The Quest Begins

   To Whom It May Concern

    

    Setting out to create a Christian video game blog has never seemed like an easy task, regardless of what others have said. I understand that not everyone will agree with me or appreciate what I have to say. 

     I have chosen to discuss single-player, action-adventure games because that is what I am most familiar with. It also gives me a niche that is wide enough to play in, but specific enough to manage.

    Ultimately, I want to serve others by sharing about something I thoroughly enjoy. Therefore, I have to trust God in the process. That process includes wrestling with the desire to play many games and having to choose only a few at a time, if that. While playing them, I have to figure out when it is okay to get distracted and when to stay on task, which is already hard considering how my gaming is a hobby and is not necessarily goal oriented. 

    Despite this, I find myself wanting to take up the challenge to enrich the lives of both Christian and non-Christian gamers. I want to help all who read my content to get the most out of their gaming with the best use of their time, while also having a place to celebrate video games as art and discuss their ins and outs from a Christian worldview. 

    Forging a Path

    Inevitably, a major goal I want to tackle with this blog is the issue of finishing games. If you're like me, you don't do this often. When I was a kid, this wasn't an issue, but this changes for various reasons, as most of us know.  I know many people talk about this, and as I join the conversation, I would recommend the YouTube channels of Razbuten, Outide Xbox, Outside Xtra, and Playstation Access for related viewing (just be wary of some language).

     I want my readers to finish games because I want to finish them. To some, the idea of finishing games may seem ridiculous. While I would agree depending on the context, I still see how one could reap at least a couple rewards. 

    Though not a major priority, finishing games (with defined endings at least) is the same as finishing a book or TV series, and, to a smaller degree, is similar to finishing a pet project. In fact, playing and finishing a game might be a way you take a break from said project. Either way, completion brings emotional satisfaction. 

    Completion can also help sharpen your focus in other areas. As of this post, I am playing through Horizon Forbidden West and finding myself struggling with the same hiccups I did in the first: I get distracted.   

 While open-world games are notorious for content overload, and Horizon's world actually interests me, I want to stay focused on Aloy's journey. The (fun) fact is that the side content will still be there when I finish the game's campaign. 

    The game's storyline unexpectedly reminded me of this by showing me that Aloy has been extremely busy in the six months between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. It occurred to me that, per the game's own canon, Aloy doesn't sit on her laurels. Therefore, if I want, I can play the way Aloy would have played: focus on the main mission and do other tasks when the danger has passed. 

    Essentially, I don't think Aloy would have the time or the desire to do everything in her own game. She gets visibly frustrated in cutscenes when people waste her time, and she is incredibly task-oriented, which is not my strong suit. 

    In some ways, I resonate with her (no in-game pun intended). In my sophomore year of college, I delivered a speech assignment about my frustrations with time-consuming games, with open-world RPGs being a major percentage of those. 

    Adventure Time Management

    However, there is something important I have recently realized: mainly, we don't have to see all that a game has to offer. Developers are building worlds for massive fan bases, not just me and my buddies. This means that not all additional content is created equal. Oddly enough, there's freedom in that.

    If you want to mainline the campaign for the story's sake, do it, if you want to conquer the side quests in search of the perfect gear and exploration, do that. Listen, if you buy a game, then I think it is best to get the most out of it. However, that doesn't always mean playing most of it, and that's okay, friends. 

    Ultimately, there's only so much time we have in this life. While I don't want to spend the majority of it playing games, I do want to use some of it for that. So often, I think there is this weird pressure to play everything we can get our hands on, and that ends up diminishing our enjoyment. 

    As I read the initial draft of this post to my pastor, he reminded me of Philippians 3:12-14, which says: "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 

    It's funny that a video game protagonist helped me refine my thinking on this and even gave me an allegory for the Christian life, but hey, I'll take any help I can get. I hope this helps you guys as well, and I hope you'll join with me in seeking to game with greater purpose. 

   Soli Deo Gloria, gamers, and welcome to the quest. 

    (Photos taken using Horizon Forbidden West's in-game photo mode)