant a seed of curiosity within the heart of a non-believer. At the very least, readers will know that this game was made by someone who has reverence for the source material, not mockery.

Of course, as we mentioned above, Deliverance doesn’t come without some difficulties. We know that a spiritual battle is taking place (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:10-17). It’s one that does not end in merely the loss of a game for some—and were it not for the tight grip of Christ holding us fast in the faith, we would be snatched out of His hand and sifted like wheat (Luke 22:31-32, John 10:27-28 and 17:12-15, Romans 8:38-39). And we certainly don’t want anyone to take that spiritual reality lightly just because it’s in a game format.

But Deliverance ultimately points to a glorious day when all the enemies of Christ shall be made a footstool under His feet (Hebrews 10:12-13, Revelation 14:9-11). It points to the day when the Lord will come with righteous anger to slay all evil and deliver believers to Himself for all eternity.

And though the spiritual war wages, Deliverance reminds us that the end is already written.

The post Christian Board Game Review – Deliverance appeared first on Plugged In.

We spend plenty of time at Plugged In reviewing and talking about movies, which might be what we’re best known for. But we also keep our finger on the pulse of many other pop culture and entertainment “beats,” as we call them. And this week we’re focusing on a new video game and a song on The Plugged In Show.

The M-rated fantasy role-playing video game Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place in a popular Dungeons & Dragons setting. And plenty of fans of that table-top gaming franchise have said this new game is among the best digital D&D experiences ever created. Its game mechanics will feel very familiar to anyone who has ever rolled a 20-sided die.

Unfortunately, that M-rating means it has a ton of content to navigate, too, depending on which settings you use for the game. But if you’ve got teen gamers chomping at the bit to dive into this digital D&D world, you’ll want to listen to what our resident game experts Bob Hoose and Kennedy Unthank have to say about it first.

Speaking of listening, we did some of that in our review of Olivia Rodrigo’s new song “Bad Idea Right?” Though she’s talking about a toxic romance, the question she asks in this song’s title might apply equally to young fans putting this popular track on repeat. Kristin Smith tells us everything parents need to know about this 20-year-old singer’s worldview.

Beyond those topics, we’d love to hear your thoughts about both Plugged In and our weekly podcast, The Plugged In Show. What would you like us to cover? How have our resources impacted you and your family? Tell us! We’d love to hear from you, and we might even feature your comments or stories in a future episode.

You can do that a couple of different ways. The comments section below is one way. Or, shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll also find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts. Of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too.

Finally, join us for our weekly Plugged In Show Aftercast live on Instagram at 3:00 pm MT every Monday. We’ll answer your questions, talk about this past week’s podcast episode and box office results and also give you a preview of what’s to come on the next episode of The Plugged In Show.

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 198: ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ & Olivia Rodrigo’s “Bad Idea Right?” appeared first on Plugged In.