Like the rest of the computer industry, gaming has undergone a technological revolution in the past few decades. Today’s home game consoles–like Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Wii–pack big computing power into small devices, allowing gamers to enjoy powerful graphics, booming audio and amazingly lifelike simulations.

Such thrills and chills have made games as popular as movies or music with many young people. Studies say 86 percent of kids between the ages of 8 and 16 play video games at home.

 But it’s the controversial themes and gory violence at the heart of some games that raise questions for parents and other adults who care for kids.

 On April 29 “Grand Theft Auto 4,” the latest installment of the popular and controversial computer game, debuted with 3.6 million copies sold in 24 hours. Before the week was out gamers had spent more than $500 million on “GT4,” breaking the record set in 2007 by “Halo 3,” which had first-week sales of $300 million.

 The game delivers the kinds of thrills teenage boys love, with plenty of high-speed chase scenes, noisy shoot-’em-ups and risqué sexuality. But questions about the game’s violence and the ability of some gamers to unlock explicit sex scenes in an earlier version of the game have led to complaints and a class action lawsuit against “GT4’s” manufacturer, Rockstar Games.
Others raise questions about the social impact of role-playing games like “World of Warcraft.” More than 8 million people around the world make significant sacrifices of time and treasure to play the game with others in real-time, online matches that cost $15 a month in fees to participate. And a study done by the Palo Alto Research Center showed that it takes the average “World of Warcraft” player about 372 hours of gameplay to reach level 60 in the game. That’s more than two months’ worth of eight-hour workdays.

The companies that create games are increasingly focusing on younger children, says Paul Asay, a writer who covers games and pop culture for Focus on the Family and publications like YouthWorker Journal.

“There are virtual worlds for children, such as PenguinClub.com and subeta.org, that charge kids or their parents for virtual doodads with which they can decorate their virtual pads,” says Asay. “In other words, they’re shelling out real cash for imaginary products.”

The gaming industry has created games for every kind of player, both young and old. There are constructive games like the “Sim City” games, in which gamers literally build cities and worlds. There are multiplayer live action games that allow players to compete with each other in digital versions of golf, ping-pong and baseball. There are games that are just plain fun, like “Guitar Hero,” which has allowed millions of kids to play along with some of the rock era’s best-known solos. And there are destructive games like “Manhunt 2,” a grisly gore fest that features executions, electrocution and strangulation.

Evaluating the impact
But how are parents supposed to know the difference between the good and the bad? And what are the long-term emotional and social impacts of gaming?

Pastor Kody Kirchhoff has been observing “video game culture” for years, and he is concerned by what he sees.
“Aside from the violence, obscenity and negative themes, the larger and greater problem lies in the fact that video games control many people’s hearts and minds, creating a monotonous, zoned-out new reality,” says Kirchhoff, who leads LiveWire Youth Ministries at Calvary Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb.

For Kirchhoff, one of the problems with games is the many activities they replace in kids’ lives.
“God, family and friends do not exist in many games,” he says. “Activities like camping, playing catch with Dad, swimming, or just being a kid have vanished.”

It is equally hard to assess the long-term impact of game violence.
Some researchers are convinced that repetitive play of violent games instructs kids in violence, making violent acts more likely. But others argue that video violence is a cathartic replacement for real violent crime, which has gone down since the advent of video games.

After the 1999 killings at Colorado’s Columbine High School, some parents sued the makers of “Doom,” a violent game that was one of the killers’ favorites. But such lawsuits have been no more successful than earlier efforts to link teen violence to heavy metal music. There may be a link, but the social science research remains ambiguous.

Playing alone
 While many kids game, most of them do so alone and without any supervision or interaction with adults. That concerns Al Menconi, who has spent more than two decades studying culture and entertainment from a biblical perspective.
 Menconi says some leaders in the mental health field speak of gaming as an addiction. He says one treatment center in Peoria, Ill. specializes in video game addictions, several online sites also offer 12-step programs and other support, and the American Psychiatric Association has been asked to add video game addiction to its American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

 “It’s a very big epidemic,” said Menconi, who operates his Al Menconi Ministries from Carlsbad, Calif. “Withdrawal is very similar to drug withdrawal.”

Menconi says parents ought to get involved, limiting kids to no more than two hours of daily use, or 15 hours a week.

Getting involved
 Meanwhile, one Alabama mother and grandmother wishes parents would get involved in helping kids choose healthy games.
“While shopping for a new video game recently with my 13-year-old grandson, I previewed several of the latest releases,” said Margie Tanner. “Most were filled with intense violence, involving killing and torture. Others involved witches and wizards.
“Many parents do not have a clue what kind of gaming activity kids are participating in. Many don't preview the games their kids buy. I encourage parents to know what kind of games their children are playing and restrict the amount of time they spend playing them.”

Carey Casey, CEO of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering, agrees.
“Games are a way of life,” he says, “devouring our children’s time, energy and brainpower.”
Casey says games steal time from meaningful family time and from other activities such as reading. The answer is for parents to get involved.

“Parents should place limits on children’s media use, including when, where, and how much they can participate. And we should be ready to address common myths that are often portrayed in the media: such as the myths that to be worthwhile you have to be beautiful, that money buys happiness, that sex is merely recreation and has no consequences, and that violence solves problems.”

Millions of kids are very serious about gaming, as are the game companies that are part of this nearly $10 billion industry.
And now, Christian experts say, parents should be getting serious, too.

Steve Rabey is an award-winning writer from Colorado.


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Parental control: What can parents do about video gaming?

Paul Asay writes about video games and pop culture for www.pluggedinonline.com, a parent-friendly Web site from Focus on the Family’s Youth Culture division.
 Asay says: “Today's $9.5-billion gaming industry is slick, sophisticated and, for some parents, a little scary.”
Here are his tips for parents who want to shepherd their children through today's wide-open world of gaming.

1. Talk with them. Christian families differ on what forms of entertainment they'll allow in their homes, but make sure your children understand what your family's standards are. Then examine entertainment choices, including games, on a case-by-case basis.

2. Understand the ratings system. There are six letter grades, ranging from "E" (suitable for everyone) to "AO" (adults only), with "M" being the equivalent of an "R" movie rating (restricted to users 17 and up). Use them as a starting point—but not a stamp of approval.

3. Make it social. Place your gaming system in well-used areas of the house and invest in games that multiple people can play. Keep extra controllers handy.

4. Play along. Knowledge is power, and the more you understand these games, the better you'll 1) be able to critique them, and 2) talk to your children about them. Plus you might find that some games can provide excellent bonding opportunities—and are an awful lot of fun.

(Articles and reviews of current video games and other pop culture resources can be found at: www.pluggedinonline.com.)


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Christians get in the game

As the founder of GraceWorks Interactive, a Christian video game company in Corvalis, Ore., Tim Emmerich knows how hard it is to develop games that please both parents and teens. His company’s “Interactive Parables,” which includes games based on every parable Jesus taught, has sold around 5,000 copies.

But Emmerich also keeps tabs on others in the Christian gaming world. In July he brought hundreds of players, creators and manufacturers to the Christian Game Developers Conference in Portland.

 Asked about the state of the Christian gaming industry, Emmerich says it’s similar to the state of the contemporary Christian music industry a couple of decades ago. Good people are creating good stuff, but the quality isn’t up to secular standards, and most kids overlook Christian-themed games.

“On a spiritual level, those of us in this industry are glad that gamers who play our games can get closer to God,” he says. “But from a secular point of view, it would be nice to have a break-out hit or two.”

Emmerich looks forward to the day when Christian gaming can generate something as big as the VeggieTales videos, which inspired him to get involved with gaming in the first place.

Some of the leading Christian games include:
• “Left Behind Eternal Forces” and the sequel, “Left Behind Tribulation Forces,” both based on the best-selling “Left Behind” book series created by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins;
• “Heavenly Harmony,” a response to the popularity of karaoke;
• “Dance Praise,” which allows players to dance to Christian music;
• “Ominous Horizons,” in which players shoot demons and demon-possessed Roman soldiers (the soldiers don’t die. They kneel down and pray!);
• “Charlie Church Mouse,” a series of games for small children.

Christian video games resources
GraceWorks Interactive: www.graceworksinteractive.com
Christian Games! Now!: www.cgnow.com
LB Games: www.leftbehindgames.com
N’Lightening Software: www.n-lightning.com

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