Father Dave and Associate Director of Busted Halo Ministries Father Evan Cummings welcome Catholic speaker and author Bobby Angel to discuss his new book, “Gaming and the Heroic Life: A Quest for Holiness in the Virtual World.”
They discuss the prominence of video games and humanity’s desire to play. Bobby says, “It’s part of my generation now…we’ve grown up with video games. Now as parents and as clergy we’re still playing, though maybe not nearly as much as we used to. Now it’s about shepherding a new generation; how do you connect the Gospel to this virtual landscape?” He continues, “There’s something to play that is very human, whether you like or are indifferent to video games. It’s the same with art and music. Little kids just start playing, and they make up rules on the fly.”
RELATED: How Video Games Helped Me Level Up My Faith
Father Evan, who has a video game ministry called “Let Us Play” on Twitch, discusses how beauty is a “critical element of gaming” and how video games can also be art. Bobby expands, “I can explore [a virtual world]; I can interact with it, I can climb it, I can blow it up. Some of these games like Minecraft are just about construction, there’s a whole genre of games where you are in a playground and creating.” Bobby describes other narrative-based games of exploration such as The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy series, saying, “If we feel like the Earth has been pretty much Google Mapped, like there’s nowhere else to go and everything’s been explored, these games offer you adventure…that longing for adventure and quest to go on a journey is being met through video games today.”
Father Evan adds, “That feedback loop of reward of accomplishing tasks of doing things and clearly making something progress hits all the right buttons in our brains, but it also helps us to engage more deeply. [A game] with a good story and good morals underlying it helps us not just see the good, true, and beautiful, but to experience it and to be participating in it.”
They discuss the content of video games, and the concern surrounding violent elements. Bobby begins, “You’re not going to give some of these games to a 5-year-old, because it is harder [for them] to distinguish reality from fiction. Especially when it comes to violence, it’s a good healthy fear [to have as] a parent.” However he notes the variety of games and says, “There’s something about fighting evil, especially as men, we’re called to stand for the good. You can look at ‘Lord of the Rings,’ for instance. It’s not a story that glorifies violence, but there’s a time to fight for what is good. When it comes to people that rage out, lash out, and become violent in the world, it’s usually a constellation of factors.”
RELATED: Choices: The Video Game Violence Debate
Father Evan notes how we can become “terminally online” and “chronically stuck in the digital world,” and they discuss ways to stay grounded. Bobby says, “Tech by its nature is just so engrossing, and yet also so draining. We rarely feel more refreshed when we walk away from staring at our phone for half an hour…anything good can be overdone.” For one discerning this balance, he says, “There is something about just listening to that conscience, or I’d even say the Holy Spirit, saying, ‘Hey, where can we look elsewhere? Where can we serve others? Where can we become more selfless?’ It’s really hard, especially for some of the games, as they’re being developed and designed to be more addictive and difficult to put down.”
However, Bobby contends there is plenty of good to be discovered in gaming. “Be open to your experience of video games,” he says. “If you don’t game, someone you love does. So be open to the good that they’re seeking: the beauty they’re looking for, the community and the mission that’s at the heart of it. And be not afraid, especially for anyone listening who feels called to do more in the digital space. We need all hands on deck to preach the gospel online and in the real world.” (Originally published December 4, 2023.)
