Agnes Tepa
Meet the Global Gaming Phenomenon ‘And Roger’ Creator – Yona, a Japanese Christian who is creating games guided by faith.
I met Yona, known to me as Michinobu-san, and his beautiful wife at a Japanese church, not so long after starting life in Tokyo, Japan. You could not tell if he was a renowned person when you first met him because, despite gaining international recognition for the games he has created, like a true Japanese person, he is not someone who likes to show off.
When asked how he first entered the gaming industry, Yona said, “My initial motivation for wanting to create a game came from an introductory programming course I took at university. I became interested in programming itself, and while searching for a more interesting way to learn it, I came up with the idea of creating a game on my own.”
In a rather unexpected turn, however, Yona said that what really inspired him to create his own stories in the games he created was reading the work of Children’s writer Patricia Mary St. John. ‘Treasures of the Snow’ which explores themes of sin and forgiveness, particularly struck him very personally and powerfully. Reading it sparked interest to create stories of his own which could have a similar impact on others.
Yona’s journey as a Game Creator has been deeply influenced by his Christian faith. He said:
I think the central theme of my faith can best be expressed through one word: loss. My father was a pastor and someone I deeply respected. However, he passed away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) when I was ten years old. After his death, I found myself wondering why God would allow something like that to happen to me, and my heart gradually drifted away from Him.
Yet, even when I distanced myself from God, He never abandoned me. Instead, He used various means to draw me back to Himself.
Even today, there are many things I still do not understand, including why God allows certain things to happen. Nevertheless, I want to continue believing that everything is in God's hands and that He is working all things according to His perfect will.
One Bible verse that I often remember is Romans 8:28:”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I am constantly reminded of how difficult it is to express my faith through my games. I believe the greatest thing I can do is to honestly pour into my work the genuine emotions and experiences I have personally gone through.
For this reason, there is almost always a shadow of loss somewhere in the stories I create.
There are so many things I would like to communicate to players, but I must remain humble and recognize that these are things each player needs to receive and discover for themselves.
As players experience a work in which I have honestly laid bare something of myself, my hope is simply that God Himself will work in their hearts.
Reflecting on the challenges he has encountered as a Christian Game Creator, he shares that contrary to his expectations, hurtful comments that the religious aspects of the work are unacceptable, were fewer than anticipated. Instead, he found himself grappling with the daily challenge of how difficult it is to truly infuse his work with what he feels. “The creative process itself was extremely difficult,” he said. Another aspect he highlighted was that in the commercially driven game industry, there are still very few people who create games with faith-driven purpose. He elaborated, saying, “Until my work got on track, I don't think there was a single person who believed I was serious about what I was trying to do. It was just a lonely dialogue between me and God, and I remember that being incredibly painful.”
Speaking candidly about how his journey has shaped his understanding of God and himself, he shared:
I think it simply boils down to how weak and insignificant I am. Whenever things go a little well, I immediately get carried away and think I'm amazing, but then something happens that forces me to be humbled by God again and again. Making games is very enjoyable for me, but at the same time, it's a constant stream of things that I feel I could never accomplish on my own. Making games requires me to ask God for help every day.
Furthermore, in order to express my own experiences in my work, it is necessary to properly accept my entire past before God. Through game development, I feel like I'm gradually learning to love myself.
Although he began creating games as a form of evangelistic ministry, his perspective has evolved. He now sees his role as walking closely with God and creating meaningful stories, trusting that God will use his work to touch lives and speak to players’ hearts.
Yona’s internationally acclaimed game, ‘and Roger’, explores the complexities of love, family, and dementia through an emotionally driven narrative. Drawing on his childhood experiences with parental iillness, the game raises profound questions about whether love can endure through suffering and how God sees us in our moments of vulnerability. The protagonist in the game is living with dementia, and the entire world of the game is portrayed in an unstable and bewildering way.
For him, ‘and Roger’ is deeply personal, shaped by his own experience of marriage and hugely influenced by his wife. Concerned by the diminishing value placed in marriage in the Japanese society, he wanted to use the game to explore the meaning of commitment and love, inviting players to reflect on what marriage truly means.
Beyond international recognition for its effective use of the interactive nature of games to explore a challenging subject such as dementia, the most meaningful reward for him has been seeing how his games resonate with players on a deeply personal level Some of the heartfelt responses that he received included hearing from people who are were in situations similar to those in the game's setting, and how playing together as a couple, sharing empathy, crying together, and having deep conversations as a result, was a truly enriching experience. Another couple was so moved by its story and even incorporated its music into their wedding ceremony.
The heartfelt responses he has received reveal how interactive storytelling can foster empathy, spark meaningful conversations, and even become part of people’s own life stories.
Yona’s work “and Roger,” has earned recognition on prestigious International platforms, such as:
• The 2026 BAFTA Games Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)- London, United Kingdom
- Game Beyond Entertainment (Finalist)
• Game Developers Choice Awards (GDC) San Francisco, USA
- Audience Award (Winner)
- Social Impact Award (Finalist)
• Tokyo Game Show 2025 Sense of Wonder Night 2025 Chiba, Japan
- Audience Award Grand Prix (winner)
- Best Arts Award (Winner)
- Best Presentation Award (Winner)
• Taipei Game Show 2026 Indie Game Award, Taipei, Taiwan
- Grand Prix (Winner)
- Best Audio (Winner)
• The Indie Game Awards 2025, Los Angeles, USA
- Emotional Impact (Winner)
- Game of the Year (Finalist)
• Games for Change Awards 2026, New York City, USA
- Best In Impact (Winner)
- Best Gameplay (Nominee)
- Best Narrative (Nominee)
For Yona, the success of “and Roger” is ultimately a testimony to God’s faithfulness. He acknowledges that the game is beyond what he could have created through his own wisdom or abilities. He says, “I am deeply grateful to God for giving me the wisdom I needed to create this game.”
As he looks ahead to future projects, his hope remains that his games will prompt players to reflect on their lives, rediscover what truly matters and reconsider the values they hold dear.
Above all, he hopes to leave game players in Nagaland and around the world with a profound truth, “We are truly weak and insignificant beings. But God is the one who embodies perfect love, and the All- powerful God walks alongside us every single day.” This, Yona believes, is the truth the world needs to remember.
The writer is a Global Worker from Nagaland, currently based in Tokyo, Japan.
