While the video game Halo may have a holy-sounding name, it’s hardly the Bible. Yet its turning out to be a popular way to keep teens from going to Hell, say pastors. According to an article in yesterday’s times, hundreds of churches are across America are holding group gaming nights where teens flock to play Halo 3, with a little sermonizing on the side. While the game isn’t sold to those under 17 due to an M-rating, many pastors think this is the only way to get that elusive young male demographic in the door. From the New York Times:
Playing Halo is “no different than going on a camping trip,” said Kedrick Kenerly, founder of Christian Gamers Online, an Internet site whose central themes are video games and religion. “It’s a way to fellowship.”
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Mr. Kenerly’s brother, Ken Kenerly, 43, is a pastor who recently started a church in Atlanta and previously started the Family Church in Albuquerque, N.M., where quarterly Halo nights were such a big social event that he had to rent additional big-screen TVs.Ken Kenerly said he believed that the game could be useful in connecting to young people he once might have reached in more traditional ways, like playing sports. “There aren’t as many kids outdoors as indoors,” he said. “With gamers, how else can you get into their lives?”
John Robison, the current associate pastor at the 300-member Albuquerque church, said parents approached him and were concerned about the Halo games’ M rating. “We explain we’re using it as a tool to be relatable and relevant,” he said, “and most people get over it pretty quick.”
David Drexler, youth director at the 200-member nondenominational Country Bible Church in Ashby, Minn., said using Halo to recruit was “the most effective thing we’ve done.”
We’ve discussed social gaming as a big trend this year and that is just what these churches are tapping into. They are channeling what some see as “gaming addictions” into a more productive, social construct. Contrast this with the addiction treatment camps near Beijing. The “fire and brimstone” rehab method rarely works–just look at Britney Spears.
Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Halo 3 is on track to becoming the best-selling game ever. At least Bill Gates’ prayers are being answered.
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