Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "video games"

Church Goes High Tech, Stays High Touch

2010-04-12T19:14:32Z

One look at its website will tell you that Sunset Christian Center in Rocklin is using social media to reach its congregation and the community. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, animated ministry guide, media library—it’s all there, and not in a cheesy, DIY kind of way. It’s sleek, sophisticated, and engaging.
The same can be said for the new children’s ministry areas. Just off the main lobby a 35-ft pirate ship moored in azure “water” marks the entrance to The Cove, where first- through third-graders meet. Across the hall palm trees and a smiling monkey atop the bamboo check in station welcome you to Jungle Quest, an amazing suite of themed rooms for newborns through kindergarteners. Built into these permanent installations are interactive gaming stations, flat screen TVs, touch-screen and card swipe check-in for parents.
You may be thinking, wait a minute. This church has been here for more than 20 years, the senior pastor must have retirement in view, we’ve been in a recession, this had to have cost buku bucks—so what are they thinking?!
The truth of the matter is that it would have been far easier for the church to just go along as it had been and not really challenge itself to reach out of its comfort zone. But God has a much bigger plan for this church of about 2,500 faithful. They feel called to impact the Rocklin/Roseville area and beyond by caring and serving in a very big way. They know the power of God in their lives, the miracles, healing, direction, peace and provision that a personal relationship with Jesus brings, and want to share those blessings with the community.
But how do you demonstrate caring and compassion if people won’t walk through the front door? True, Sunset hosts the free Celebrate America food/show/fireworks event at Twin Oaks Park for the Rocklin community, but you can’t nurture a relationship with one event. So, they decided to create exciting learning and play environments that would attract families, allowing the church communicate with kids in a current, meaningful way. Pastors at Sunset hired Quick Creative Construction in Roseville, which has created high-profile spaces including Thunder Valley Casino.

Biblically Relevant
The apostle Paul said he was “all things to all people”, meaning that he changed his style in order to relate—but his message, and Sunset’s message—remain the same. In a culture that exposes kids to adult content and situations encouraging them to act older than their years, Sunset presents a safe place for kids to be kids.
Children’s pastors Tiffany and Eric Saathoff and Preteen pastor Sean Sweet visited local schools to learn what tools they were using to relate to kids. “We want to build a strong Christian foundation in young children to avoid “clean-up” when they get to be teenagers and don’t know who they are,” says Pastor Tiffany. Cutting-edge technology helps speak the kids’ language, and having “off-the-charts-cool” environments created just for them makes kids feel valued. Pastor Sean reminds us of the saying, “They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
In order to encourage the kids to have a personal relationship with God, Sunset leaders first develop a personal relationship with the young people. In partnership with parents, pastors attend soccer games and school plays, and have ice cream dates. Pastor Sean holds weekly “Jamba Juice hours” during which parents know he will be there to support them in raising their kids. Wednesday night attendance at “Elevate” for fourth- and fifth-graders has tripled since the beginning of the year—mostly because kids are bringing their friends to the ultra-homey Tahoe cabin-themed preteen area complete with ski-lift, fireplace, and Wii stations. Elevate’s Tahoe theme was chosen by a fourth-grader, and is meant to lift one’s eyes and focus on the higher things of God.
After 15 minutes of hanging out and game playing with friends, the doors roll up and the interactive service begins. Ironically it’s not difficult to pull them away from the games because the service itself is so engaging. Ultimately the kids walk out having built relationships, learned how to incorporate God’s word into their lives, and are eager to come back for more.
Each of the areas was thoughtfully designed with purposeful themes. They’ve incorporated Biblical principles into the walls, floors, ceilings, and sound systems of the newly remodeled areas in order to capture the senses and stimulate creativity. One of the Jungle Quest rooms is called the Treasure Trove. While parents check in at the window, 3-yr olds can crawl through the munchkin-sized hole under the counter and follow the floor map to a treasure chest. There the leader keeps props for interactive teaching about the traits that God treasures, such as kindness, obedience, forgiveness, etc. (More about Jungle Quest room themes)

Socially Aware
In this “grow-up-fast” culture, children and preteens are often left feeling lonely and inadequate simply because they haven’t developed the cognitive skills to handle grown-up pressures and exposure. Divorce and the split home life that accompanies it often rocks kids and leaves them scrambling for solid ground. Peer pressure, bullying, and deaths in the family also affect kids from all walks of life. Sunset Christian Center recognizes that some youngsters may need a little extra TLC.
The welcoming environments created specially for them, and the integrated high tech “tools” make kids feel comfortable, safe, valued, included and loved. Leaping from stone to stone in the underwater world of a coral reef does truly take you away from the concrete and square walls of life. Just that alone may be a blessing for some kids. Within these fantasy worlds they are free to express themselves through art, dance, music, exploration of their skills and talents—and yes, playing games.
Traditional and video games are designed for two or more players to encourage interaction and relationship building. Leaders notice kids who used to sit by themselves now engaging with others and communicating in ways they may not normally with their parents. Parents are grateful for the help in reaching their children, and also for the support Sunset provides. High tech toys can be isolating and divisive, but Sunset incorporates them rather than banning them, and parents are catching on to this paradigm shift.
The safety of the children is a high priority. Sunset uses a program called Checkpoint by ACS Technologies, where parents check in via touch-screen computer and card scanner, and name badges including parent’s names and contact info are printed out for the children. Leaders are fingerprinted, background checked, and there is a probationary period before they work with youngsters. When parents want to observe their children, they also have to check in and wear a VISITOR name tag so the children can distinguish them from the leaders. Other people are generally not allowed into the children’s areas at all. (Truly a bummer because you just really want to hang out in there!)

Financially Responsible
Sunset’s $400,000 makeover incorporates more than 3,000 square feet, and took about a year to complete. More renovations are planned for the future. Standing on the wood-textured pirate ship deck, gazing up into the mast sails and lookout 25 feet over your head thinking, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” you’re not really thinking about the money. Actually, the project would have cost more, but most of the demolition and prep work was done by volunteers from the church.
Every design decision was made with “bang for the buck” thinking. Pastor Tiffany is a regular shopper at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Roseville, where she found pegboard, a display case, and other items she repurposed for the project. By bargain hunting at the ReStore she not only saved money, but also supported the Habitat home currently being built in Rocklin and kept those items out of the landfill.
It’s funny how God provides when you’re following His will. None of the church’s many other ministries suffered budget cut backs. During the construction of the children’s areas in 2009, Sunset gave $550,000 to 45 missionaries in 38 countries and to other local charities such as Teen Challenge and Mercy Ministries. $47,000 of that was raised by the youth themselves, instilling the importance of giving to others less fortunate.

A Place of Hope
The fantastic and otherworldly classrooms and play areas of Sunset’s children and preteen ministries fill you with wonder, awe, and hope as you take in all the surprising and delightful details. In the world of a child, this communicates the love, peace, and joy of Jesus Christ’s message. Sunset’s dream is for people to experience God’s presence in a profound way that transforms their lives, marriages and families, beginning with children.
Sunset Christian Center’s vision of being a place where people feel free to come and find their God-given purpose and destiny in life is embodied in the very plaster of their walls now. If we could just approach life, run, laugh and play with the abandon and wonder of children, maybe we too would find ourselves creating places of joy, peace, stability, love and strength in our own little worlds, wherever they may be.

Anime convention celebrates fans

2009-08-31T00:58:02Z

Last Saturday, the SacAnime Convention kicked off with the highest number of attendees in its five-year existence.

Anime, the pop culture term for animation that is distinctly Japanese, was celebrated by fans from all over northern California at the Radisson Hotel. Security official Peter Kraus said that in his four years working the convention, he has never seen a crowd this large.

"Last year we were at the Scottish Rite Center, and it moved to this location, which is significantly bigger. It's pretty incredible, the way it's grown each year," Kraus said. "I just asked the folks up front what the official number was. They said they are low-balling it at three and a half to four thousand."

Attendees, many of them decked out in full costume, walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the hallways to get to areas such as the main banquet room, where vendors and their tables were packed in selling items like original art, costumes, wigs and books on how to draw Manga.

Event-goers could access a video room through a black-curtained doorway in the vending room. A giant screen played anime films in a theater-like setting.

The outdoor pavilion featured live music from bands like Tanuki Suit Riot, which as part of its set covered popular video game tunes. Despite the 100 degree weather, fans peppered the area in front of the stage, waving their weapons the air, moving to the music.

The smaller banquet room featured a stage and seating that hosted a variety of panels as well as the cosplay masquerade, a choreographed spectacle that featured dance performances from anime fans dressed in detailed costume.

In the celebrity panel, voice actors Paul Mercier, Liam O'Brien, Roger Craig Smith and Alyson Court fielded questions about anime and manga, their favorite anime couples and how to break into the industry. More than 200 fans piled into the room to hear the established voice actors speak.

The vibe was interactive, and the actors teased and bantered with audience members. Fans with questions held everything from costume weaponry to stuffed animals to notepads up high in order to attract the panel's attention.

"No one's overcompensating for anything, are they?" asked Smith as he fielded a question from a young man waving a giant sword.

When asked if the panel members had crushes on any anime character, O'Brien started describing a certain female character, but he could not immediately recall her name. The audience was quick to help him out and reminded him almost unanimously that the animated girl in question was Rukia Kuchiki from the anime and manga series Bleach.

"That's it, Rukia," O'Brien sad. "She's a classic, girl's got spunk. Maybe a little young for me though."

The panel's anime and manga favorites were not the only subjects touched upon. Mercier spoke on the process of becoming a voice actor. He told the crowd how he got his beginnings in the theater and on shows ike Beverley Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. Learning how to act, Mercier said, was the way to enter the voice industry.

The convention offered a slew of other activities such as console gaming featuring the latest games from different consoles as well as all-time favorites such as Guitar Hero and Halo 3. There was also a collectible card game tournament, and later in the evening, attendees could play anime bingo.

However, the most popular activity for those in attendance--being able to interact with other fans in costume--was not on the schedule. Hundreds of different characters gathered in small huddles to socialize, meet, take pictures and admire each other's getups.

One foursome, dressed as Decus, Wonderchef, Genis and Zelos from the video game Tales of Symphonia drove 45 minutes from Galt with a life-size, hand-crafted coffin prop in the back of a jeep. The cost of constructing the coffin alone was close to $300, said Derek England, dressed as Decus.

"It was about eight weeks of frustration and a definite group effort. This is our first time at one of these things, so we're starting off with a bang," England said.

England and his friends have been anime fans since childhood, he said. They respond to the fact that in terms of story-lines, anime doesn't have the same constraints as other entertainment industries.

"There's not the restriction of having to produce something that will make money," England said. "In anime, you can make a movie for the story's sake, and it's really imaginative and unique."

First-time convention goers Carlie and Kayla Guadagnolos said their time at the Radisson was one of the highlights of their year.

"We got stopped all the time! So many hugs from different people, everybody recognized us and wanted hugs," said younger sister Kayla.

"We've never been to anything like this before, like we watch this stuff on YouTube," said Carlie. "Best day of my life."

Photo Credit: anthonybento.com

Guitar Hero: Bringing back old school rock and roll

2008-10-31T07:44:31Z

“What goes around, comes around.” Not only are those catchy Justin Timberlake lyrics, but also a heavily ignored fact. Every day I discover that more and more people have resorted to neon colors and much, much bigger hair. Personally, I favor their style, even though others may shiver when they see people in a Rolling Stones shirt that hasn't been washed for 5 weeks and tight pants that look like they were knitted into their skin.

What’s my opinion on why this whole trend is coming back? Well, apart from the excessive airing of Beavis and Butthead and Rock of Love, I believe Guitar Hero is what is making the world put on their stud belts and rock out to their favorite Def Leppard song. I am even starting to notice more songs being played on popular radio stations that I thought had been burned and buried.

The amazing part is that even hardcore gangsta rappers are getting into the scene! The infamous song “Party Like A Rockstar” is solely rap, which makes the title a bit contradicting, but point is - they're contributing! Never in a million years did I think that the rap genre could take a rock song, tweak it up a bit, and turn it into a version of that exact same song that I could literally freak dance to.

Guitar Hero is making tons of old favorites popular again, such as Guns and Roses “Sweet Child Of Mine.” I hear what look like 6 year olds in stores, and when that song comes on - they're chatting up their buddies about how they know this song from Guitar Hero. I’ve been desperately searching for the song on the game, only to find that it’s on a mega pro level (unfortunately, I’m having trouble getting past beginner levels).

Though - hang tight!!! Guitar Hero wasn't enough. This is a greedy and demanding country, so in order to sooth the souls of us americans, they have invented a new game called Rock Band which is basically Guitar Hero, Drum Hero, Singer Hero, and Bassist Hero all combined in one. Not suprisingly - it was a major hit.

Oh, oh... But wait - there's more.

Obviously that still didn't satisfy, so someone sat down and came up with this marvelous party game - Karaoke... like no one has heard of that before, right? I don't know all the details, but you can buy disks with different genres of music and compete with your pals. Considering a majority of us are tone deaf, let's just forget I mentioned this game!

But anyways, a round of applause to Guitar Hero for bringing back some rock and roll style!