ios

28 Bible Verses to memorize of Power, Faith, Hope and Love

So, a major aspect of Noah's Elephant in the Room comes in the form of Bible memory. Really, I like to think of this game as a Bible memory game. So how do I convince kids to play a Bible memory game?

The secret to Noah's Elephant in the Room is that when you start the game, you may not even realize that there is a Bible memory aspect to it. You'll probably have a ton of fun running Noah's giant elephant around the ark, discovering all the animals, breaking all the crates, scaring the birds, and avoiding the sons as long as possible. AND THAT'S WHERE I HOOK YA INTO BIBLE MEMORY!

Imagine you're playing Pacman. Pacman is great! There are wonderful challenges to overcome and strategies to master. However, if the designer of Pacman said, "If you play this 2 minute minigame, Pacman will level up and be permanently 20% faster!" Now, the people who think Pacman is an 'okay' game, might not bite, but for people who are REALLY enjoying themselves and want to be on top of the leaderboard (or just beat their sibling), this is a no-brainer! Now if the designer said, "There are 28 unique powerups for you to unlock!" the players who want the VERY best Pacman are gonna unlock all 28.

So, to break it down: 

STEP 1 - Make the core game awesome so that players WANT to keep playing it!

STEP 2 - Make the powerups so awesome that the players WANT them all!

STEP 3 - Make unlocking powerups INSANELY FUN!

I'll wait for another blog post to talk about Step 3. I think I've come up with a way that makes Bible memory INSANELY FUN. No more logging verses away in short term memory and forgetting them soon after. No more mental strain either! Just straight up INSANE FUN.

BIG UPDATE COMING!

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to give you a heads up that the new build of Bible ABCs for Kids (FREE as well) has been submitted to the app store! Fingers are crossed that it gets approved within the week. With this HUGE update comes the biggest request: iPhone and Android support!!! Also, our favorite blue bird chirps away with fun celebration animations (you can 'poke' him too!). A large amount of time has also been spent on optimizing memory usage. For anyone who has had stability issues with Bible ABCs for Kids, this update will make you VERY happy!

I'm totally pumped about this update! I think it's the version I would have loved to release right off the bat. Better late than never! :)

Joel

The first review!

Guys, I am pumped! Michael, over at Four Point Families, was kind enough to review Bible ABCs for Kids! Not only did he review it, but he got his wonderful kids to pitch in and give their own reviews as well! I couldn't have asked for more. Hearing how kids enjoy Bible ABCs for Kids brings so much joy to me. I mean, that's who I made it for! 'Kids' is even in the title!

And 'G' is for 'God'! Creator of the sky, water, mountains, moose, bears, bunnies and everything!

And 'G' is for 'God'! Creator of the sky, water, mountains, moose, bears, bunnies and everything!

So head on over and check out the awesome podcast review! Also, check out his other podcasts. He has some intriguing ideas and insights into culture, parenting, and much more!

Joel

'F' is for 'FREE'! Oh, and 'Father Abraham'.

HUGE news! 'Bible ABCs for Kids' has just been released on the App Store for iPad! I understand it can be tough to invest money in an app when you're not sure how well it'll run, how fun it is, or if it's appropriate for you kids. Well, now you can try out Bible ABCs for Kids for the low low price of FREE!

The App was released just this morning, and already the downloads are coming in! What has me very excited is that I'm seeing downloads in areas like China, where religion is very controlled. Hopefully this app can make inroads throughout the world!

Download it, check it out, and let me know how you like it! God bless!

Joel

'E' is for 'Eve' and 'Excited it's out!'

Well, I'm sure you've noticed that 'Bible ABCs for Kids' is finally out! It's a very VERY exciting time for me. It's been months in the making, and it's finally out! Amazing.

It's been incredibly awesome to hear the reviews, to read the encouraging messages, and to see pictures of kids playing with Bible ABCs for Kids. All over the world (as far as Indonesia!), people are downloading the app!

If you've downloaded the app, let me know how you're liking it! Either leave a message here, or review it in the app store!

This certainly isn't the 'finish line' to Bible ABCs for Kids, but just the start! Expect more exciting news in the very near future!

-Joel

'D' is for 'Daniel' and 'DO IT!'

The time is almost here! Bible ABCs for Kids has been approved by Apple. I'm just in the process of getting all my business stuff squared away before release. Hopefully the app will be released by the end of this month! 

I gotta say, I'm so happy I've taken this step. I have no idea if the app will be a 'success' or not, but just by 'doing it' I've proven to myself that it's possible! There have been so many projects I've started and never finished. I could show you the spreadsheet I have of 'game ideas', or the countless folders of random drawings I had hoped would have turned into something complete. I find it easy to get excited about a project, but it's challenging to keep that level of enthusiasm throughout the entirety of it.

Here are a few things that helped me stay the course:

  1. I had a solid game design that wasn't too extravagant. Too often I bit off more than I could chew! Start small!
  2. I set aside a specific time each day to work on the project (whether I wanted to or not). 4 days I week I would wake up 2 hours early to focus on Bible ABCs for Kids.
  3. I diversified my work. If I was bored with drawing, I'd work on programming, animation, website, sound, anything! It kept progress (and my brain) flowing.
  4. And the biggest thing: I picked something I loved. This wasn't made to make millions. This app was made because I LOVE doing it! (Though making millions would be a nice side benefit!) When that's the foundation I'm building on, it makes it fun the whole way through!

I encourage each one of you to find an idea and 'Do it'! Maybe it's not a video game. Maybe it's a story, a song, a new hobby, a new exercise program. Whatever it is, figure out what you love, make a plan, and 'do it'!

'C' is for 'Caleb' and 'Christian Art'!

I've always been a huge fan of Christian Art, and you most likely have as well! Think about it, we have Michelangelo's 'The David' and 'Pieta' (my favorite!), countless Rembrandts, The Sistine Chapel, and the list goes on! 

I feel today, when I hear the term 'Christian' game, music, art... I prepare myself for something that's not quite of the quality I'm hoping for. I don't know when 'Christian Art' turned from setting the standard to becoming something less, but I really believe Christian art should be at the top again. We serve an amazing God who has blessed each one of us with talents! We read His book which is filled with knowledge, lessons, and direction! When it comes to expressing these things, how does this not inspire us to make things great!?!

Caleb, sneaking into the land of Canaan

Caleb, sneaking into the land of Canaan

I want to set the bar really high on Christian Apps. I want them to be the best of the best! Perhaps I'm not there right now, but that's what I'm striving for! I want kids to play my apps not because their parents only let them play Christian apps, but because they're awesome! I want non-believers to play my apps because they want the best! How great would that be? Time will tell!

Joel

'B' is for 'Benjamin' and 'BETA'

Benjamin after discovering the silver cup!

Benjamin after discovering the silver cup!

Hey there, everyone! I wanted to invite you all to play the open Beta for Bible ABCs for Kids right on your computer! You'll have to download the unity player, but after that, have a look around at the game! Right now I've only included the letter 'A'.

Your feedback is so important to me! If there's anything that's wrong, or maybe there's something you'd like to see, please let me know below!

'A' is for 'Adam', and ACTION!

Wow! This is it! The start of something I hope will be really REALLY great! I've had my heart on Bible ABCs for quite some time, and now it's actually happening! How awesome! 

I guess I got 'serious' about doing this app around August of 2013. I had done an ABCs app before, so from an art perspective, I knew what I was in for. I didn't know, however, ANYTHING about the programming side. I had used Unity (the game engine I'm creating this app with) once or twice before, and I really had no idea what I was doing and ran back to trusty Photoshop. Then, through some projects at work, I got quite familiar with it. This lead to me picking up Playmaker for programming, and diving into development all on my own!

The current Adam design.

The first version of Adam. YIKES!

With each character I illustrate I feel I gain a new insight into them. I feel that Adam is such a good character to start with for me. Adam had no idea what was ahead. Life, in all it's twists and turns, was uncharted territory for him! Now, on a much MUCH MUCH smaller scale, I find myself at the beginning of something. It could be great! It could be a disaster! It could fizzle out and die. It's unknown! At least (compared to Adam) I have examples to follow, tutorials to read, friends I can lean on for tech support (shoutout to Mike and Asa)!

So buckle up! Get ready! Lights! Camera! ACTION! Today is the start of something! I don't know what that is, but I'm so excited to have you guys along for the ride!

Joel