A 2014 report showed that the revenue from games is on par with the movie industry. In the US, game sales ($24 billion) have outperformed movie box office sales ($10 billion per year). Video games are becoming a serious competitor to both the TV and film industries, with gameplay now eating into television views. The gaming industry has matured alongside its audience – only 29 per cent of games are under 18. Although the view from outside the industry can often reduce video games to toys for kids, there are now more gamers over the age of 50 than under 18. It is often thought that video games are mainly something that boys do, but this is a big misconception. A 2014 study in the UK found that 52 per cent of gamers are women. One of the biggest selling games ever is Minecraft. At the time of writing Minecraft report to have sold 106,859,714 copies. If each person who bought a copy formed a nation it would the twelfth biggest nation on the planet, just behind Mexico.
As youth ministers we often use music and video clips to draw out some form of discussion and spiritual message, do we give video games the same attention? We can do a great disservice to video games and the young people who play them if we tar them with the overused brush that video games are just violent, addictive and escapist.
In 2014, Frontier Youth Trust’s Alastair Jones was challenged by video game expert Andy Robertson to sit down and play through the game Limbo. He says:
“As I progressed through the dark world of Limbo I jumped out of my seat several times as something lurking came out of the gloom to end the Limbo boy’s life in a dreadful way. It was hard, as a dad of two boys, to play this game and my feelings went from slight tension to nerve-wracking responsibility as I guided him safely past deadly puzzles. I was very excited about the possibility of exploring the nature of this and especially how young people can have an awareness of God’s spirit within gaming rather than taking everything on a superficial level. I wanted to explore the meaning within gaming and so I was challenged to enter that world on my own, without a safety net and my experience was very profound. Limbo was immersive for me. The outcome of this game has led to me being emotionally entwined with the main character’s quest. The result is that after several hours of navigating Limbo, I almost feel in ‘loco parentis’ of this small virtual person. With his piercing shining eyes that stare hauntingly into the darkness, I cared about the outcome of the game - this thing I was involved in mattered to me way more than a simple throwaway app.”
Games can be powerful tools. Legend says that during the reign of King Atys of Lydia (now western Turkey) there was a terrible famine. King Atys decided that the only way for his people to make it through this suffering was to divert their attention from their rumbling bellies. So they invented a number of games to occupy and distract themselves from thinking about food. They claimed to have invented dice and ball games which were later taught to the Greeks. Atys decreed that the all the people would fast one day and play games in order to distract themselves from their hunger and the next day they would abstain from games and allow themselves to eat. The famine did not let up. The story is told that the people of Lydia were so absorbed in the games they were playing that they continued to follow this pattern for 18 years! The complete immersion in games can have very powerful effects.
There are certainly some video games that can become unhealthily addictive. Game designers often harness psychological tools in order to hook the player to keep on playing. However, not all games employ these techniques and it is definitely worth exploring the potential of video games.
Escapism
Escapism is often thought about as a negative retreat from reality. But escape can be positive. C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien both suggest that one of the key things they loved about stories was the imaginary worlds that they created. Tolkien called these ‘secondary worlds’. Lewis argued that by reading these stories of well-constructed imagined places, readers would experience a retreat from reality that would reinvigorate their appreciation for the world they existed in. Stories can give people a fresh perspective on their own reality.
As the video game industry has matured from simple games, such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders, so has its ability to construct worlds and tell stories. While books and films can whisk you off to a different world, video games have the ability to allow you to interact with that world and they give a degree of freedom in exploration.
The purpose of youth work is to tease out the experiences of young people and help them reflect on these in different lights, including faith. Why would we not employ that to what young people experience through video games?
On Andy’s recommendation Alastair downloaded a game called Flower for the PlayStation and played through the game with a group from his youth club. Alastair says:
“We worked with a group of boys who all considered themselves gamers, only one of them attended church. When we said that we’d play through a game together they were disappointed that it wasn’t Call of Duty. This allowed us to open up the conversation around why we couldn’t let them play an 18-rated game in youth club and to also talk about the subjects of the games they enjoy. Flower, the game Andy recommended, is a game that doesn’t have much instruction. It allows the players to play through at their own pace, exploring the environment as they go. We let them play through the game without much interruption. The game starts off very light and breezy but soon turns quite dark and foreboding. Even though the game was much slower-paced than the frenetic action of first person shooters, they all were absorbed in what was going on. After the game ended we were able to have deep conversations about creation and our active place in it. We also talked about presence and how being task-focused can sometimes lead us away from being present in the moment.
With the same group we played through a game called ‘Gone home’. It is an adventure game, that involves exploring a house, searching for messages and piecing together a story. The player takes on the role of Kaitlin who returns home to her family. She finds the house deserted with a note on the door from her sister. Through the game and the discussions afterward we explored young people’s understanding of sexuality and how it differs to their parents’ understanding. We were able to explore how often the young people struggle in the relationship with their parents. It was a really valuable conversation and by having the experience of playing through the game, young people felt more comfortable to talk openly about the issues it raised. It’s definitely something we want to continue exploring as a group.”
When Jesus told parables he related everyday experiences such as farming, building and hosting others as ways in which to highlight the workings of the kingdom of God. Video games are often a daily experience for young people who engage in the storytelling of the game and also tell stories of the games they have played. Let’s use these experiences to engage young people in the reality they face and the kingdom of God that is coming.
Experiment Yourself
Positive futures
If you’re looking to engage young people using video games, check out Andy Robertson’s YouTube channel ‘FamilyGamerTV’ and watch the technology, spirituality and meaning playlist. Andy is a video game expert and journalist who focuses on playing video games with families. He has also done some really interesting things with video games in church, including playing the aforementioned Flower in Exeter Cathedral as part of their worship. His YouTube channel will also give you a list of games that you could explore with young people.
“Stories can give people a fresh perspective on their own reality”
For a deeper look at video games and faith read Of games and god: a Christian exploration of video games by Kevin Schut. It’s a well-balanced look at video games that addresses the issues of violence, the portrayal of women and addiction to games, as well as the positive sides such as the communities that spring up around video games, the Christian themes that arise in many video games and Christians in the video game industry.
Finally, if you just want a bit of (irreverent) fun go to runjesus.com and experience the ten-second-gospel. My high score is eleven apostles. How many did you get?
