Mark: Hello and welcome to God’s Gym, the podcast where we consider how we can reach our full potential as human beings, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Jesus said he had come that we might have life in abundance, and we ask, what is abundant life and how can we live it?
I am Mark, an Army Chaplain and with me is Paul, an Army Scripture reader and today we want to explore the wonderful world of ‘gaming’. So, sit back and strap yourself in as we enter the world beyond the screen.
Paul: I must admit I’ve never been enticed to enter that world of gaming, but I have tried to play a couple of games in the past, and I have watched and listened to my son as he shares with enthusiasm his exploits in a latest game he has played. But I’m intrigued by it all and so i thought it would be interesting to explore this world and see what its all about. What about you mark, have you ever dabbled in the world of computer games.
Mark: from leading Lara Croft through the jungles, to defending planet Earth from the Covenant to building my very own civilisations I have been known to play a game or two from time to time! My steam library is pretty well stocked!
Paul: I wonder what picture you conjure up in your mind when you think of what a typical gamer would look like? maybe a guy sat in his bedroom, eating Doritos in his own little world, surrounded with multiple screens and techno gadgets, preferring the darkness of a blackened-out room with only the pixels of a monitor or TV lighting the way. Spending hours and hours enclosed in that small space with only the sounds of the loud audio from the speakers filling the room. Does that do it justice or is that too much of a stereotype.
Mark: Personally, having no shame at spending 8 hours building an empire of Vikings only to have the Egyptians come and destroy everything, I think we need to be careful when judging anyone who enjoys this activity and definitely not stereotype gamers as they come from literally every background. In 2020, women accounted for nearly 41% of all gamers in the United States. And in Asia, which accounts for 48% of the world's total gaming revenue, women now make up 40-45% of the Asian gaming population. Gaming is serious business and some gamers have made millions competing in major tournaments.
Paul: If you’ve ever wondered what impact the computer firms have made with their consoles then listen to these stats: The original Sony PlayStation that was first released back in 1994 has sold 102.49 million consoles, the PlayStation 4 released in 2013 sold 115.9 million and its latest edition the PlayStation 5 (PS5) released in late 2020 has so far sold over 7.8 million sets. And if you want to know about the famous Xbox it likewise has seen millions fly off the shelf since it first appeared back in 2001 and to date its latest version the Xbox series x/s has sold over 3.5 million consoles. So there’s been a lot of people buying and playing these products and they don’t come cheap.
Mark do you know how many different genres of games there are within the gaming world?
Mark: Many different genres, from your tradition arcade racing, shooting and fighting to massive multiplayer online role-playing games.
Paul: Well if my arithmetic is correct at the last count I numbered around 33, I am not talking about games but the types of games. Here’s a few to whet your appetite:
First Person Shooters
This is the cream of the crop, and some of the most popular games in recent memory, FPS titles have sold millions upon millions of copies and engage players of all ages in the fast-paced action. Call of Duty is the prime example
Mark: Well someone has to stop the alien invasion!
Paul: Stealth Games
Stealth games have the player act all sneakily, having them accomplish their mission through subterfuge and guile.
Mark: Great to play when you don’t want to wake the family!
Paul: Combat Sports
Fight Night and UFC are the staples of combat sports, and players can set up their dream matchups like Muhammad Ali versus Mike Tyson. Hmmm I wonder about Rocky???
Mark: I knew you would mention that somewhere!
Paul: Survival Games
Players are dropped into a hostile setting, (think jungle, desert, the Arctic), usually with little to no tools, and tasked with basic survival. These are a mix of strategy, action, and role-playing.
Mark: Everyone needs a challenge
Paul: Grand Strategy
These games are all about the big picture. Many grand strategy games are based in history and in them, you need to steer a nation or faction to victory, managing economy, research of technology, and of course, military might.
Mark: That’s my kind of game. I wonder what that says about my personality?
Paul: Role-Playing Games
These are games in which the player takes on a ‘role’ of a character in a (usually), fantastical setting, allowing the player to live out the roles.
Mark: You would make a great Tolkien character, but I am not saying which one!
Paul: Strategy Games
These games emphasize strategy to complete objectives. Whether playing virtual chess or building your civilization, brainpower is encouraged to get yourself to the end of the game.
Skylines and SimCity are great examples of this genre.
Mark: Zoos, train networks, theme parks and so on!
Paul: Life Sim
These games allow players to simulate life. Namely, The Sims has the player building both a family unit and a house for them to live.
So there’s quite a lot to choose from and I’m sure there’s a genre for everyone to be interested in, So Mark with all these games surely it’s a good thing, right? We all need some down time, a time to relax and enjoy leisure activities and that may include some sort of gaming.
Mark: I love relaxing with a good game whether it be Snowboarding or making sure my Sims family avoids the grim reaper!
Of course, there are always downsides to gaming as with anything. Whether we use it too much or use it the wrong way. And as we have said before, anyone with an addictive personality may end up struggling to find balance in this as in anything else. The World Health Organization estimates the number of people with a gaming addiction is 3-4% of those playing which is relatively small but for those who are addicted, problematic, nonetheless.
Paul: I suppose the challenge with video games is that they offer players an opportunity to act out in ways that would never be acceptable in the real world. Players can take on alternate personalities that let them be who they want to be, at least in their virtual world, even though they could never be the people in real life.
Mark: is that any different from watching a movie? For a couple of hours we escape reality? Of any different from playing a game of football and losing ourselves in the game for a few hours?
And remember that a lot of games are social events as well where people can interact on and off game via video and audio, having conversations and teaming up to achieve stuff. People make and maintain friendships and I have seen people fall in love having met playing online games!
Having said that, gaming can offer an escape from reality in a way that is more comprehensive. We all make decisions about clothing or hair style or maybe even body piercing, tattoos and so on. But in some games, we can disappear into a whole new avatar! In one study of World of Warcraft, some players of Massive online RPG’s can play for 30 hours a week and play the same avatar for anything up to two years. That is hardcore! And I guess if the game becomes your safe space or refuge from life then that might be problematic.
Paul: I know that some of the games allow you to choose your own identity, and not only create how you want to look but also to give yourself a new back story to your life.
Mark: The games give you a choice and when the choice is ours, its often about building a different version of ourselves. I like controlling the Egyptian empire and conquering the world when normally in real life I am so quiet and timid!
Paul: Yes, I read somewhere that a study had been done on how we create avatars for ourselves in games and the author describes it as ‘a compensation effect’ People with a higher body mass index – likely overweight or obese – create more physically idealized avatars, [which are] taller or thinner. And people who are depressed or have low self-esteem create avatars with more idealized traits, [such as being] more gregarious and conscientious.”
That’s what freedom of choice is about, even in the gaming world, and I am sure that those who enjoy whatever game they are playing can become immersed in their avatar and could it be possible that avatars shape their owners?
Mark: That’s a good question, can they alter the identity of the people who use them? What happens after a person quits the game? When I have led Lara Croft on an adventure, I must admit, afterwards I want to go travel and discover lost civilizations!
A study was done around people’s attitudes and identity and the participants were asked to create an avatar and the findings revealed that an avatar’s attractiveness affected how its owner behaved. Relative to those with ugly avatars, people assigned attractive looks both stood closer to the other person and disclosed more personal details about themselves to this stranger. Then, in a follow-up study using the same setup, It was found that people using taller avatars were more assertive and confident when they engaged in a simple negotiation exercise. So, generally speaking, people with prettier and taller avatars were more confident and outgoing than those with ugly and stumpy virtual representations. Like in the real world, we first make an observation about our avatar, infer something about our character, and then continue to act according to our perceived expectations. We needn’t make a conscious decision to do it.
So yes, it is interesting and the take away is always choose the elf and not the dwarf!
Paul: I don’t think we need to have a panic attack the next time we see a character-creation screen full of choices, but we need to keep in mind that whatever you pick not only says something about you, but it can unconsciously affect how you behave on both sides of the screen as well.
Mark: I read the story recently of a young person who had pretty low self-esteem, but actually found that he excelled at gaming which in turn gave him a new belief in himself which started to filter through to his real life where he would want to try new things. He says he was able to push himself further.
Is that any different though, from me reading the story of Joshua or of Joseph in the bible and thinking I can achieve more than I realised, albeit with God’s help? Whether it is an avatar or a exemplar, we can find encouragement from thinking about others doing great deeds?
The same could be said the other way though. There are games that glorify violence for no reason and glorify breaking laws or hurting people and what is interesting is that if the good example encourages us, so the bad will also influence us. So we need to make some choices in what we watch, listen to, who we hang out with and also what games we play! Ask your self does this game lift me up or bring me down? Does this character challenge me to be a better person or does it influence me adversely?
The question is not “Can I play this video game?” but “Would this video game be the best choice?”
Paul: Mark some of the games that you can play allow you to equip yourself with not only weapons but also skills, that will help you within the virtual world that you will be inhabiting. But of course those of us who live in the real world would certainly like to be afforded that opportunity to enhance our lives in order to cope with the challenges that we face. Mark how can we become a better person, in this world, in the here and now?
Mark: Two years ago an audience gathered at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York for the Fortnite World Cup, one of the most anticipated esports events of the year, where a 16-year-old took first prize in a video game competition, winning $3 million. Clearly, things have come a long way since the days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
The video game industry, an estimated $150 billion-a-year industry, generates more revenue than movies and music, and continues to grow. Video games, however, have a bad reputation in some Christian circles — with content that is sometimes violent or sexually explicit, headlines about game addiction, and inappropriate online environments that target young consumers. Far less talked about is the creativity and positive potential of video game technology.
There’s a game that just came out last year called Detroit: Become Human, which has a lot of decisions like this. A central part of the game has the player-character leading a civil rights movement. As the story progresses, the player is given choices as to whether to conduct the movement peacefully (sit-ins, for example) or violently (say, throwing things at the police). These choices also affect other characters in the game, and you get to see the results of these choices play out.
I once played a game called Myst which combined live-action video with explorable 3D worlds and a story that you had to uncover like a mystery. It inspired me to see the real world a bit differently and ask more questions about what I see around me.
Paul, have you ever played chess online or mah-jong?
Paul: yes, I am the SASRA grand master in both.
Mark: No one would worry at all about someone who plays chess online. In many ways, whether you are flying a spaceship and mining asteroids or fighting other players to be the last one standing, the competition, imagination and even relaxation that games can bring cannot be a bad thing, if used well and with suitable boundaries.
Paul: Like eating and sleeping well. Not eating pizza and playing all night?
Mark: Exactly. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!
Paul: The question is always this: do you want to reach your full potential? Then make good choices!
Mark: Well, there is so much more we could say about this and all the subjects we discuss. If you are listening and want to think let us know what you think then do get in contact on our website: Godsgym.co.uk.
On the website you can read the transcript of this talk and leave comments. Overtime we will be adding more content and our aim as always, is to be helpful and encouraging. If there are topics or issues you would like us to address, we are always open to suggestions.
Until next time, thank you for listening and remember that you are capable of so much, God tells us so, so keep striving to reach your full potential as God made you and make good choices!
Comments