Religion and Minecraft Mix During the GDC Game Design Challenge

Jason Rohrer, creator of The Passage and Sleep Is Death, was joined by fellow panelists John Romero and Jenova Chen at the 2011 Game Developer’s Conference Game Design Challenge. The three were tasked with creating a game concept around “a game as a religion.” While all three concepts were impressive, it was Rohrer’s idea that received the most attention.

His idea was a Minecraft mod that acted as a piece of spiritual significance. Contained on a single USB stick, the rules of the game state that you can play until you die, but then you must quit immediately and pass the game off to someone else. “We become like gods to those who come after us,” he said, explaining how that single USB stick will develop a legacy and significance for those who play it, as well as those who hope to play it.

As usual, Rohrer’s ideas about game design continue to be fascinating. Rohrer has made a career from pulling emotion out of game design. The inspiration for this game came from stories of his late grandfather, who left behind a real legacy, not unlike the virtual one Rohrer envisioned.

As much as it’s fun to hear about the next big game announcement, I hope you’re all with me in thinking that stories like this are just as interesting, if not more so. This is the future of game design, folks.

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