Know the Game – A Cultural Introduction
- Nasrallah Helewa
- Jan 21, 2008
- Series: Other
I was once asked in a class to tell something about myself that no one knew, something innocuous and trivial but definitely personal. We would all write down the statements on small pieces of paper and then shuffle them, hand them out and read aloud. Then, the class would try and guess whose was whose. Filled with blue collar toughs, I wrote, "I hate sports but I love sport films". When it came time to reveal the statement as mine, I received the leers I was hoping for and expecting from the gathered group. In some childish way, it made me feel superior to the others in the room to be free from the vice of sports.
Ironically, my vice was, and largely still is, videogames. I cherished them and considered my knowledge and appreciation of them a noble trait. For a long time, I saw videogames and videogame-playing as representative of the counter-culture, the thinking man's alternative to other (as I perceived them) "meat-headed" pursuits.
Now, if I've offended anyone up to this moment, it's partially intentional, but only to get my point across: My view of sports AND videogames is tainted by an un-Christian Worldview. By disdaining sports to the point of passing judgment on those who liked them, and by elevating videogames as a way to represent my character, I was making idols of each of them; giving each the power to define a person, and me in particular; These apart from the true definition and standard of man; Christ himself.
Therefore, I write as one recovering, thanks to God, from a "love" of videogames and other pop-culture, as opposed to a healthy appreciation of them in light of the Gospel.
In our time, videogames have gone from fringe pastime to a giant industry, challenging (though not surpassing, as some devout gamers would have you believe) the film industry as the #1 form of screen entertainment. As games have advanced with technology, so too has the sophistication of the games' presentation. Now, when we think of videogames, we have to consider not only Pong and Pac-Man, but The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy and Halo, every one of them representing a different genre or play style. For the uninitiated, I'll just say that since the resurgence of videogames in the 80's, near the advent of the first Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and as the personal computer became a viable tool within the home, videogame technology has allowed a level of narrative and immersion that continues to become deeper and deeper as the sophistication of the gamer grows.
According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) the average age of the modern game player in the US is 33, which makes me a living statistic. In fact, sixty-seven percent of American heads of household claim to play videogames, and forty-nine percent of game players in total play games online for at least 1 hour a week. According to the ESA, these numbers are climbing.
Which presents a serious and fairly unaddressed question to the Christian community: What do we do with this? If we serve a sovereign God, we have to believe that He's well aware of what's going on. We also have to believe that He has sanctioned it. What we don't know is whether He has allowed it like he allowed Satan to tempt and persecute Job, or whether there is another reason. Perhaps both should be considered. But first, we must look at who's playing and what we're playing.
The most popular online-videogame on the market, currently being endorsed by Mr. T. and William Shatner, is called World of Warcraft, a community-centric game, or what's called a Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The current commercials boast a subscription count of 9-million players, many of whom meet regularly from all over the world to quest and advance their characters. While it's not my kind of game, I can't deny the impact it has on my life. I work in IT at a major game studio, and most of my co-workers play "WoW", though it's not in our stable of titles at the company. Morning coffee is usually spent discussing the events of the previous night's game, often involving recollections of people met online and how well they played together. Invariably, talk will lead to discussions of ethics and fair-play, as it is very possible to make moral choices within the game about how you want to treat those around you.
The growing popularity of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, as well as "Party" games and "Casual" games is steadily replacing the board game as the center of any number of gatherings, often drawing parents and children together into common, interactive play. Nintendo's Wii console has put the company back on top for a time, and shown publicly that there is a market of gamers previously untapped, such as the elderly, who have embraced the "easy" controls of the machine.
I usually opt to play the games with a more linear narrative, such as Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil. While I'm not directly interacting with a community during play, there are a wealth of fan-based websites and forums that I frequent where discussion of plot points and design choices are discussed in great detail. One need only browse insertcredit.com or selectbutton.com to get an idea of the kind of philosophical questions games can evoke. In fact, a great debate within those gaming communities is whether or not games qualify as art. There are very passionate opinions on the subject from critics and game-developers alike, from Roger Ebert to Clive Barker. While I won't weigh in on that debate here, as a Christian, we need to carefully consider these points or at least educate ourselves on the views, so as not to trivialize anyone's opinions, however different from ours they may be. (Yes, I'm looking at my view on sports in this light, too.)
I think the principles we should follow are expressed by Paul to the Colossians (4:5-6) "Walk in wisdom to those outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer each one." (NKJ) There are two lessons here. First, we must "redeem the time", or "make the most of every opportunity" (NIV). As a gamer, I am well aware of the temptation to use games to escape my duties and privileges as a called out son of the Most High. As well, I know how easy it is to shy away from proclamation of the gospel when you're in a "real good" discussion about the merits of shooting an oil drum to kill as many zombies as possible with the fewest wasted bullets. Yet I mustn't allow my knowledge and appreciation of games, or ANYTHING, to be an idol to be worshipped, but simply a starting point, a way to meet others under the blanket of God's provision and sovereignty, and pray that the common ground we walk on will provide ample time to share the gospel, in "grace, seasoned in salt".
Finally, in any conversation about the redemption of any aspect of culture, I am reminded of Paul's warning in 2 Timothy 3:4, and pray that I am not one of the "...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power." (NIV) As with any form of entertainment, there is a danger to become lost in it. May we always look to God for our joy and our standard, and may we never lose sight of the Creator by idolizing the creation.
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