Jubilee 2006

Here's the synopsis of a talk I'll be giving at the Jubilee 2006 conference in Pittsburgh next weekend:

Video Games: Changing the Day, One World at a Time.

Is there a place for games in a Christ-centered life? A glance at any game store shelf will reveal the obvious cons: gratuitous violence and the objectification of women paired with Pavlovian reward mechanisms in the context of typical adolescent male power fantasies. That can't be good, right? If our chief end is to glorify God, there are certainly easier places to begin.

Yet games have the potential to teach us and mold us in ways that no other medium can. Games deliver the kind of identity-play that is necessary for deep, critical learning in any domain. We sense that games teach something. And we fear that they teach whatever it is too well. But what do they teach? Can we harness that power intentionally? Can we use games to communicate deeper truths about the human condition?

This session will touch on a wide variety of topics: Art. Addiction. The Point of Play. The Theory of Fun. The State of the Video Game Industry. Learning. The Gamer Generation. The Problem of Story in Games. Gamer Myths. Social Responsibility in Entertainment. And whether or not Christians should be involved.