Level 14: Advance Praise for "Virtuous Worlds!"

If you've been waiting for a second opinion before you decide whether to buy Virtuous Worlds, or if you're just plain curious what other folks think, let me introduce you to a very special group of people.  These are five of the most intelligent human beings on the planet.  Okay, I may be a little biased here, but seriously, I'm honored to introduce the five individuals who agreed to read and endorse the manuscript of Virtuous Worlds some months ago before it was even close to hitting the market.

Here's what they had to say upon finishing the book:
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“Virtuous Worlds is just what anyone would need to bridge the gap between video games and Christianity.  Even someone like me who isn’t really a part of any religion can find this book uplifting and supportive.”

~Michelle “Akuriko” Morse, award-winning cosplayer, featured in Nintendo Power and showcased on Cosplay.com, http://akuriko.deviantart.com/

If they ever do a Zelda movie, Michelle has the look of the character down pat.  She knows.  What.  She's.  Doing.
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“While video games are often seen as immoral influences, Stanifer takes a more nuanced look.  Analyzing a variety of games, Stanifer discusses how they support Christian beliefs.  This will be a fun read for any Christian gamer and a reassuring one for many parents.”

~Scott Jones, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Media Communication, Indiana University Kokomo

Had it not been for this man, I would never have discovered Gen Con in the first place.

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“I was surprised and impressed at the number of spiritual lessons John drew from a variety of games.  Members of any faith can find tremendous worth in reading this book.  I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has the misconception that video games are just for entertainment purposes.”

~Laura “Flute Link” Intravia, vocalist and flutist for Video Games Live, recipient of the Charles F. Hockett Scholarship for Composition, http://www.lauraintravia.com/

Video Games Live is an internationally successful concert tour that combines the music of video games with the talents of a live orchestra.  Ever wanted to hear the Shanghai Symphony play the theme song from Super Mario Bros?  VGL has you covered.  I've been.  More than once.  It.  Was.  Awesome.

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“In Virtuous Worlds, Stanifer will teach you to play video games better by understanding the spiritual truths of this world.  He will also do the reverse: he will teach you to play your life better by understanding the truths of the video gaming world.”

~Caleb Grimes, author of Star Wars Jesus, http://www.starwarsjesus.com/

The Force is with Caleb.  Wise, he is.  Generous, he is.  You don't know the power of Jesus and Star Wars combined.  It's deadly.

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“So often Christians are fighting against culture, but John has utilized one of those rarely used gifts: the ability to see God’s Grace working in the world and through the lives of others even when they least expect it.”

~Rev. Derek White, Christian Gamers Guild, http://www.geekpreacher.com/

Derek is a United Methodist Minister, a board member of the Christian Gamers Guild, and a frequent Gen Con attendee.

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All of these quotes will be appearing on the back cover of Virtuous Worlds, but like I said, I wanted you to see them here first.

Just a few more weeks.  Hold tight!

Level 13: When & Where to Buy VW, How to Get a Signed Copy

Since we're coming down to the wire here and Virtuous Worlds is expected to be released within the next month, I thought it was about time to remind everyone when and where they can buy the book and how to get their copy signed.

Virtuous Worlds will be released in May.  I don't have an exact release date, and even if I did, it could actually come out before then, as has happened in the past with some of my publisher's other books.  I feel pretty safe saying that the book is a month away, give or take a few days.

When the book does become available, it will be sold online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  You might check with your local bookstore to see if they are able to order it, but the easiest way to get it will be through one of these two sites.

If you live in Indiana, I plan on doing a few signings in the Kokomo area and possibly in the Indianapolis area if that can be arranged.  I'll post details as soon as they're worked out.

For anyone who wants their copy of the book signed, I'm more than happy to sign it!  There are three main ways I see of doing this:


1.  Come to a signing.

2.  Arrange to meet me in person.  As I don't know exactly when or where the signings will take place yet, you may decide you want your copy signed beforehand (or you may not be able to make it to a signing for whatever reason).  Feel free to get in touch with me by email (j s t a n i f e AT a l u m n i DOT e d u) or on Facebook, and we'll try to work something out.

3.  Send me your copy by mail.  If all else fails and we can't meet in person, you're welcome to send me a copy of the book to sign and return by post.  IMPORTANT: PLEASE INCLUDE RETURN POSTAGE IF YOU ARE GOING WITH THIS OPTION.  Contact me by email (see above) or Facebook, and I'll gladly send you my postal address if you need it.


That's all for now.  If I get wind that my publisher is ready to take orders for the book, or if anything else exciting comes up, I'll post it here.  Keep watching, and thanks for reading!

EDIT: Technically, this falls under #2 above, but if you are someone I run into on a regular basis or you live in the Kokomo area (that includes you, Billy Wong), feel free to harangue me for a copy of the book, as I plan on carrying a small pile of them with me everywhere I go in case I meet someone who is interested.

Level 12: The Most Expensive Video Game Ever?

Most video games involve collecting a lot of "stuff."  Among other things, Mario collects his golden coins and his Power Stars.  Link collects his rupees and his Gold Skulltulas.  Cloud collects his Materia.  And so on.

Sometimes, collecting all the "stuff" in a game is optional.  You don't have to collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 to rescue Princess Peach.  You don't have to collect all the Gold Skulltulas in Ocarina of Time to save Hyrule.  You don't have to obtain the elusive "Knights of the Round" Materia in Final Fantasy VII to stop Sephiroth from destroying the Planet.

Still, for most gamers, collecting the stuff is a major part of the overall experience of a game.  That's part of what keeps us coming back and clocking in all those hours in all those virtuous virtual worlds.

Some stuff is harder to find than other stuff.  Some stuff is more valuable than other stuff.  Some players are so dedicated that they'll spend dozens of hours mastering the game just so they can snag whatever that object is that they're seeking.

This obsession with collecting can spill over into the world outside the game.  Sometimes, the game itself is worth its weight in Gil (Gil being the popular currency in Final Fantasy for those of you who are scratching your heads).

Some rare games have been known to sell for tens of thousands of dollars.  Consider the sealed copy of Stadium Events, an extremely hard-to-find game for the NES, that went for a reputed $41,300 on eBay.  The story goes that the person who sold it bought it for $29.99 when it first came out.  Then they realized that they couldn't play it, because it required them to purchase an extra peripheral called the Power Pad.  Lucky for them, instead of returning the game to the store, they decided to let it collect dust for twenty years or so before they remembered it was there and found out it was worth a pretty penny.

Get more details here

Personally, as interesting as the seller's story is, I'd like to know more about the buyer.  What sort of person would actually pay that much for an unopened copy of Stadium Events?  Were they a rich geek who just needed it to complete their perfect collection?  Did they have sentimental memories of playing the game as a child?  Were they a salesperson who thought they could get even more money out of the game?

Who can say?  One thing we know for sure: to pay that much money for a hard-to-find treasure takes some serious dedication.

Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven "is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.  When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it" (Matt 13:45-46, NLT).  This fits the eBay story above nicely, although I'm assuming (hoping) the person who bought Stadium Events didn't have to sell everything they owned to buy it.

As ridiculous as it may seem to spend so much money on a video game, it's only ridiculous for those who don't have spiritual hungers.

Heckler: "Doesn't everybody have spiritual hungers?"

Exactly.  Even Christ's parable of "The Pearl of Great Price" may seem ridiculous if taken literally.  What idiot would spend everything he had to buy a single pearl?

It's not really about the pearl, though, is it?  It's what the pearl represents.  Spiritual hunger.  Truth.  Personal contact with God.  Some things are worth seeking after.  Some things are worth selling everything you have to obtain.

No, I don't recommend that you "go thou and do likewise," spending tens of thousands of dollars on a pristine copy of your favorite video game (although I confess I did spend about $40 once to obtain a boxed Collector's Edition of Ocarina of Time...go ahead and laugh, if you must).  What I do suggest is that when it comes to the things that really are worthwhile, we spend ourselves to the max to obtain them.  You know, things like "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:37-39, NLT).  Kingdom of Heaven stuff.

Taken symbolically, the Stadium Events purchase isn't so ridiculous after all, is it?  If you still think so, just ask yourself this:

What would you spend everything you have to gain?

Level 11: Winged Lion Announces "Virtuous Worlds"

A small update.  My publisher, Bob Trexler of Winged Lion Press, has added a page to his website devoted to Virtuous Worlds.

Winged Lion Press

You'll notice it says "Coming May 2011."  Due to two other books from WLP coming out around Easter, the March/April release of Virtuous Worlds has been pushed to May so that Bob can devote the time to each book that it deserves.

Those of you who have been patiently waiting for the release of the book, it is still less than three months away.  Thank you for your support!

Level 10: Front Cover Revealed!

Friends, neighbors, fellow countrymen of Hyrule, I can finally reveal the front cover of Virtuous Worlds after the last few weeks of working with my publisher and a professional designer behind-the-scenes.

Virtuous Worlds Front Cover

It was tricky finding something gamers would recognize without tripping any copyright alarms.  The Super Mario World font was created by "The Liquid Plumber" and downloaded through http://www.fontspace.com/.  The other font, "Super Plumber Brothers," was inspired by the title screen font of Super Mario Bros. and was created by Jackster Productions.

You spied the Triforce, right?  Good.

Stay tuned for the back cover, and let me know what you think!

Level 9: Hitting the Reset Button

In an earlier blog post, I talked about warp zones, those wonderful little inventions that allow you to skip past huge portions of whatever video game you happen to be playing.

This time, we're going to talk about the reset button.

You probably don't have to be a gamer to figure this one out.  The reset button is the button on your gaming machine that starts the whole game over.  Forget that low score you were about to end up with in Galaga, because guess what?  You can pretend it never happened.  Start over fresh.  From the first level.

When you're playing well, you aren't likely to thank your prankster friend who "accidently" pushes the reset button just to see your reaction.  On the other hand, when you're playing poorly, a chance to start over is a breath of fresh air.

Even characters in video games sometimes get their own "reset button" within the context of the plot.  Let's return once more to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for just one example.  At the end of the story, Princess Zelda and the hero Link are sharing a moment of repose after their final battle with the evil Ganon.  Somehow, Princess Zelda gets it into her head that it's all her fault Ganon came to power in the first place.

Ridiculous, if you ask me.  If I were Link, I'd have done everything I could to convince her otherwise.  But Link is a man of few words, and so Zelda insists on making it up to him for dragging him into the fight against Ganon.  How does she plan to do this?  By using the power of a sacred instrument, the Ocarina of Time, to return Link to the past.  With Ganon no longer able to affect their lives, past or present, this will give Link the chance to live the life he should have had--or so Zelda's thinking goes.

It's a rare opportunity for Link and a sad parting for Zelda (sort of...I won't spoil it altogether for those of you who haven't played the game).  How many of us get a chance to do it all over again, avoiding the trials we faced the first time around?

It's a thought provoking ending to a thought provoking game.  But that never happens in real life, right?

The answer is: it depends on the player.  That means you!

Those who have come to their Christian faith from a particularly rough background will heartily agree that coming to believe in Christ is like hitting a big reset button.  While there may still be consequences for our actions here on earth, for all intents and purposes, "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west" (Ps 103:12).  They've been erased from the game.  Our mistakes no longer exist on God's memory card.

That's about as good a reset button as I can imagine.  You get to keep the good and get rid of the bad, much like Link does in Ocarina of Time.  With Ganon gone, he's free to live the life he was meant to live, this time without the evil force that was holding him back.

Heckler: "Hey.  That gives me an idea."

DON'T YOU DARE PUSH THAT BUTTON, HECKLER!


**********POWER ON.  WELCOME TO VIRTUOUS WORLDS BLOG**********


In an earlier blog post, I talked about warp zones...

Just kidding.  Happy New Year, everyone.  Time to hit those reset buttons!


P.S.  My publisher and I are getting close to settling on a final cover design for Virtuous Worlds.  I'll try to post pictures here as soon as it happens.  The release date of the book should be in late March or early April.

Level 8: Link's Own Worst Enemy - Himself?

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for my first blog post devoted specifically to the Zelda series.

*Cue maniacal laughter*

Those of you like me who are diehard Zelda fans will be glad to know there's a lot more Zelda coverage coming in the printed version of Virtuous Worlds once it's released to the public.

Heckler: "What does it take to be a diehard Zelda fan?"

Well, first you have to practically consider yourself a citizen of Hyrule (that's the name of the kingdom featured in most Zelda games).  You also have to be plagued by shrill voices in your head shouting "hey, listen" at odd times throughout the day.

Heckler: "Huh?"

If you didn't get the joke, well, that probably means you've never played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, because if you had, you would probably be smiling right now.

So.  Ocarina of Time is the Zelda game we're going to zero in on here.  As with pretty much every Zelda game, Ocarina of Time features a series of dungeons that our hero Link must conquer in order to save the Princess Zelda and restore peace to Hyrule.  This involves not just fighting enemies; it also requires players to think their way through a series of puzzles.

One of these "dungeons" in Ocarina of Time is called the Water Temple.  The Water Temple comes late in the game, and it is considered by some players to be the most difficult (or at least the most frustrating) dungeon in the entire Zelda series!  I don't know that I'd go that far, but it certainly is one of the odd ducks when it comes to dungeon layout and the nature of some of the puzzles.

I think my favorite moment in the Water Temple is one that comes when you've made it about halfway through the dungeon.  You open a door, and suddenly you're in the middle of a room of bright white lights and an inch or so of water covering the floor.  Go forward, and you'll run into (of all things) a tiny tropical island complete with sand and a palm tree.

Go a little bit farther, and you'll encounter a locked door.  There's no way to open this door, so you're forced to turn around and go back the other way.

Not so fast.

Before you can even pass the tropical island again, you'll be faced by...yourself.  Sort of.  The figure standing in front of you is shaped like Link and even carries a sword and shield that look like his, but his/its clothing is stained entirely black.  A pair of red eyes stares out at you from a face shrouded in darkness.

This is Dark Link.

Dark Link is not like your typical enemy in a Zelda game.  If you take a swing at him, he'll swing too...at the exact same moment you do and with the exact same movement.  Basically, he does whatever you do.  If you didn't know better, you might say he knows what you're going to do before you do it.

Like the Water Temple itself, Dark Link is one of the more challenging obstacles you'll face in Ocarina of Time.  In other words, one of Link's own worst enemies is...himself.  Dark Link is little more than a twisted parody of the "real" Link.

Or is he?

What does water do?  It reflects reality.  Yeah, sometimes the reflection is a little distorted, but not quite that distorted.  Personally, if I were Link, I'd be doing some serious self-examining after an encounter with Dark Link.  I'd probably be asking myself, "Is this really what I am?"

Actually, that's a question we probably all need to ask ourselves.  It's tough to admit, but we've all got a Dark Link inside us.  He may come out in the form of a curse word shouted at someone who cuts us off on the freeway.  He may come out when we walk by the dirty magazines at the supermarket.  Better yet, he may come out when we're singing hymns at church and we spy someone we don't like sitting in the pew in front of us.

Most religious traditions agree that there is some sort of "Dark Link" inside us.  Where the disagreement comes in is usually in how we're supposed to deal with that Dark Link.

"Sin" is Christianity's name for Dark Link, and there's only one way to deal with this jerk, according to tradition.  And that is to call on a force more powerful than ourselves.  That force is...

Heckler: "Jesus?"

Fifty rupees to our friend the Heckler!  If you keep trying to attack your own twisted self portrait, it's just going to swing back at you.  It knows you better than you know yourself.  Good luck trying to come up with a trick it doesn't know.

You've gotta get outside help, hero!