And Now, a Word from CT's Resident Video-Gamer | CT Books

['Can My Son Head-Shot a Zombie to Save the Town?'] Also: 'Can My Son Head-Shot a Zombie to Save the Town?' | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Donate]( [CT Books newsletter]( Tuesday, September 12, 2017 And Now, a Word from CT's Resident Video-Gamer Chances are, CT Books isn't your preferred destination for all things video games. But you are here for your curiosity—and I like to think that, every now and then, one purpose of our book coverage is to stretch the bounds of that curiosity. So when I noticed the release of [Bit by Bit: How Video Games Transformed Our World](, by Andrew Ervin, I thought, "Okay. This isn't our usual fare. But wouldn't it be interesting to have CT's resident gamer, Richard Clark, give his impressions?" Seriously! CT has a resident gamer (though a stickler for formal titles might prefer director of editorial development for [CT Pastors]( and [Preaching Today]( until recently the managing editor of CT online). He writes often for a website called [gamechurch.com](. And his impressions on this book were decidedly mixed, [as you can see for yourself](. A small taste: "Christians are right to be deeply skeptical of each and every innovation. Each one brings new dangers and misuses that threaten to swallow our humanity whole. Every new device can pull us away from the spiritual realities and disciplines we so deeply need to thrive. But we're also meant to marvel, and maybe even appreciate, those things within creation that may unnerve us." 'Can My Son Head-Shot a Zombie to Save the Town?' For what it's worth, my own video-gaming days (though it sounds terribly exaggerated putting it that way) ended back in ancient times, during the era of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and—may its legend never die—NBA Jam. (Nice to feel those warm waves of nostalgia flooding back.) I was okay when the controllers only had two buttons, three at most. Nowadays—and maybe this is just the curmudgeon in me talking—I'm well out of my depth trying to process all the buttons and knobs and joysticks and other gizmos. Still, every few months I'll briefly come out of retirement to play a game called Rocket League with a friend on his Playstation (or PS4, as the cool kids say). This game—I kid you not—involves one team of two souped-up sports cars playing soccer against another team of two souped-up sports cars. (NBC Sports—also not kidding—is now broadcasting elite level Rocket League matches. What a world!) So by and large, any interest I had in video games had faded by the time those games gained a reputation for being dark and sometimes brutally violent. Instead of asking whether video games would sap your attention span, we began asking whether they would poison your soul. Of course, there's been a lively conversation within Christian circles about the moral dimensions of video-gaming. One of the finest reflections comes from Kevin Schut's 2013 book [Of Games and God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games](. Ted Turnau wrote an [excellent review]( for CT online. "[Schut] wants Christians to develop a faith-informed critical perspective on these games for themselves, rather than becoming dependent upon a guide to spoon-feed them the answers….But this will prove disturbing or irritating to some readers who yearn for someone to spell it out in black and white: 'So, can my son, in good Christian conscience, head-shot a zombie to save the town?' Again and again, Schut responds, 'It isn't that easy. It depends a lot upon the context, what your son is getting out of it, what he understands himself to be doing, how he unpacks the spiritual significance of this game.' " [Matt Reynolds](mailto:ctbooks@ChristianityToday.com), Associate Editor, Books Christianity Today To reply to this newsletter: ctbooks@christianitytoday.com Add newsletter@lists.christianitytoday.com to your address book. [Featured Articles]( [A Journey Through the Strange, Scary, and Awe-Awakening World of Video Games]( What can this medium—even its most violent expressions—teach us about our deepest aches and longings? Richard Clark [Let the Gamers Say "Amen!"]( Finally! A balanced, generous perspective on what Christianity has to say about video games. Ted Turnau More from Christianity Today [Trump Backs Churches Suing FEMA over Harvey Aid]( President also donates $100,000 to Samaritan's Purse for Texas hurricane relief efforts. [Churches No Longer Face Overtime Pay Increase]( Does mandated time-and-a-half help or hurt ministries? Experts weigh in. [Keith and Kristyn Getty: Singing Isn't Just for Sunday]( Why congregational worship is a feast we prepare all week long. 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