Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Beautifully Useless

When you hear the word useless, how does it land on you? You probably wouldn’t take it as a compliment if someone said it about you or your profession.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Authenticity In Games

Artistic authenticity is a complex idea. To begin with, the word authentic has several meanings. Additionally, it is subjective to individual interpretation; this makes the conversation nuanced even before introducing the creative element.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Are You Building Your Game on the Sand?

Jesus told the story of a man who built his house upon some sand, and the results were disastrous. What are the chances you are building your game on the sand?

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Regenerative Game Development

Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach and spiritual discipline that prioritizes the health and fertility of the land, as well as the well-being of the people who work it. Could there be a regenerative approach to game development, and if so, what would it look like?

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

A Theology of Play

It's hard to describe the joy a father feels seeing his children at play, but I can tell you it's real, and I know that God feels it, too.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

The Problem With Christian Games

Christian games don’t have a great reputation. In fact, some laughably bad games were published under the label “Christian.” Why is that?

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

The Beauty of Games

Games have the capacity to beautiful, to be meaningful. But locating that beauty and meaning is not easy.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Goals and Infinite Runners

Infinite runners are the best metaphor for my thinking on goals at the moment. I have trouble with goals because of the tension between the finite and the infinite, the concrete and the ephemeral.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Fighting Over The Controller

As a child, it wasn't uncommon for fights to break out over the controller, and sometimes, those fights would escalate into full-blown wrestling matches. As an adult, I realize I’ve been wrestling with God over the control of my life.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Breaking The Fear of Failure

Through play, we break the spell the enemy has us under and start to see the truth about failure, which is that it isn't to be feared and avoided but to be embraced and learned from as a step toward our purpose.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Hypocrisy In Game Design

No one wants to be a hypocrite, yet everyone knows they are at times. We were made in the image of God, who is unchanging, faithful, trustworthy, and perfectly consistent. So, we expect this consistency from all our interactions.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Selling Safety

Have you ever noticed how many Christian products' unique selling point is safety? It's a little weird when you think about it. The Bible is anything but safe.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

The Christian Game Developers Conference

For the past twenty years, CGDC has been a gathering place for Christian game makers worldwide. Though small in attendance, the conference has had an outsized impact on its attendees.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Endurance

You may have heard it says that life is a marathon, not a sprint. It's an apt metaphor, especially when trying to follow Christ. When I read the writings of Paul and Peter, the race they describe doesn't sound like a fun run or a couch to 5K or even a 100-meter dash. It's an endurance race requiring perseverance through tests, challenges, and setbacks.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Daddy, Will You Play This Game With Me?

Daddy, will you play this game with me is such a simple, innocent, and intimate question that I was struck with its profoundness when my friend Mitchell said he uses that question as a filter for his design process.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Games Are About Relationships

I was recently on a call that gathered a group of brothers across various vocations. There were ministry leaders, educators, administrators, and game developers, all of whom loved Jesus and liked games. As we chatted and shared our stories and work, I was struck by one idea: games are about relationships.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

Allow, Incorporate, Celebrate

When thinking about the presence of an action or activity that could be considered sinful (killing, lying, stealing, etc.), I picture a continuum. On the left side is what I'm labeling Allow. In the middle, we have Incorporate; on the far right side, we have Celebrate.

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Brock Henderson Brock Henderson

CGDC: Virtual 2023

Last month the Christian Game Developers Conference hosted its annual virtual conference. The virtual conference takes place every winter and gives members of the community from around the world an opportunity to speak, connect, and encourage one another.

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