About Me
- Joe Garrison
- Fishers, IN, United States
Director of Contemporary Worship and Assistant Director of Student Ministries at Castleton United Methodist Church in Indianapols, IN. Husband,Guitarist,and Drummer
Monday, December 20, 2010
Do "M" rated video games like Halo and Call of Duty have a place in a Youth Ministry?
Every Wednesday I have a group of students that come over to the church after school to hang out and play video games. Most of the time they play Madden 2010 or Halo.I am not your typical youth pastor. I almost never play video games. Seems that most youth ministries have a huge focus on video games; having multiple game consoles and TVs to play them on. I'm just not that interested.
Over the last four months or so I have been watching these students play Halo on Wednesday afternoons. At first it didn't bother me that much (I'm not sure it does even now), but as I watch them I wonder if M rated video games that rely heavily on violence as entertainment have a place in a youth ministry.
I can't really say I'm leaning one way or the other right now. It's just something that I have been thinking about and praying about lately as well as discussing with our other youth pastor. I'm sure I will get a few students pleading their case for why it is absolutely vital to our youth ministry to have these games once I post this...and who's to say they are wrong.
I have always been someone that holds the belief that we should use whatever we have to use to get people of all ages into the Church. Video games seem to be an easy way to get, specifically teen guys, into the Church.
What do you think? Should M rated video games like Halo and Black Ops have a place in a youth ministry? Why or why not? What positive and/or negative effects do you think they have on a youth ministry?
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2 comments:
Great questions. I'm a middle school youth pastor and I have several students whose parents won't let them play those games. So do you not include them in the gaming sessions? It's a tough call because I also have parents asking me if these video games are appropriate for their kids and I play them on my home console. I'd say try to find a Teen rated game (or E for Everyone) that'll capture the hardcore gamer but allows others to play as well. Sadly most of those games are on the Wii.
Chris, thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
I have talked to some of my gamers about other games/systems. I own a Wii and love it but they absolutely can't stand it. I've asked about other games that might be fun that aren't violent but apparently there aren't any that offer a good 4 person simultaneous play option.
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