“Level Up!”, a video game to find out if you are ready for marriage

“Love, the most epic adventure” is the message launched by the Episcopal Conference in the “Marriage is more” campaign. And what better than a video game to show it. “Level Up!” is the audiovisual product produced by Artex Games, at the suggestion of the Episcopal Subcommission for the Family and Defense of Life, and is available -and free of charge- at the following address. matrimonioesmas.org/game. From next Friday the 13th, it will also be available on the web. matrimonioesmas.org.

“The Episcopal Conference creating a video game is crazy,” said Lía Jurado, an advertising student at the Pontifical University of Salamanca and a member of the creative team that developed the product. The “madness” is an initiative that came out of the classrooms of the advertising students of the Pontifical University of Salamanca, who were consulted.

It is intended to validate if the player is ready for a definitive love, for a full commitment. 

How it works

The video game, which works by touching the screen, proposes a journey that, through virtuous choices, validates the decision to make a definitive commitment to the couple. The protagonists are two normal young people, Fran and Elena, who experience various adventures, understood as everyday situations faced by a couple: the figure of the ex, the tribulations in a shared apartment, the traditions of families, how to cope with economic burdens... There are also couple virtues, presented as “Collectable Gifts”, obtained through different actions.

The story, which unfolds over seven levels, is conceived as a romance novel, rather than an action video game. And there are different endings (there may or may not be a wedding), depending on the decisions made by the player and his freedom, as in real life.

“Level up! The game of two” is presented around the date of St. Valentine's Day (February 14), in the context of the “Marriage is +” campaign of the Episcopal Conference. Taking advantage of this feast, all dioceses celebrate Marriage Week, in which multiple proposals are developed to show the beauty of Christian marriage. 

This is the fifth year of the campaign. The first one was “Marriage is more than you think”, followed by “Forever dates” (the most successful), “Forever match”, “Fill her heart, make it beat”. In this one, the title is very significant: “Level up! The game of two”. And the message: “Love, the most epic adventure”. 

The video game was professionally designed by Federico Peinado, from Narratech Laboratories, and executed by Artax Games. The idea came from Advertising students Lía Jurado, Eva Gangoso, Dana Sierra and Carolina González. 

The campaign wants to show the beauty of Christian marriage. Miguel Garrigós, of the Episcopal Conference's Subcommission for the Family and Life, stressed that “marriage is a treasure. We wanted to convey the idea that when something is worthwhile, one considers doing whatever it takes to overcome difficulties. We wanted the game to transmit this idea”. He also believes that the videogame “helps to understand what makes love grow”.

More proposals to follow

In addition, Garrigós explained that, at the end of the videogame, a link to the website www.matrimonioesmas.org with resources, proposals, links and the “marriage” app of the Episcopal Conference, with different initiatives of accompaniment. The campaign is not addressed primarily to those “already convinced” but aims to encourage couples who want a stable commitment to consider the option of a marriage in the Church.

Level up! The game of two will be presented at a public event at the Centro Príncipe Pío in Madrid on February 14, where attendees will be able to play online from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.