Video Games: How They Glorify God

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

lightsidegames.com

For those with only a passing familiarity with video games or for those with no familiarity at all, video games played an important role in my development: mine was among the first generations to experience electronic games in this way. It is possible for video games to have an incredibly toxic, pacifying effect on the human person, causing one to withdraw from reality. One the other hand, such games can also have an exceptionally beneficial effect, communicating ideas and promoting interaction between people in remarkably novel and nurturing ways. Video games, when part of a balanced life, are fuel for the imagination.

The Christian response to the phenomena of video games and different kinds of interactive media should be the same as it has been for books, movies and TV. Learn the medium and use it responsibly for the glory of God. But one aspect should never be forgotten: having fun glorifies God! Just look at five-year-olds running around a playground.

Olympic Glory on Mount Tabor

By John D. O'Brien, S.J.

Yesterday the world witnessed the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set an Olympic record in the 100-metre dash in London and win the gold medal. He ran, not for a piece of metal per se, but for what it represented: being a champion. All the hours of training, sweat and sacrifice were for that goal and its one defining attribute: glory.

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, in which Christ’s glory is revealed to three of his apostles on top of Mount Tabor. So what exactly is this thing called glory?

At first glance it is merely human renown, fame, praise and honour – the basking in the limelight of adulation. Aristotle listed the “honour of men” as one of the objects of life that are often sought but ultimately fail to satisfy (along with riches and pleasure). Does this mean the glory of athletic victory is but a vain pursuit? The answer is not so simple.