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God loves gamers, reaching the Xbox generation
Like many Christians gamers, I feel a twinge of guilty when severing heads in Skyrim, or unleashing destructive magic from my palms. It's easy to think we're just having meaningless fun, but this anxiety is proof enough for me that we should start to take games more seriously.
However, I don't feel called to quit gaming, so how does a Christian proceed? We all believe games have such potential in telling stories yet we're left to live with tug-of-war raging inside us: one between questionable morality and edifying messages.
By morality I of course mean the stuff you don't want your grandmother to see: violence, sex, swearing etc.
And by quality I mean excellent production values and thoughtfully crafted messages that ask big questions of the world.
So the question becomes, can graphic violence and questionable morality still be waded through for quality story telling and thought-provoking themes?
I like to use the Bible as a guide when navigating entertainment because it is full of graphic violence, sex, cursing and spiritual forces, both good and evil. But in everything is a good and trustworthy message: Sin will bring destruction while God offers redemption.
Some might argue it might even border on hypocrisy when Christians condemn a potentially thought-provoking entertainment based on violence or sex, and there are strong redemptive themes throughout.
So, here are four questions I found helpful to start thinking more critically about games:
1. What are video games to you?
Are they mere entertainment? Escapism? Or do you find a deeper meaning or connection? Do you find yourself admiring the heroism of Link, descending the depths of darkness to purify and bring light? Do you suddenly feel like championing the cause of the down-trodden, just as your character goes out of their way to help the innocent?
2. What affect do videogames have on your soul?
Do you feel spiritually uplifted after the credits roll, or do you feel sick to your stomach? What did the game teach you? That living by your own rules makes life easier? Killing and stealing is the quickest way to victory? Or that the most meaningful side quests were done to help out a stranger?
3. Does God care what we play?
Have you every prayed and asked God to show you something through a videogame? Do you think God can use games to reach others? If so, have you ever considered that God may have a heart for gamers?
4. Where should we draw the line?
Is there a danger in pushing through too much garbage to get a small nugget of goodness?A guiding verse might be Philippians 4:8 Whatever is true, noble, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy... think about these things.
I believe we have been called to love videogames because it uniquely qualifies us to speak the language of a growing digital generation.
And there are millions of gamers out there who will never seek Jesus out in a Church. But they are captives in darkness, without hope. And every night they bring their tired souls to the computer screen or Xbox and find some solace there. We are the soldiers tasked with the rescue of this digital generation. God has put the passion of gaming in our hearts to reach these people, and it is a high calling.
Our battlefield is here on the internet, using our love of games to connect with this lost generation. Let's point them to Christ with thought-provoking discussions on sites like Christ and Pop Culture and CCGR. Let's train other Christian gamers to discern the truth in the games we play, and reveal how Christ is at work in all our Red Dead Redemptions.
Comments
Love this! I'll most likely link to it on my site within a week or two, if that's all right. :]
Great read and website. I have been a gamer for over 20 years and it's fulfilling and pleasant to hear that their are fellow gamers out there that believe in Christ our Lord. I am glad to be a member and I will visit often.
p.s. Increase your followers and add some ps3 related articles for I only own that console. Add me as a psn friend matt801
"Don't love the game. Love the gamer."
Hello, just came across your site. I think a relevant verse here is "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:15-20).
God commands us to love only two things: Himself and others. We should not love anything else more, even video games. If we are to involve ourselves in videogames, we must first understand that they are fantasy mediums through which the world propagandizes its message to live for ourselves - be powerful, be the decisionmaker, be the ruler, be God. Our message as Christians is "worship the Lord your God, and serve him only," which is exactly the opposite of any game design. What game would have the player be completely self-sacrificial and to die to himself for the benefit of others? You win games, not lose them.
That being said, video games can and should be used as a means of communication with people who are immersed in them. However, they are mere tools and should not be elevated to something from which we are to get fed or find meaning for ourselves. "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." We are to be fed by the Word. We should not let any worldly medium be our source. Rather, we are to "crash the party" so to speak with God's revealed will. We are to tear down strongholds, arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. We need to demonstrate to people trying to find meaning in these videogames that there is a much better source of life through the Gospel. We are to take people out of the darkness and into the light. To do that, we go into the darkness to drag them out, but we should not remain there, and we should not assimilate ourselves with the darkness.
Videogames are so powerful an escape because they feed directly into our God-complex. We want so badly to be masters of our own destiny. We want safe worlds that are packaged in ways we can understand and manipulate. But, that is the nature of the fallacy. We are not in control. We are not God. We are created beings that need the Creator to impart meaning to our existence and love us. The only author of this story is God, and we are but actors in His plan.
So, in conclusion, I believe videogames, movies, books, games, sports, recreation, jobs, anything can be used for the glory of God if we use them to connect with the lost and to communicate the Gospel to them. However, we should not "be drunk on wine", that is, we must be vigilant and never get caught up in these things and be enamored by them. We lose our sense of purpose and our focus if we do that. The "days are evil" and there is a very real opposition to the Gospel in everything that the world produces that battles against our hearts. Everything we touch, smell, see from the world wants to dissipate our passion for Jesus. So, the next time we catch ourselves playing hours upon hours of a game, we need to ask ourselves "Ok, I got the message of this game, and I understand why people play it, but why am I spending so much time on it? Is this really about pleasing God or pleasing myself?" Whether we eat or drink, we need to do it for the glory of God. We need to be purposeful and careful how we live, or else we'll be overtaken by the world and end up sleepwalking through life.
Annonymous, thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts out, I think they're a great reminder of the urgency of our mission as Christians, and I whole heartedly agree, Jesus needs to be #1 in our lives!
Although I think one of your questions was hypothetical, I would like to try and answer it: "What game would have the player be completely self-sacrificial and to die to himself for the benefit of others? "
It's actually surprising how many games put players in this exact position, do you make a personal sacrifice for someone else? Or do something completely for your own gain.
I think of a quest in Fable 2, where you have the choice to take the place of a victim about to have the life sucked out of them, though your face will be horribly aged and scarred for the rest of the game. This is a real sacrifice for the gamer, and it's very easy to just let the victim die. It has no effect on your game. Yet, I know one friend made the choice to stand in for the victim, and endured the rest of the game disfigured. Why would he do that?
Another game, Bastion, gives you the choice to help your enemy, with no apparent reward or punishment for doing so. http://gamechurch.com/redemption-and-restoration-in-bastion/
So while I agree with you, we need to be careful how we live, I also want to add that we don't want to dismiss videogames either. Thinking critically about videogames is one way we can glorify God, and be thankful of this creative medium. By doing so I believe we also guard ourselves against unhealthy habits.
These aren't the questions a Christian should be asking himself about whether gaming is good in Gods eyes or not. The real question is, have I made video games my idol?
1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Do you spend more time thinking about video games than you do about God? Then video games are your idol.
Do you spend more time playing video games than you give to God in your life? Then video games are your idol.
Do you talk more to people about video games than you do about Jesus Christ? Then video games are your idol.
Do you get more excited about video games than you do spending time with God? (reading the bible, prayer, going to church, etc) Then video games are your idol.
Is it wrong to play video games? Not inherently. Is it wrong to spend more time and energy on them than you do God? Do I even need to answer that?
How true, excellent post!