KELSEY REED: Hey, and welcome to Concurrently: The Information Coach Podcast from WORLD Radio and God’s WORLD Information. We’re right here to return alongside you as you disciple youngsters and college students by way of cultural traits and present occasions. I’m Kelsey Reed. I’m right here with Jonathan Boes.
JONATHAN BOES: Hey!
KELSEY: Collectively we need to mannequin dialog and apply instruments you need to use at residence or within the classroom. We’d love so that you can ship in your specific questions to deal with in future episodes. However for right now, we’re laying a basis and sourcing our materials from information tales we’re studying and writing by way of our work at God’s WORLD Information.
JONATHAN: In the present day, we need to speak about one thing that’s all the time out and in of the headlines. There’s all the time some new research or some new report. It’s the topic of video video games. There are such a lot of questions on video video games, and I really feel like particularly this final yr—the loneliness epidemic, a scarcity of motivation, a scarcity of friendship—lots of people level to these issues occurring within the lives of younger males and teenage boys particularly, and so they draw video video games into it. They level to the presence of video video games within the lives of those younger males and need to make video video games the perpetrator. That appears to be the pattern of lots of totally different headlines articles we’re seeing. So how can we type by way of this challenge properly, as a substitute of merely passively accepting what the headlines are telling us?
KELSEY: I actually respect that we’re a distinct shade than in our final episode of what I’d say is an identical epidemic. We talked a bit about how influencing and social media affect impacts our youngsters’s lives. And infrequently we’re seeing that social media affect is usually pernicious to ladies. It’s most damaging within the lives of women when it comes to that affect on them. Against this, what we’re seeing within the lives of younger males is that this video gaming: what it appears like for them to spend hours and hours—as a substitute of scrolling on social media—they’re spending hours upon hours in entrance of the online game. Being a lady, I can actually discern the need for relational connection that comes with social media. However for me, gaming doesn’t have that very same attraction. So I need to know, what do you consider that? How does that come near you, Jonathan?
JONATHAN: Once I was a child, a lot of video gaming was on the sofa with your pals. Everyone has a controller. You’re taking part in on the identical display, attempting to not peek at what the opposite individual is doing so that you’re not dishonest. And it was really an important technique of connection for me. Rising up, I used to be sort of a shy child. Typically I had bother connecting with different youngsters. And you realize, C.S. Lewis in The 4 Loves—you’re going to note I speak about C.S. Lewis an excessive amount of on this podcast—
KELSEY: Oh, it’s by no means an excessive amount of. It’s by no means an excessive amount of.
JONATHAN: I’m three for 3. However he writes about the concept that, usually, the best way males type friendships shouldn’t be going through one another, not essentially speaking to one another about one another, however centered on an identical objective. Doing a process collectively. And that undoubtedly proved true in my life, partly by way of video video games. I can level to a number of friendships the place breaking the ice was taking part in video video games collectively on a sofa. However I feel it’s loads totally different these days. So many video video games have moved on-line. I nonetheless play video video games from time to time, and it’s uncommon to discover a online game that has native multiplayer, the place you may sit with your pals on the sofa. Virtually each recreation is online-focused, the place you’re taking part in with strangers who’re disembodied voices.
KELSEY: Even if you get a gaming system, I discover that it comes with one controller. It’s a really totally different factor than after I was rising up with, ahem, the primary era of Nintendo. However anyway, sure. It’s very attention-grabbing. It’s one thing that I’m observing in your story— video games offered an opportunity for connection, offered a shared undertaking. I like that concept. Previously, we’ve talked about what it means to be shoulder-to-shoulder for one thing, it collectively. And in order that jogs my memory, if you’re speaking a few shared undertaking, the posture of being subsequent to at least one one other. There was one thing in that that was superb for you. And but one thing has modified. So what else would possibly we are saying that we’re noticing? Is there the rest that we’re discovering is part of the brokenness? Or what have we additionally seen that’s nonetheless good about this gaming tradition?
JONATHAN: Earlier than we even get into video video games themselves and what we will affirm or what we will problem, I feel we will again as much as speak in regards to the goodness of relaxation and play—but additionally how these issues can change into not good in a sure context. I ponder in case you have ideas on that, particularly because it pertains to video video games. However much more generally, I feel relaxation and play have an actual goal—however how do they play out in video video games? And the way can in addition they flip into one thing that’s possibly not so good?
KELSEY: That’s such an important query for us to wrestle with. If you ask it, I instantly take into consideration the rhythms that the Lord gave us within the first days of creation. Relaxation and work have been all the time part of the design, the superb design we got. And, clearly, He additionally gave us this capability to create manifold issues. He instructed us to exit and to form the world. Effectively, the place we’re at in our present age, a part of shaping the world means creating video video games. So we’re creating one thing as we picture the Lord. However even it must comply with that sample of relaxation and work. It wants to suit into our sample of relaxation and work.
So an important query to reiterate is: The place does our utilization of the display or our utilization of social media—or specific to right now, our utilization of video gaming—the place does that match into the wholesome human sample of relaxation, possibly even play and work? The sample wants to incorporate even joyful abandon typically, however it by no means simply stays there. We don’t glut out something. It’s not good for us to spend 15 hours doing something,
JONATHAN: You used the phrase “rhythm.” That’s an important phrase to carry into this, the concept of the rhythm of labor and relaxation. Such as you stated, we see that in creation. You could have the six days of God making issues after which the seventh day of relaxation. There was a time in my later teenage years when the sport Skyrim got here out. You’d flip it on, and it felt like quarter-hour. Then you definately’d have a look at the clock and three hours had passed by. And also you’re similar to, “The place did that point go?”
KELSEY: That was Closing Fantasy X for me. After all, certainly one of my college students launched that into my life. However Closing Fantasy
was a kind of time suck video games. “The place did it go?”
JONATHAN: And I feel there’s something distinctive about video video games, that they’ll suck time like that. I don’t assume that essentially makes it improper, however I feel it does name for us being conscious of that, and of the rhythm of relaxation and work—each as people but additionally as mother and father who’re setting rhythms for our children.
KELSEY: So we’re speaking in regards to the rhythm, and the way it’s not good for us to spend 15 hours in entrance of something. We additionally talked in regards to the phenomenon of it being totally different for women and boys. As a mother of women, I’ve seen the phenomenon is totally different for them. I’ve talked about earlier than that social media appears to be extra of the draw. They like video video games, however it doesn’t suck them into that point spend in the identical means social media does. However I do know that what’s happening on the mind degree is that it’s a dopamine hit for them, in the identical means that for boys the online game offers them the dopamine hit. There’s a wonderful article and podcast that’s been launched lately from The Gospel Coalition by Sarah Zylstra. I feel that’s the way you pronounce her final identify, and her article is “Gaming Alone: Serving to the Technology of Younger Males Captivated and Remoted by Video Video games.”
She does an important job of discussing that it’s a dopamine hit. It’s one thing that rewires our mind, when now we have that chemical expertise, that fast response to one thing we’re doing, and we’re seeing it’s productive or a minimum of react to us. So in video gaming, we’re having publicity to one thing that doesn’t essentially domesticate these rhythms. It offers us this cost, this feel-good expertise, and possibly breaks these healthful rhythms we’ve been speaking about.
JONATHAN: That’s one other factor to concentrate on. I feel that’s totally different in video games right now, versus even a era in the past. Not that there wasn’t the “dopamine hit” side of them. Nevertheless it’s the best way that’s mined by present videogame corporations. There’s the rise of the microtransaction, which drives gamers loopy, however it additionally sucks them in. It’s an enormous business. Plenty of these actually well-liked video games these days, like Fortnite, you don’t pay something for them up entrance. They’re free to play, which appears superior. It’s like, “Oh, cool. I don’t must pay something to play this recreation.” Nevertheless it’s full of those little purchases you can also make to improve your character, to achieve abilities. And people add up. And the best way they earn money is by protecting you taking part in, protecting that dopamine hit coming.
In a bizarre means, we’ve come full circle. Previously, you’ll have video video games simply within the arcade, designed to make you retain placing in quarters. After which we had this good reprieve for a couple of generations of at-home console video games, the place you couldn’t even hook up with the web, you couldn’t pay something however the upfront value. And now we’ve come all the best way again to video video games designed to maintain you paying, not simply with cash, however with consideration.
KELSEY: Precisely. I used to be going to say that I’m low cost. If we play something on-line, we received’t make the in-game purchases. However the best way you’re employed round that’s you watch an advert, and then you definately watch one other advert for it to unlock the issues that you’d in any other case must pay cash for. So nonetheless, you’re paying together with your consideration. All the things that it does, it seeks to have you ever linger lengthy on the display. The extra consideration you give it, the extra time you give it, the extra profitable the sport or the producers of the sport are.
So there’s a motive behind the gaming we’d like to concentrate on, even similtaneously saying there’s not essentially something inherently improper or damaged in regards to the recreation itself. However who is perhaps behind the sport? Let’s take into consideration their motives, and methods to assist our youngsters discern these motives as we search to assist them with the disciplines of turning the sport off. In order anyone who as a younger man performed video games, what have been among the most useful disciplines you related to? How did your mother and father communicate to you about gaming? Or what was your expertise that induced you to understand you wanted a restrict?
JONATHAN: Most likely the expertise that led me to understand I wanted to restrict was after I performed Spider-Man 2 all day and went to mattress at evening and will nonetheless hear the sound results in my head audibly. However yeah, I had mother and father who set a restrict for me, and the expertise of taking part in sure video games the place it could really feel like no time had handed in any respect. You’d search for and hours had handed. And you’ll sense, “Man, the place did that point go?”
However I didn’t cease taking part in these video games, as a result of I nonetheless actually cherished a few of these video games. To today, video games like Skyrim—that’s an extremely designed recreation—and every so often I nonetheless take pleasure in taking part in that recreation. However I’m conscious of how straightforward it’s for time to get sucked into this. So you must have limits for your self, or some sort of limits on your youngsters if they’ll’t set them for themselves, to assist set up more healthy rhythms. As a result of it’s very easy not to concentrate on how a lot time is passing.
KELSEY: We talked final episode about what it means to glut out on sugar. Some youngsters acknowledge that was horrible for them. There are indicators we will even assist them pay attention to, you realize, “Did you discover how that gave you a headache?” Or on this online game story, we can assist spotlight, “Did you discover the way it saved you up all evening, since you simply have been listening to the sounds in your head?” That’s what it was for me. I dreamed in regards to the music on among the fabulous laptop video games we bought to play. They have been designed for one of many outdated computer systems, the Amiga—Myst and Riven and a bunch of the longer puzzle video games. That’s what drew me in, these puzzles, and the music was fabulous. The graphics have been fabulous. However for me, I didn’t acknowledge I used to be paying for it till I bought off and I had my headache or I had cramps from sitting in a single place too lengthy.
As mother and father, now we have these kids, notably teenagers, who’re beginning to belief their very own discernment an increasing number of. They’re leaning on their very own understanding. And typically now we have to assist them observe these penalties they’re feeling, gently asking them a query as a way to assist level that out.
JONATHAN: I can think about anyone listening to this and considering, “Wow, this online game stuff simply sounds actually addictive and dangerous. Why even mess with it?” So what do you see as one thing good about video video games? Is there a goodness in that need to play video video games? Is there one thing we will affirm on this?
KELSEY: I do assume there’s. I imply, at the same time as we talked, I considered among the magnificence I’ve skilled within the design, and among the methods it actually helped my mental improvement to play these puzzle video games the place you’re wanting and also you’re looking. I performed them with my dad, so I had anyone who was a bit of bit older than me. It was our second to share in fellowship and even mentoring. There have been issues that have been so nice about that, and that I feel we will search to emulate once more. The fellowship points.
However one of many issues additionally talked about by this text is simply the goodness of play. We’ve talked about rhythms, possibly emphasizing these rhythms of relaxation and work. However I need to return to the truth that play is one thing we have been designed for, and that we have been designed for pleasure. There may be the chance to expertise that—once more, inside wholesome limits—provided to us in these nice designs. So how can we have interaction it to reap the perfect good thing about play and of pleasure and of lovely design and of creativity?
Dad and mom, you must ask these of your self and of the kid who’s in entrance of you. As a result of it’s not going to be the identical for each youngster, similar to it’s not the identical as now we have illustrated between women and boys. We’re wired in a different way. We search various things to create these dopamine hits. Our youngsters are additionally so various from each other. Even between my women, I’ve one youngster who would most likely be extra addictive in nature in the direction of these issues on the display. After which I’ve one other youngster who couldn’t care much less about what’s on the display or the online game. She will be a part of her sisters in play after which simply unplug and go to work her craft, work her artwork, work her music. the youngsters in entrance of you. That is a kind of explanation why we preserve emphasizing that we’re coming alongside as a substitute of telling you, “That is what knowledge appears like.” As a result of solely you may have that relationship the place you see how your youngster is presented, how they’re wrestling with the curses that come from the autumn, what’s the specific limitation or battle they’ve in their very own flesh.
JONATHAN: And one other factor: We are able to have interaction with video video games, many video video games, the identical means we have interaction with movies or books. As a result of particularly these days—not as a lot the web video games like Fortnite and Name of Obligation—lots of video video games, particularly issues popping out of indie builders, smaller video games, are actually telling attention-grabbing tales and truly utilizing the type of online game to do belongings you couldn’t actually do the identical means in one other format.
And the identical means you’ll stroll a child by way of the method of participating deliberately with what they’re studying, it’s really one thing that might be engaged with beneficially. Patrick Miller wrote an article for Christ and Pop Tradition, referred to as “The Case for Taking Video Video games Severely.” And he talks about that too. He really introduced it again to one of many Closing Fantasy video games. There may be storytelling energy on this medium.
I do know for me, an expertise I cherished was this recreation referred to as The Stanley Parable, which asks questions on free will. There’s a narrator within the recreation who describes all the pieces you’re doing. You come to a spot the place there are two doorways in entrance of you, and the narrator says, “Stanley took the door on the left.” However you may select to take the left or the appropriate. And your expertise modifications relying on what you do. It’s only a enjoyable expertise, once more, again to the concept of play. However you may as well take a recreation like that and the locations it goes and truly have interaction with what it’s saying. It’s not only a throwaway expertise of play. I feel there’s an entire world of tales there that folks typically overlook.
KELSEY: Sure. If you’re speaking about these choices and watching these unfold in a recreation, in fact I instantly consider chess. However the different connection level to me is simply story generally, as you stated, with movie, with books. We dwell in a world and are created in an embodied sense to reply to story. We dwell throughout the story. And so each different story ultimately or one other displays on that story. It reveals us one thing of brokenness or of man’s want, or one thing of magnificence and of the great thing about redemption, of the hope of Anyone coming to save lots of and to make all issues proper. So justice. All the necessary themes are labored out in story.
One other factor we will affirm in video video games is that they’re an opportunity to dwell inside story and to expertise the issues which can be necessary—the themes which can be necessary—on this world. Even simply listening to good story wires us for discernment of our world. Story shouldn’t be a throwaway factor. It’s critical to the best way it shapes our considering, and even our engagement of the world round us. The capital S Story wherein we dwell. I like that time.
So to begin pivoting in the direction of that self-awareness we attempt to do, the place we’re fascinated about the best way we’ve talked, the instruments we’ve employed to additional our dialog, I’m going to allow you to make a stab at it. First, what are among the instruments we’ve already been working with right now?
JONATHAN: We’ve undoubtedly been what we will affirm and what we will problem. And we’ve additionally operated a bit of bit in emotional intelligence, speaking about the best way particularly boys join with one another.
KELSEY: Sure. We’ve talked about some developmental understanding, the variety between improvement for boys and improvement for women. So we’re asking questions that assist to spotlight what we’re observing when it comes to the variations between the youngsters in entrance of us, even the variations between the sexes. We’re utilizing that very, crucial device of asking questions, and making observations. That’s one thing we use from a device we prefer to name SOAR, the place we get a way of, “What is that this overarching factor we’re fascinated about? And what observations can we make about it?” Earlier than we begin to bounce into that evaluation or resolve whether or not or not we like video video games, we’re attempting to decelerate and observe the effective threads we will pull aside and identify rigorously, in order that we will then additionally decide what’s worthy, and what would possibly have to be critiqued.
Different issues we’ve been utilizing right now: We actually need to make sure you hear the biblical narrative each single time we speak about what we’re affirming or what we’re difficult. So we’re it by way of a redemptive lens, or the lens of the redemptive narrative. Issues have been created nearly as good. The Lord set good patterns for us. And so we need to see: How do these match into these authentic good intentions of the Lord, and the great methods we mirror Him? Once more, earlier than we bounce into what we would critique or see as part of the fallen nature of the world round us.
JONATHAN: Additionally simply these theological foundations. Having a theology of relaxation, having a theology of labor, having a theology of play. These issues come to bear on a subject like this.
KELSEY: I need to give a few of that biblical provision for considering. We like to level in the direction of these issues, these themes in scripture now we have been working with, a minimum of within the background of our thought, and produce it a bit of bit extra to the forefront.
We see that the Lord gave a mandate to those who He created, to create like He created, beneath Him and with the entire supplies that He had made. So we glance in Genesis 1, beginning in verse 26, when He says: “‘Allow us to make man in our picture, after our likeness. And allow them to have dominion over the fish of the ocean and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all of the earth and over each creeping factor that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His personal picture, within the picture of God He created him; female and male He created them.”
And He blessed them. And God stated to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion. Behold, I’ve given you each good factor.” And He noticed all the pieces that He had made—that is dropping right down to verse 31—“And God noticed all the pieces that He had made, and behold, it was superb. And there was night and there was morning, the sixth day . . . And on the seventh day God completed His work that He had carried out, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had carried out. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, as a result of on it God rested from all His work that He had carried out in creation.”
You’ll be able to hear that a few of this was paraphrasing, highlighting among the phrases now we have used and touched on. If you wish to do a deeper research together with your youngsters, go to Genesis 1-2 and see these rhythms, and acknowledge possibly in them the goodness of what it means to have interaction within the work of creation alongside the Lord and beneath His authority. But in addition, simply as He sat down, simply as He rested, to hunt these rhythms of relaxation and to place them of their correct locations. We’re studying how to do that alongside you. We’re excited to have the ability to be co-learners and co-laborers with you. And we welcome you to ask your questions. Ship them to newscoach@wng.org.
JONATHAN: That’s newscoach@wng.org. We’d love to listen to your questions, or even when there’s a present occasion or a culture-related challenge you’ve been working by way of together with your youngsters, we might love to listen to about that. Even should you don’t have a selected query about it, we might love to listen to about it so we will speak about it too and stroll alongside you as you’re employed by way of it.
KELSEY: Dad and mom, academics, mentors of scholars: You’re uniquely positioned to have the best influence on the youngsters and college students in your lives. In Christ, and by the facility of His Spirit, now we have plentiful provision. He has outfitted you for the work.
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