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So now that @EricRSammons started a thing, I'll offer my quasi-counterpoint.
I'm a "gamer." Have been since I was a little kid with an Atari 2600. As the father of a large family, I don't get to play as much as I used to, for obvious reasons. Some considerations follow (thread) https://twitter.com/EricRSammons/status/1316769821749661701
I'm a "gamer." Have been since I was a little kid with an Atari 2600. As the father of a large family, I don't get to play as much as I used to, for obvious reasons. Some considerations follow (thread) https://twitter.com/EricRSammons/status/1316769821749661701
First of all, to Eric's point on "video games are more likely to draw you away from Christ than toward him" - I think it's a leading statement.
Does any form of entertainment, strictly speaking, lead you to Christ? TV? Movies? Novels? Plays? Watching sports?
Nope. They don't.
Does any form of entertainment, strictly speaking, lead you to Christ? TV? Movies? Novels? Plays? Watching sports?
Nope. They don't.
I can already hear objections being raised, & that's a good thing. It helps you understand my perspective better.
There are many leisure activities that do not, strictly speaking, move us in the direction of virtue. Yet they are not wrong, & they can inspire contemplation.
There are many leisure activities that do not, strictly speaking, move us in the direction of virtue. Yet they are not wrong, & they can inspire contemplation.
Let's look at sports. JPII said “Christian life is like a rather demanding sport combining all a person’s energies to direct them toward the perfection of character, toward a goal which realizes in our humanity the ‘measure of Christ’s gift’ (Eph 4:7).”
If one plays a sport...
If one plays a sport...
...one has to have the physical discipline to practice, improve skills, compete, etc. If one mostly watches sports, one can still be moved to an appreciation of these things, & even inspired to attempt them where possible.
But any task that requires skill is similar.
But any task that requires skill is similar.
Video games are absolutely demanding of certain faculties if you want to be any good at them. Concentration, hand-eye coordination, problem solving, competition, etc. The only difference btw them and sport is that they're (usually) less physically demanding. But mentally similar.
In each case, to be good at the task demands a certain striving for excellence. It requires skill building and real thinking.
True funny story: I was once in a difficult traffic situation where everyone came to a stop abruptly, and I knew I couldn't slow down in time.
True funny story: I was once in a difficult traffic situation where everyone came to a stop abruptly, and I knew I couldn't slow down in time.
I was driving my future wife's car at the time, and I had younger siblings in tow. I think we were coming back from Mass. Somehow, in the span of just a couple of seconds, I had hit the break and the clutch, was shifting, veered towards the shoulder, shifted again, and wove...
...back into traffic ahead of the fender bender (or whatever it was that caused the slowdown; I can't remember.) I looked at @JamieSkojecEXP and said, emphatically, "And THAT is why I play video games."
But anecdotes aside, there is real data showing that games improve...
But anecdotes aside, there is real data showing that games improve...
...cognitive function, hand-eye coordination, attention span (this one surprises people, but it's true - look it up), problem solving skills, etc.
And this is why I've always preferred games to watching TV. TV is passive. Games are active & engaging. You have to actually think.
And this is why I've always preferred games to watching TV. TV is passive. Games are active & engaging. You have to actually think.
Now, we've come a long way since Pong and Pac Man. Many games today are absolute works of art, with big budgets, well-written stories, compelling voice acting & visuals, etc. Others allow would-be engineers to build systems & tweak efficiencies & solve puzzles at a high level.
When I was a kid, I'd sometimes spend many hours working through a story-driven game. And there were times I'd spend many hours reading through a series of science fiction or fantasy or mystery novels. One summer I read 26 books. I'm not sure either was a "better" use of my time.
The danger comes with broad categorization of any of this stuff. There's too much variance. I'm pretty positive, though, that no more time is wasted in 2020 playing games than binge-watching Netflix, arguing on Twitter, scrolling through Facebook & Instagram, etc.
It's certainly possible for a game experience to inspire. It's possible for the story to play out as a morality tale just as effective as any book and more effective than any movie. (Red Dead Redemption II comes immediately to mind.) What we can take from fiction can...
...also come from games. And because games are more immersive, the lessons can be potentially be even more potent, because they're *experienced*, not just passively received.
OK. So let's talk about addiction for a second.
OK. So let's talk about addiction for a second.
Games are certainly able to be addictive. Some games are, it's true, engineered that way (as are social media platforms like this, just FYI.) Anyone who has ever blown 8 or 12 hours on a lazy Saturday in a game without realizing how fast the time has gone knows this.
I've come to believe, after nearly four decades of experience, that the addictive characteristics of games are more dangerous for kids, hands down. They can't regulate. When I was a kid, you could only play Atari for so long before getting bored. Games now are WAY more immersive.
In our house, we've always let the kids play some, but especially since COVID hit and our record-setting heat streak made outside unbearable, they've been on them too much. We can see the deleterious effects, & we're about to start scaling back significantly.
There are, it should be noted, different experiences. Co-op play is often good for the kids - they work together on stuff. Competition can also be fun, whether it's Mario Kart or doing VR challenges in Beat Saber. We've had some great family nights doing this.
Again, though, moderation is key. Adults are much better at moderation than kids. We know we have other responsibilities, and you cut yourself off. Sometimes after a long day of writing/editing I'll jump on @RocketLeague and play a few five minute rounds, then be done. Easy.
For grown folks, there's some good stuff here. @JamieSkojecEXP and I have also been doing some multiplayer on games like @SatisfactoryAF, and it's been some really fun time together. I know that @aquinasbear & @theseaoflilies play together as well. Functional adults.
But again, this is LEISURE time. It's time we might have otherwise spent in front of a television anyway.
Another true story to wrap up the thread: in 2007, I was tired of not getting anywhere with my writing. I'd been blogging for 5 years, and couldn't get traction.
Another true story to wrap up the thread: in 2007, I was tired of not getting anywhere with my writing. I'd been blogging for 5 years, and couldn't get traction.
So I decided, after reading sci fi author William Gibson say the secret to his success was spending the time most people spend watching TV writing, that I'd do the same with games. I'd spend the time I spent playing games writing. I quit playing for months.
It worked.
It worked.
By early 2008, I got my first paid writing gig at @CrisisMag. I didn't have to go looking for it, either. They reached out to me. My work had reached a sufficient level of quality that they wanted me to be a columnist. I stayed away from games for a while after that.
I've found that like any other leisure pursuit, gaming for me comes when it's needed. I read & write all day, & I want to totally switch gears when I'm done with work, so I often play, or watch a movie with the family, etc.
But if I'm working on a new project, I don't. Balance.
But if I'm working on a new project, I don't. Balance.
Twitter wouldn't let me add a conclusion to this thread for some reason, but now I can.
As Catholics, we tend to purity spiral about things. It's easy to bash something like gaming as an addictive time waster (easier if you've never really had much experience with it yourself).
As Catholics, we tend to purity spiral about things. It's easy to bash something like gaming as an addictive time waster (easier if you've never really had much experience with it yourself).
There has to be some kind of balance in life, IMO. There are probably people holy enough that they can spend all their free time praying. I prefer to spend much of mine playing, doing something creative, being inspired to think differently, etc.
I find that if I've been writing too much, wading through too much heavy subject matter, things like gaming are a real remedy that help me to pull out of the mindset I'm in and reset. Sometimes, I find a game that allows me to listen to an audiobook at the same time, which...
...helps when I have material I want to get through but my brain doesn't want to look at any more words on a screen or page.
Ultimately, we've got to do self-evaluations on how we're spending our time, & whether it can be put to better use. That's not about gaming, but *US*.
Ultimately, we've got to do self-evaluations on how we're spending our time, & whether it can be put to better use. That's not about gaming, but *US*.
People waste all kinds of time doing all kinds of useless activities, and it doesn't much matter which kinds it is. Sometimes, we're just winding down the clock on a bad day, hoping for a better one tomorrow.
But the adage is true: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
But the adage is true: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
We all need to spend some time doing gratuitous, unstructured, pointlessly fun activities. If they're not immoral, they're not a problem.
Find moderation, and let that be your guide.
Find moderation, and let that be your guide.
