Are There Religious Based Games?

Willette writes…

Hello, Father Geek!

I am a mother of 3 and live in Kansas. Recently, we have moved towns and my two oldest have become interested in board and card games introduced to them by their new friends. I want to encourage this but I also want to have them play games that I find to be appropriate. For the most part, the games they are interested in seem OK, but I don’t approve of the fighting games or any game that suggests violence. Do you know of a place where I can find religious themed games I can get for my children?

My children’s ages are 11, 8, and 6 and all boys.

My thanks for any advice you can provide!

An excellent question, Willette, and you are in luck. There are a large number of religious based games available to you and your family. The tricky part, however, is finding a dealer.

Back in the day before the Internet, you would be limited to Christian and religious based bookstores where they might, if you were extremely lucky, have a game or two available. Even then, there was no guarantee that any of these games were any good.

Off the top of my head, I suggest you try Covenant Games. I know the owner of the store and he prides himself in offering quality games. From his web site…

At Covenant Games, our mission is to promote and distribute Bible based and Family Friendly Games for the purpose of giving kids and parents a source of games that are Christian Friendly and to increase awareness that games can be fun, challenging, and safe all at the same time.

Optionally, you can always try the aforementioned Christian and religious based stores, too. But, again, expect hit and miss…mostly miss.

I also encourage you and all parents to review games before you buy them. Not all games, be they card or board, are violent or have violent themes. There are a large number of games you can buy off the shelf that would most likely meet with your approval. I encourage you to read the back of the games for more details and review other players’ comments on sites such as GeekDo.com. In fact, let me help you out by providing a list of games that are religious themed. See if any listed there tickle your fancy. You should also see what Religious games we have reviewed. You might find something you like there, too.

If you are looking for suggestion, try the collectible card game Redemption which continues to be very popular. If you are looking for a board game, give The Settlers of Canaan a try. Both of these games are available from Covenant Games.

Best of luck and I hope you find games that you not only approve of but also enjoy playing with the entire family!