Högskolan i Skövde

This article presents the process of creating the game Testament; an action role-playing game for PC which uses the Old Testament as its setting. The game is primarily designed for confirmation education in the Church of Sweden, with the purpose to create interest in the Old Testament. In this paper we describe our experiences with the process of creating a game  where  the  work  has  been  guided  by  three,  in  some  cases,  contradictory  goals:  the  educational  value,  the  source authenticity and the gaming entertainment.  Our  conclusion  is  that  clear  requirements  for  the  entertainment  must  be  created  as  a  counterweight  to  the  practical aspects' requirements, e.g. education and authenticity. To create requirements  for game experience, it can be useful to identify a game genre and find a game that can serve as a template. One consequence of the fact that a specific goal for entertainment and a very clear requirement on content existed was that a number of fundamental contradictions could be identified  (e.g.  narrative,  game  mechanics,  adaptation).  When  these  inconsistencies  were  encountered,  a  suitable approach could be chosen in order to reach a compromise. If an existing game used as a reference wasn't available, it is likely that the entertainment would have suffered for the benefit of the educational aspects and biblical authenticity.