Somehow there has been a lot of discussions over Christians and the video game industry. I've heard the question, "Should Christians be playing video games?" and I am aware of the discussions on both ends of the debate.
I'm just going to confess that, I, Celine Elizabeth, absolutely love to play games at least some of them. I'm not good at all of them but it's fun either way. In addition to that, I also learned to develop games using Unity and RPG Maker. The gamer part of me loves the going through the trills and emotions of the accomplishing missions in the game. The writer in me loves intriguing characters and story lines (especially twisty plots). The developer in me gets excited when I see interesting game mechanics and techniques.
So here's the thing:
I got a PS4 for Christmas and had some really nice games to play. It's very nostalgic for me since I had grown up playing games on the SNES, SEGA and Super Nintendo. Then, as I grew older I got a PlayStation 1 and a Nintendo DS. Gaming for me was always a stress free thing that an only child could play to pass time.
It wasn't long before I started to wonder how games were made. I was intrigued at watching Mario fly with a feather and kill enemies with the little plucky fire flower thing and I began to wonder. How do they get these characters to move? When I died, running out of time, how do they know these timers are accurate? How do they even put timers on doors or puzzles? Being able to develop small scale games made me realize exactly how much time and effort goes into making a simple game. Creating a whole world and everything in it. Having to know how it begins and how it ends. As a developer, I get excited when I finish a game and when I add personalities to characters just as much as I do when I complete a story.
It makes me think about how much time God took to create our universe and us. I'm not saying life is all a game God created but He took His time putting everything in its place and leaving a piece of Himself in everything He has crafted, including us. It makes me appreciate and love God even more. It sounds a bit weird but yeah. When I create a character I think about how God created each person differently but unique. When I have to set time constraints in my game I think about how God created time but time never affects Him. When I create a world or a setting, I think about how God created a whole universe with everything in place.
Game Development of all my hobbies, is something that I really love finding God in. I love creating games as much as I enjoy playing them. Yes there are a lot of games Christians and even people in general shouldn't entertain but you choose what you play and for me, I choose what I create. This blog may be uncommon but I felt like sharing this passion of mines with you all. Maybe it'll encourage you to find God in your passions as well. Find, Communicate and glorify God in your hobbies as well. In music, in singing, in dancing, in writing, in sports, in gaming, in whatever. Most importantly be set apart in your hobbies. Be unique and work hard at whatever you set out to do.
"Life Is more beautiful when you can find God in everything and even more beautiful when you see it through His eyes."
Have a blessed day! ~Celine Elizabeth~