Playing Video Games with God: A Conversation with Craig Detweiler on Gaming and Religion

The coolest part of my job is acquiring interesting new books about cutting-edge developments in religion. So I was especially excited when theologian/filmmaker/author Craig Detweiler approached me a little over a year ago with an idea for Halos and Avatars, a book about religion and video games--possibly the world's first-ever book-length exploration of the theological implications of gaming. The book hit stores last week; you can listen to the WJK Radio interview with the author here or check out his blog,  Purple State of Craig (lots of good recent film reviews, especially from Sundance). Here's a short e-conversation about the book.

How did you get the idea for Halos & Avatars, and why do you think the book is important?

My first book, A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture ostensibly covers most forms of media including sports, advertising and fashion.  I had a student at Fuller Seminary who wanted to know why we didn't cover video games.  I didn't have a good answer.  We simply didn't get around to it, perhaps because we (my co-author, Barry Taylor, and I) aren't digital natives.   The student who pushed me, Kevin Newgren, actually has a chapter in Halos and Avatars on the power of BioShock to spark serious soul searching.    So I love when students challenge you...:)

When we hear "religion" and "video games" in the same sentence, it's usually because someone in the church is decrying games as time-wasters as best or violent harbingers of societal doom at worst. Why have Christians been so down on video games?

Rachel Wagner has a fascinating chapter in Halos and Avatars about how uncomfortable seemingly open-ended games may be to those who adhere to a closed canon.  We don't want to think about manipulating Jesus or altering the outcome of the game of life.   It all seems fixed in many religious mindsets.    So perhaps the volitional aspect of gaming that makes it so attract to young players actually makes it appear 'anti-institutional' or 'anti-dogma' to those passing on a seemingly closed set of beliefs or practices.I'm intrigued by how game designers may collapse the ancient tension between predestination and free will.    The game has a clear, foreordained outcome, but how you reach that end has myriads of possibilities.

What do video games have to teach us about the power of story and about the gospel?  

It was difficult to see something deep or thoughtful behind Pac-Man or Space Invaders.  The basic goals and storyline are so simple.   But most adults don't realize how quickly games have matured.   The scale of the stories is immense--much larger than the most ambitious movies in terms of size and complexity.   So many of us are just now waking up to the narrative power of games. The most popular games often have the most ambitious storylines. Halo is a great critique of blind faith.   It challenges players to dig deeper, to not accept everything you've been told at face value. Games also allow players to tap into a much larger struggle, often on a cosmic scale.   In Halos and Avatars, Dan Hodge writes about how video games offer players a chance to participate in "ultimate battles," to play an essential part in the grandest narratives we can imagine.   At their best, games offer us a taste of heroism and call us toward virtues of sacrifice, honor, and integrity.  At their best...

What do you think lies in store for the future of gaming and spirituality?

We're just finished a golden era in gaming.   The technical advances were immense.   But the next wave of games will have to do more than "wow" players.   They will have to combine eye-popping effects with enduring questions of humanity--why are we here, what is our purpose, how should we live.   Questions of responsibility have already crept into "God games" like Civilization and The Sims.   As we struggle with limited resources on the planet, a generation steeped in simulation game like The Sims will have already wrestled with those vexing realities. The gaming generation will offer a major challenge to religions rooted in sacred texts like The Bible.  How can a static text be translated into a dynamic document?   How can the thrills and chills of scripture be communicated to a generation used to actively responding to challenges?  That will be a serious hurdle for institutionalized religions...

And now, true confessions time: which games do you play, and how much?

All of us wrestle with limited time amongst all kinds of electronic entertainment--from TV and films, to Facebook and email.   So my game time corresponds to my kids' interests.   For my children, the Wii rules.   I've logged many hours of Mario Kart, competing for the Mushroom Cup.   And reliving Indiana Jones as a Lego character.   That is the strangest and coolest at the same time....  

Comments

[R4]

I think there exist no conflict between games and religion. We do that we like.

[Sniper Games]

Now Online Game on Shakespeare, Techtree News: Edward Castronova, an Indiana
University Professor, and an economist who studies virtual worlds, has been
awarded a ... grant to create an online game based on the world of William
Shakespeare. The online game, for which a grant has been received from the
MacArthur Foundation, is ...[a] project ... to produce a virtual world steeped
in the rich lore and characters of Shakespeare's work. However, Castronova sees
this initiative as far more than just a historical adaptation of the legendary
playwright's work. He sees it as a way to teach students about Shakespeare's
life and times and his writing, as well as a way to conduct innovative
social-science research. He cites it as a strategy that could give social
scientists unprecedented ways to test out their theories...
Castronova said that what they plan to do is to have people encounter the
texts in Shakespeare, and the ideas in the text at many points within a really
fun, multiplayer game, so that without even knowing it, people can get to learn
more about the playwright's work. However it is believed that Arden: The World
of Shakespeare will have a hidden purpose beyond teaching, as Castronova plans
to use it as a 'Petri dish' for testing out economic theories by creating
controlled experiments within the game's population.