Whether you breathe video games like air or choke on them as trash, they are a bit more relevant to life than you may think.

Recently, a Facebook friend posted a video that hit home to me- Jane McGonigal- “Gaming Can Make a Better World” from ted.com. As a casual gamer, I immediately identified with her ideas. Watch the video below to see what she means.

What struck me hardest was how her ideas were perfectly applicable to the Christian viewpoint.  Christians can really save the world if we get off the couch and be the hero in real life that one can be in video games.

Four characteristics of gamers are highlighted that can make them world changers if they would just apply them to real life. They are:

  • urgent optimism
  • social fabric
  • blissful productivity
  • epic meaning

As Christians, we already have the same characteristics; we just may not be aware of them.

  • With God, no problem is too large to tackle right now.
  • God unites Christians together with other Christians who will work for His common goal.
  • Christians have a lifetime of soul-fulfilling things to do for the world
  • The problems of the world are epic in size and importance.

Christians and gamers also share the same challenge- the real world. Life may be like a game, but there are real consequences in the real world, unlike in a pixelated fantasy. The world is not a pretty place and there is no checkpoint or reset button to try again. The pain a hero can feel is real and the damage can be staggering.

This is what Satan is counting on.

It  is also why Christians must act.

The world’s pain is a heart-crushingly vast sea . You will drown if you jump into it unanchored. So most people don’t. Only the true heroes will even make the attempt. The enemy’s basic tactic is to stop you from making a difference. How? He tells you that you are no hero.  He tells you that saving the world will only result in overwhelming pain for you. He also tells you that you have no anchor.

Here are three facts to consider when you face the choice to retreat from or engage in the world’s pain. First, every Christian is implanted with the heart of a hero, a heart of flesh transplanted over a heart of stone. You have what it takes to be the hero. Second,  Jesus has already won the game. He has already overcome the world. The pain you feel will not overcome you because, thirdly he is with you every moment and you are securely tied to him.

Jesus wants us to reject the lies of the enemy and engage in the brokenness of the world. Why? He wants to share the “epic win” with you.

The choice is yours.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html