The Dream
Several years ago, I had a dream.
A dream I’m convinced came from The Lord.
I found myself atop a horse. A mighty beast of grim visage bedecked in barding and banners denoting my house, my circle, and my mission. I was, it seemed, a knight bearing armor that was stout but worn. Sturdy but scratched and covered in the mud and mire of many battles.
I was riding hard through a dense forest where I could scarcely see a dozen yards yet I’d occasionally glimpse other knights, racing between the tight-packed pines, all of us thundering toward some unknown battle to which we’d been summoned. Occasionally two or three of us would cross paths in a clearing. We’d salute, knock shields together, then quickly race on with a mighty yawp, glad to relieve the sense of isolation but focused on our goal.
In time, just before the sun would set, I reached the imposing wall of a towering castle. This was our destination and the siege to which we’d be called. We were just outside the gates, barely yards from the monstrous rampart, but even under the baleful glares of the city’s watch, our King had set a mighty feast under a massive pavilion festooned with scores of dancing banners. Scores of knights from many houses were gathered together, which seemed many more than I’d expected…but far too few for the task.
Nonetheless our Lord was joyous and untroubled. As He raised a cup to toast the gathering the dream melted into mist and I’ve pondered it in my heart these many years.
I believe I now know its meaning.
Imladris is a Roundtable Community…
Imladris is a community of steadfast Christians working in, or adjacent to, the gaming industry. The front door is open. Intimacy is how we treat one another once we are in the room — not a lock on the gate. Whether you’re a designer, a programmer, an actress or an executive, if you’re lending your God-given gifts to an Interactive effort, then we’re so glad you found us.
Imladris started as a fellowship and an alliance. It is quickly becoming a movement. Imladris is fashioned out of a desire to get connected and stay connected with game makers of a similar heart, to bring unity to previously separated groups, and remove the things that keep us apart like competition, tribalism, and apathy. We are dedicated to joining our brothers and sisters on their walk on a daily basis, not for just a weekend.
…Of Warrior Poets…
The Church has a clear blessing for the pastor and the missionary. It has been slower to bless the maker. As Dorothy Sayers wrote, “The Church as a body has never made up her mind about the Arts.”4 Imladris exists because we creators cannot, and should not, live in that split that diminishes our calling.
There’s an old proverb warning we should never give a sword to a man who can’t dance. A fighter who cannot keep time is a danger to the room but a bard without a King becomes a beggar. We must forge an alloy of the two.
We are after the people who long to carry both in one whole and holy image of God. Our art should never be something we apologize for at church and we need be shrewd as serpents to carry this remarkable light into an industry that profits on the profane and revels in its rebellion.
We creators know in our souls, that the Lord made the world unbelievably lovely and there is bedrock truth in His beauty. He spoke a world that sings and we are not bidden to make thin things inside it.
If you have a heart to see the Kingdom in Entertainment, that is enough to pull up a chair.
Insight is not a job title. It is a stake in the future of the field.
…Valuing People over Products…
Generally, Christians have approached gaming and other artistic endeavors, if at all, from a product perspective.
In one way or another they are asking,
“How do we make a really good Christian game that will change everything?”
We believe this approach is misguided.
Even a hit made by believers is a drop in the bucket, and not nearly enough to change the industry.
A wildly successful studio full of Jesus followers, making millions of dollars over many decades would be a good thing, but it still couldn’t shift the enormous cultural machine that devours talented and sincere creators every single day. To focus on products is to treat a symptom and do nothing for the underlying causes.
Imladris believes that only people can make the difference, a vast, multidisciplinary group of dozens that become hundreds that become the thousands of people making decisions across the entire spectrum of creativity. We need to ask different questions.
…Seeking Eternal Wisdom.
We believe that God has entrusted each and every believer with the authority of a King or Queen, and given us the responsibility to wield that power justly and appropriately. As the Word says,
“The day is coming when the world is going to stand before a jury made up of followers of Jesus. If someday you are going to rule on the world’s fate, wouldn’t it be a good idea to practice on some of these smaller cases? Why, we’re even going to judge angels! So why not these everyday affairs?”
(1 Corinthians 6:2–3 MSG)
If we were to take that verse to heart, and its advice to practice, then instead of asking questions about products we ought to ask:
“How can we help find, feed, and flourish the people who will change the world?”
Questions like:
- If you were the King or Queen of the gaming industry, given only Authority and Favor over the “as is” situation, what would you do?
- How is a kingdom measured as compared to a company or a ministry? How ought we define success?
- What does the entire gaming industry need most today to thrive?
- What does the smaller circle of Christian game developers need to thrive in a world reluctant to embrace them?
- What does the World need from Christian game developers? What do they NOT need? What are we offering them?
To be fair, Imladris is not for everyone, but for whosoever hears and answers a call in their heart. If you’re reading this because you stumbled across a Google ad, or received an invitation from a stranger, you might be wondering what it’s all about. Lord willing, these thoughts have planted a seed in your heart. If you’re considering joining, or coming to a retreat, but aren’t sure what to think, consider a few things:
- What is stirring in your heart?
- What is The Father saying to you?
- Has any of this whispered a quiet, but emphatic “Yes” to a secret place in your soul?
Someone thinks you just might change the world, and that is not a small thing…