Wow, that title is wild to see. As I write this, I've just finished playing the final complete collection of our first ever video game Not Another Advent Story. When I first posted the concept in the Discord, I was anxious that no one would take the bait and join me in the journey. Fortunately, I was dead wrong. It's been a pleasure to work with a team of seven awesome people to develop this game. The fact that we started with an idea and ended with a fully functioning Twine-based game with copyright-free imagery and an original soundtrack is a testament to the hard-work put into this thing. I hope that this is just the beginning for LUDOGOOD.
As I think on the process it took to get here from there, I wanted to bring up some of the highlights I've gleaned. It's not every day that a pastor gets to say they got the opportunity to develop a video game, so it's important to use that experience wisely.
The best piece of advice I received from my time at Duke Divinity School was from Bishop Will Willimon. He told the class that the pastor who micromanages and does everything is robbing the congregation of their baptism. It's not the congregants fault - the pastor is at fault for not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in those gathered. Could I have made this game myself? Definitely not as good as it turned out in the end. Thankfully, I chose to trust in my community and lean on them. In turn, we aren't burnt out like the run-of-the-mill game development company. Instead, we are quite the contrary.
Our key developer Perispectus has told me several times that he has been inspired by this process. Indeed, the creative heart is spurred forward by the gift of community. The lone wolf pastor ceases stoking the flames of creativity and dampens them instead with their zealousness. Through a patient and trusting process of relationship-building, the community is being led towards greater things by our creative works inspired by the Creator God. Do good, pastors.
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