[MW Forums]

Digital Praise has released a Christian-themed Dance Dance Revolution-style game, complete with USB dance mat, that's Mac and PC-compatible. more

[fenzel]

These guys are nuts...

[rocktaff]

Fenzel, shouldn't you just be glad that the Mac is a broad enough church (pun intended) that there are also game publishers out there producing stuff you don't want to buy? I happened to think the game was a pretty cool idea, and you obviously don't. But that doesn't make these guys nuts.

[uchuugaka]

ha ha ha ha ha ha haha...

[JMStafford]

Isn't dancing un-Christian? That's what I learned when watching Footloose.

[kennethfcooper]

In reply to:

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Isn't dancing un-Christian?

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Nah, King David would have loved this program.

[moose_n_squirrel]

I might not be very religious, but a video game that gets kids off their butts and burning calories is fine with me. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "exercise freedom of religion." /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Reenee]

The fact that they display actual Konami-brand mats on their website and using a current simualtor doesn't help.
I should think Konami will hit them with a lawsuit any day now, just like how RedOctane, MadCatz, and Roxor (In The Groove) have been hit with already. I am sure the steps are off-sync too.
Do yourselves a favor and just stick to StepMania (which this game simply has re-themed). Or support your local music-rhythm game series by buying it.

[fenzel]

In reply to:

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Fenzel, shouldn't you just be glad that the Mac is a broad enough church (pun intended) that there are also game publishers out there producing stuff you don't want to buy? I happened to think the game was a pretty cool idea, and you obviously don't. But that doesn't make these guys nuts.

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Rocktaff,
you are right, I am happy that the range of applications and accessories for the Mac is growing. As a Mac user and AAPL investor, feeling otherwise would be foolish.
Regarding my disparaging comment about the producers, I should have yelled at the top of my lungs "Hypocrites!". I don't care a whit about religion, but I have never held religion against those who believe. But to use someones beliefs to make a pretty penny over something that has nothing to do with religion would be sacriligious to me if I cared about such things.
This device could have very well been marketed as an instructional dance guide, an exercise machine, a fun thing to do at parties or even strip clubs (yikes!). But to sell it as "Domine Jesus says dance!" is well, hypocritical. Might as well try selling bicycles to fish.

[macFanDave]

I wrote something like that earlier and it got removed.

[Peter Cohen]

In reply to:

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But to use someones beliefs to make a pretty penny over something that has nothing to do with religion would be sacriligious to me if I cared about such things.

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With all due respect, I think your criticism is off base.
Having some familiarity with the music in DDR and related series, I don't really see what the need for a Christian pop-oriented DDR-style game is, to be perfectly honest. Most of it is so beat-oriented you really take no notice of the lyrics, if there are any, and they're often so uptempo it's impossible to understand the words anyway.
But I certainly understand and respect the growing market for content that's been sanitized for Christian audiences who are very concerned about what they're allowing into their homes and to the adaptation of pop culture trends and fads as well. To that end, Digital Praise deserves credit, not condemnation.
In other words, if it ain't your cup o' tea, so be it, but don't complain because they've built this for a niche audience. The same could be said for any game, not just Dance Praise.

[Schneb]

Fenzel, you are off-target. Jesus had no problem with free enterprize. He just had problems with religious theives ripping people off in regard to their worship. If the Pharisee enterprise was selling sheep and doves for pilgrims who could not bring one on the long journey at a reasonable cost--there would have been no problem. But that was NOT what they were doing. They were selling "pre-approved sheep" at extremely high prices. If you brought your own, they would deem it unfit and force you to buy the higher priced version. You also could not drop unclean heathen coins into the offering, you had to use the "Temple Shekel". Of course, your moneychanger exchange rate was horrendous.
To worship God is free. If you want to let your kids dance arcade it to some great music, fantastic, it's your choice to buy or not buy the software--no one is forcing anyone to do anything. It's all good.
By the way, my Holyland Virtual Tour CD-ROM is $50 and $5 shipping. Soon to be available in Costco this Christmas season bundled with Thomas Nelson software. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Peter Cohen]

Folks, while we respect your right to exercise religion freely, I'd like to caution you that this article is about a religiously-themed game, and I'd like to direct the conversation in that direction to help keep it on target.
If this turns into a free-for-all about religion, or is used as an excuse for people to opine and argue on same, we'll just close the thread all together.

[Schneb]

Peter,
Great reply, especially in regard to a verticle market tapestry such as the Christian demographic. (which is very large, btw)

In reply to:

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I don't really see what the need for a Christian pop-oriented DDR-style game is

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You answered it. Parents are concerned about lyrics whether they are listening or not. But to answer your question, bands such as Audio Adrenaline, DJ Maj, Steven Curtis Chapman, ZOEGirl and many others, are becoming extremely popular among young kids. Some of the cuts I have heard are fantastic. There was only one Christian dance place that I knew of during the 80s, and I had to drive 60 miles to it in Costa Mesa. So now, you can dance your heart out in the comfort of you own home. I think its a wonderful idea and a great excuse to get your friends over for a fun time.
PS Hope I stayed on target with this reply. I was trying to answer the accusation that there is something inherantly bad or evil about marketing Christian products to a Christian market. You have addressed this well in your response.