Join an amazing adventure through Ancient Egypt and beyond!” the game advertises. Playing as the title character, users can “uncover mysteries, meet important characters, and discover ancient treasures.
Company CEO Brent Dusing told Scribbal that the game isn’t geared to any particular (read: religious) person, but is rather “a game that everyone can enjoy.”
“With web-based games played on social networks drawing nearly half a billion people worldwide, we felt it was time for a Biblically based game that showcases one of the greatest adventures of all time,” he said.
The game is certainly widely available thanks to hosting on a popular social networking site. The game’s Facebook page has over 33,000 monthly active users, and it is running on both English and German forums (people have left messages on the page requesting other languages, including Spanish).
Although it claims to be a game for any and all, of course it’s still necessarily biblical. In the About section of the Hexify website, the company offers the following disclaimer:
The “Journey of Moses” is a game based on the historical account given in the Book of Exodus and the Book of Acts in the Holy Bible. Wherever possible, we have adhered to the Biblical account in the retelling of this story. At the times when the Bible does not include certain details or story elements, we have added content for the sake of compelling gameplay. We have striven to be true to the facts and spirit of this wonderful, timeless story. We hope you enjoy it.
So we have to wonder what more – besides and exciting adventure – Hexify hopes “Journey of Moses” will do for its players. For one thing, it’s a distinct departure from their previous two games, “Legend Hunter and the Three Pyramids” and “Treasure Legend.” Those games, while also about adventuring and history, each have only about 15,000 and 7,000 fans, respectively. Biblical sells. (While playing the game is free, you can purchase virtual goods to use on your journey.)
But is it meant to educate? If it’s based on Biblical details but sometimes fills in the blanks, what exactly are gamers supposed to take away in the knowledge department? One user noted, in a comment posted by the game about accuracy, that a particular plot point was drawn not out of Exodus, but rather from Cecil B.DeMille’s Ten Commandments. “I mean, no harm done, as it doesn’t detract from any of the main overarching themes in the story, but that element has more to do with the deserts of Hollywood than the Holy Land,” he said.
Then the question arises, what do they mean by “Biblical”? By saying it is based on accounts from the “Holy Bible,” is there an implicit Christian overtone? They didn’t say The Torah! Or is it understood that this is part of the general Judeo-Christian culture overtone, so often harked by politicians and journalists? According to the CNN review, Dusing identifies as Christian but Hexify is not a Christian company.
And the game is definitely inherently social: “Quest with your friends to lead Moses and his people to freedom!” You don’t play by yourself; like in other Facebook games (including Farmville and Mafia Wars), you’re playing across the Internet with others–those who are already your friends, and those, perhaps, who are not. The game’s Facebook page is littered with pleas for “adds” from players seeking to expand their network within the game.
So who’s playing? Christians? Jews? Gamer nerds? If I were to judge by the graphics, I’d guess six-year-old children. Moses looks like some kind of cartoony cross between a bobble head doll, Charlton Heston and something out of Veggie Tales – the characters don’t even have pupils!
But in any case, it has a fast-growing, connected world-wide fan base, all of whom will be talking about one thing: Moses and his Biblical journey.
And fair warning: any requests to add me through this game will be summarily denied – the requesting user will be added to my “You’re On Notice” friends list. I don’t do games.