Mention the words “Church history,” and the first things most people think of are a slew of names and dates, baffling theological heresies, doctrinal disputes, and details that blur together. Mention Church history to the Rev. Joyce Chan, Ph.D., and Raymond Leung, though, and the first thing they think of is fun and games.
That’s because Chan, professor of Church history and principal of the Canadian Chinese School of Theology Vancouver (CCST) and Leung, the school’s registrar, developed Church Quest, My Quest!, a Church history board game last year. It covers key figures and events from the early church to contemporary times.
Chan, a board game lover who likes using creative ways to teach Church history, originated the idea and did some brainstorming about board game development with ChatGPT. When she brought the idea to her team, she learned that Leung was also a board game fan. He took her initial notes and developed them into an actual game, with elements drawn from Catan and Pokémon.
“What I appreciate the most is that Raymond turned this into a collaborative game,” Chan said. “When we try to either achieve a milestone or face a challenge (in the game), we actually need the community of faith to do it together. I think it just turned out beautifully – the game design, the theological and spiritual dimensions – it all just works together.”
AI helped in the testing and design phase as well as the brainstorming. After Leung drafted the rules, he uploaded a digital version of the game to an AI and had it play hundreds of test rounds. The intense debugging process meant the game was in good shape once they moved on to human testers. Chan and Leung invited CCST students to play. “When Raymond was teaching them the game, the main thing I observed was lots of laughter,” Chan said. “They were talking to each other and connecting.”
Chan hopes the game helps people understand Church history as well as how history relates to the Church today. “Things repeat themselves,” she said. “These game cards are almost like a conversation prompt.”
The game was developed with a grant from City Seminary in New York and produced for CCST Vancouver’s tenth anniversary last year. It’s recommended for ages 16 and up, and available in English and Chinese.
Find more at: ccstvan.ca
