WE ARE BACK!

It has been a while since I have done a KiWA KenneList. It is time to fix that!

We start with the 2024 GamesCon Opening Night Live (ONL) from Cologne, Germany.  The show aired on August 20 and The Beard of Knowledge KenneReact to the announcements on stream later that very same day from the Game Awards YouTube channel.

Some background. Several years ago in 2019, I last posted my KiWA thoughts on game announcements and was even updating a curated list after the games were released.  Sigh, I let things go.  I let my KiWA go.  I started rectifying this in June and fell.

KiWA: Kennethan is Wow About Ratings:

• KiWA 6 – The Ultimate! Think like 5++. The top option! Totally excited for this game and may pay for the ultimate package!
• KiWA 5 – Excited! Could be a great game and fun to play. Looks to be worth the time and money.
• KiWA 4 – Great looking game but.  The buts make it not a KiWA 5 but still possibly worth the time and money.
• KiWA 3 – So so. Yea, get it if on sale.
• KiWA 2 – Nah. You should avoid it as I am avoiding this game.
• KiWA 1 – The lowest rating. So low that you should most likely remove it from any list.

Are you ready? Here is the KiWA KenneList from GamesCon ONL 2024:

• Sid Meier's Civilization VII - February 11, 2025 - KiWA 6! - A game that I have played since the original its original release in 1991 and very excited to see the next expansion for this game!
• Dune Awakening - Early 2025 - KiWA 5 - I am excited for the open world and what has been shown so far.
• World of Warcraft: The War Within - Aug 26 - KiWA 5. I am there!  Early access started Aug 22 and I am not early accessing it.
• Warhammer 40k Space Marine - Sept 9 - KiWA 4 - I am a fan of Warhammer 40K and dabbled in some games.  This looks good.
• Masters of Albion - no date - KiWA 5 - This looks cool and it's from Peter Molyneux, the dev behind Black & White and Fable.
• Ara History Untold - Sept 24 - Kiwa 5 - The game will fill my Civilization itch until Feb.
• Overwatch 2 - WoW collab and skins - KiWA 4 - This would not be on my list if I wasn't playing O2 on DadsFest.
• Borderlands 4 - coming 2025 - KiWA 4 - B3 wasn't as good as it could have been and was just extra B2 stuff and not really new, so I didn't play it very long.   I am hopeful for this game. The recent movie was awful, and that is coming from Kennethan who tends to like bad movies.
• Age of Mythology Retold - Sept 4, 2024 - KiWA 4. I played some of the old game and yet as Retro would say it's more nostalgic versus classic.  Will I really play this?  I don't even know.  I am excited to consider it.
• Towerborne - Sept 10 early access - KiWA 4 - The trailer made me say maybe.  I am not going to pay for early access so will have to see if a demo comes in Steam Next Fest.
• Mecha Break - TBD - KiWA 4 - Not the first time I have seen this and still interested in trying this game out.
• Lynked: Banner of the Spark - Oct 22, 2024 early access - KiWA 4 -
• Monster Hunter Wilds - 2025 - KiWA 3 - A game my family has played and loves.  This looks really good and the trailer makes me consider it.
• Predecessor - MOBA play free now - KiWA 3 - I have played similar games and will try it if others want to give it a shot.
• Path Of Exile II - Nov 15, 2024 early access - KiWA 3 - I played the original PoE and while I liked it, it also wasn't me.  I may give it a try.
• Ark Raiders - 2025 - sign up now - KiWA 3 (requested playtest access) - The playtest may push this up the KiWA levels.
• Starfield - Rev-8 update available now; Shattered Space expansion - 9/20 - already purchased - KiWA 3.  This one needs it own review on why I am not playing it and why the expansion does not excite me.
• Kingdom Come Deliverance II - Feb 11, 2025 - Aug 21 gameplay preview - KiWA 3
• Marvel Rivals - Dec 6 - KiWA 3 - I have played a number of BRs so this might interest me.  And its Marvel.

And something that is not a game and yet tied to games.

• Secret Level - 15 original episodes with Amazon Studios and game studios - Dec 10 Amazon Prime

I almost didn't want to even mention any of the games KiWA 2 or lower and so here I am.

• Herdling - 2025 - KiWA 2 - Originally, I was excited when they mentioned Firewatch until I realized it was the publishers and not the devs of Firewatch.  I did a second look and dropped the rating.
• Floatapia - 2025 - cute game - KiWA 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Dec 9, 2024 - KiWA 2 - I am an Indy fan.  And it is Bethesada. And it's a KiWA 2.
• COD: Black Ops 6 - Oct 25, 2024 - KiWA 2 - I would play this in a group.
• Goat Simulator Remastered - haha - KiWA 2 - I know this is a popular game.  Just not popular with me.
• Persona 3 Reload - KiWA 2
• Dying Light: The Beast - no date - zombies - KiWA 2
• Black Myth Wukong - out now - KiWA 2
• DragonballZ Sparking! zero - Oct 11, 2024 - KiWA 2
• No More Room in Hell - no date - KiWA 2
• Infinity Nikki - closed beta - too cute - KiWA 2
• Reanimal - no date - KiWA 2
• Genshin Impact - Nov 20 on Xbox - KiWA 2 - I know this is a very popular game.  Just not popular with me.
• Naraka Bladepoint x Tomb Raider - Aug 28 - KiWA 2
• Fatal Fury: City of Wolves - 4/24/25 - KiWA 2
• Monument Valley III - Dec 10 (Netflix only) - KiWA 2
• Delta Force - Oct 2024 - KiWA 2 - I will give this a try at next Steam Next Fest
• Zenless Zone Zero - new zone Q3 2025 - KiWA 2
• Batman Arkham Shadow - VR Meta Occulus - Oct 2024 (Camaflaj) - KiWA 2 - Yes it looks nice.  and from the studio my youngest daughter worked at first out of college. It's a NO cause VR.
• Little Nightmares III - no date - KiWA 2
• Squid Game Unleashed (Netflix) - KiWA 2 - I have watched the show and this game looks interesting.
• Unknown9: Awakening - Oct 18 - KiWA 2
• Arena Breakout Infinite - early access now end of 2024 - KiWA 2
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred - Oct 8 - KiWA 2 - I have only ever played the beta and have no plans to purchase this game.
• The First Berserker Khazan - 2025 - KiWA 2
• Dark and Darker mobile - KiWA 2 - It is a mobile game!  Enough said.
• Mafia The Old Country - no date - KiWA 2 - If you are fan of the franchise, this prequel will be fun.
• King of Meat - KiWA 1
• Bloom and Rage - Feb 2025 - KiWA 1 - This one was too cringy for me.

There you go!  Enjoy and comment where I got things right and wrong.

Become a Supporter

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” GK Chesterton

We live in a materialistic world. It is all around us whether we see it in our neighbor’s possessions, from commercials telling us we deserve the good things, to some religious leaders saying that our faith will speak riches into our lives. We all know famously that we can’t take it with us and yet we continue to seek the riches of this world. All that we acquire, collect or obtain will not be coming with us when we are face-to-face with God.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 ESV

But don’t we need worldly possessions such as housing, food, clothing, transportation, and basic things of life? Isn’t there comfort in worldly possessions? Does God want us to suffer while we live far from Home? And yet we know that money, and how we handle money, is a root of so many marital conflicts, jokes, suffering and evil whether we have too much or not enough.

And don’t we feel our anxieties fall away with purchases? The endorphin rush we get from buying stuff followed by the unpacking and setting up? Isn’t this a good thing?

Is there self-care in worldly possessions?

I have no answer to that question. Balance seems to be word that comes to mind. We should never grow too enslaved to possessions nor become homeless and dependent on others.

Jesus tells us “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” Matthew 6:28-31

“The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings for evil.” Matthew 12:35 ESV

And yet Solomon told us it is all a chasing after the wind, a vanity of vanities. .

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 ESV

From a WebMd.com article "Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive, and out of control," says Donald Black, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. "Like other addictions, it basically has to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one's impulses. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping." So even the secular world realizes that worldly possessions are not self-care.

So what are we to do? We must trust in Jesus and let him take care of us. Some will be blessed with more than you as God uses them to help those who need help. God will take care of you and your family, and life will be filled with joy and peace and love.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Matthew 6:25-27

We are called to take care of our families and trust God to provide for all of our needs such as food, clothing, housing etc. When we are obedient to His instruction and head His calling for us, He provides not only our needed worldly possessions but blesses us even more so that we can also be a blessing to others. If all we do is strive to keep earning more, we will be like that rich man who wanted more and more in the parable Jesus told in Luke.

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Trust in God.

Don’t make worldly possession your idol.

Sources

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/shopping-spree-addiction#1

"You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Indigo Montoya, Princess Bride

Words can instill meaning and purpose. They can just as much sway folks to our cause, and can be used to quickly express our intent. Using the right term is critical and understanding the definition use is even more so.

Let’s take the word missionary. It’s a simple enough word we have all heard and I am sure we have an idea of its meaning. We might even know missionaries so we feel pretty good about knowing the definition.

The definition of missionary is a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as educational or hospital work. Fun fact, the word missionary was first used in 1625.

Seems easy enough. But WAIT! That isn’t what I am thinking when I hear the word missionary.

When I hear missionary, I think of folks leaving their current life and going to another country, learning a new language, sacrificing their current life and lively hood, living with another group of people, and being sent by a local church to share the gospel of Jesus and to shine Christ’s life into the lives of others.

Similar and yet different. Notice how my definition says another country and sacrifice?

And by the way, I have a natural inkling to want to support missionaries because I believe they are sacrificing to share the gospel, so I can sacrifice to help. See how using terminology is critical?

If you agree with me, the story is over. If you don’t agree with me, let's continue on.

We as Christians are called to the great commission. Our lives are always on mission to share the gospel whether it’s with family, work, streams, neighbors or communities.

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

Based on what I deem a missionary, digital missionaries are not missionaries.

I have struggled with this for the last year after getting to know streamers and gamers wanting to share the gospel, missionaries in other countries, and even some of my church friends who are going overseas for 5-year mission trips.

Based on the definition I laid out for a missionary; digital ones are not missionaries. Where is the sacrifice and going to another country?

Gamers can feel to others as if they are in another world. So, I give that one as similar to another country. So, I am left with where is the sacrifice?

Consider this. If you are looking to be fully funded as a digital missionary, then why not go overseas where the cost of living is cheaper and still having the bandwidth to stream? Full time streaming doesn’t care about your location.

What happens once you get enough subs and sponsors? I think that is a good goal so folks like me funding the initial stage can go support another.

We resist allowing someone to call themselves pastor just because they call themselves pastor. Are they ordained or trained or work for a church? You need to be a degreed engineer to be called an engineer. Why are we OK with missionary being used similarly?

Now, I don’t think there is ill intent to mislead others by calling oneself a digital missionary. My caution is in using the term missionary as a 'cheat code' that gets the point across without having to explain the finer details, especially to those who are not streamers or gamers.

Conclusion

Christians are always on the mission field. Whether it's family, work, neighbors, streams, associations, clubs, etc. Christian steamers are no different and their ministry is no less important. We just need some new terminology for the digital online presence. It’s not a missionary.

PLEASE don’t think online evangelism and sharing of the gospel is not important. Online evangelism is very important. I fear that it will get watered down if you call it something it isn't by taking on or co-opting the term and taking away from the meaning by using missionary.

How about Christian Streamer or Streamer Evangelist or Evangelist Streamer or Christian or Streamer?

Anyone got some better ideas? Let me know.