Of Games & God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games

In his book on the intersection between Christian faith and video games, communications and media professor Schut offers well-researched ground for fellow believers to begin critically engaging with an oft-derided medium. He deftly addresses typical arguments lobbed against video games by presenting anecdotes, scientific studies, and interviews to start a critical dialogue about faith and games. At its core, the author asks: how does a Christian navigate—and even enjoy—a subculture that seems saturated with sloth, sexism, mindless violence, and iconoclasm? Without a thoughtful approach, games like Halo, Final Fantasy, or Zelda can corrupt an audience. Schut calls for a healthy Christian criticism that withholds absolute judgments, considers context, and synthesizes perspectives when it comes to games. While some may find his overview to be too broad or that it moves too quickly for the uninitiated, he makes an undeniably honest and heartfelt attempt to understand not only the relationship between Christianity and video games but also between faith and modern culture. (Jan.)