It's Time to Do Something Now

Whatever Happen to Frogger or Jumping Super Mario?

                I have a new Surface Tablet by Microsoft.  As some of you know I enjoy a good game.  The gaming sight on my Surface led me to a list of XBOX games.  I stopped after reading fewer than 100 titles. I was nauseated by the preponderance of games that fostered violence.  Nearly 2/3 of the titles were designated “action” or “first person shooter.”  You have to love the “first person shooter” designation on some of these.  To make sure I was reading it correctly I went to Wikipedia to gain further insight.  "First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre centered on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through a first-person perspective; that is, the player experiences the action through the eyes of the protagonist."  Well isn’t that special and disgusting!  There were five Assassin’s Creed related games.  There was Bayonet, a game that focuses on hacking and slashing your enemy.  In Battlefield 3 we are given assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, sub-machine guns and carbines, shot guns and pistols, rocket launchers, etc.  And I understand the graphics are fabulous. 

                I am sure that one loner, outcast person who has lots of time for interaction with his or her gaming endeavors can kill hundreds of people each day.  Donkey Kong and Super Mario never provided such “terminator” action as this!  I know that I’m just a fading preacher who has too much time on his hands.  Feeding the poor in soup kitchens and working with in need youth in values education through sports just can’t match the action of one “first person shooter” game.  Being a person who gets committed to things I am afraid that if I get hooked on one of these games I might want to go “first person shooting” in real life.  And if I would ever get angry because I didn’t fit in, I believe now I have a game plan how to get even with my enemies.  Forget the Jesus loving enemies stuff – let’s hack and slash and assault them with multiple weapons. 

                I think by now you can see where I’m going.  20 children and 6 adults are dead in Newtown, CT.  And I am getting angry about the violence perpetrated by lonely – possibly high-volume video game playing – youth.  It’s time to become an action figure in getting youth and their parents to halt the addiction to violent video gaming and movies.  Maybe we need parents and youth to go to war with the violent gaming and media industry by pledging to not purchase games that promote violence or attend movies that are filled with violence.  It’s Christmas and maybe that’s the best gift we can give to the Christ child, the Prince of Peace.

A Blessed Weapon Free and First-Person-Perspective Free Game Christmas to You,  

Bob,   The One Time Gun Owner of Several Cap Pistols

P.S. In all seriousness you will be hearing from me again about concrete actions – on individual and local church levels that need to be taken to stop this madness!