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I was reading an article on the 5 creepy ways video games are trying to get you addicted , which centred on how some games manage to take hold of people's lives way beyond the point of when they last really enjoyed playing. It homes in on many biblical principles about humanity and slavery without even realising. To save you from reading something far geekier than your cool selves would allow, here's some highlights;

"When you level up in WoW a goddamned plume of golden light shoots out of your body. This is what most of us don't get in everyday life--quick, tangible rewards. It's less about instant gratification and more about a freaking sense of accomplishment. How much harder would we work at the office if we got this, and could measure our progress toward it? And what if the light shot from our crotch?"

"A whole lot of the "guy who failed all of his classes because he was playing WoW all the time" horror stories are really just about a dude who simply didn't like his classes very much. This was never some dystopian mind control scheme by Blizzard. The games just filled a void."

"The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine."

The world is a hard sell, full of ways to feel like we gain skills, accomplish something, be part of something. As I alluded to in my last post, I find it easy to concentrate on my actions, the things that I do, and find a sense of accomplishment (or failure) through doing, rather than through the things I do not do. That's because of things like videogames, where you gain levels by actions, making your enemy pokemon faint, killing A.I in various different ways, and multiple numbers of times. Lots of games come with a pre-defined "action button"! There aren't many games that reward their players for standing around not doing much.

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble"

Seeking after God in your life is more than just actions though. Often, He will call us to rely less on our actions and see what he has done, making us depend on his actions and his accomplishments first.

"I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."

Or, what about,
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

This scripture is a massive promise! But it requires saying no to impure activity, and cultivating a life that says no to things that aren't good for us. (Note, only God working in us makes this possible! But we have a co-operating part to play). I think the easist way to motivate a pure heart is to consider resistance against the devil and his schemes as an action, however mundane or passive this resistance may be. I could turn off my computer because I know I don't want to stay up too late on the internet - but I know that I'm not going to consider myself an amazing hero if I do. Its not the kind of massive action that videogames would make a song and dance about and level up to over 9,000! But, for God, this is exactly how he sees it.

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

He longs to see the truth displayed on his earth - amongst Christians, that we may be overwhelmed and in awe of God together, and also where there is no light, so that there is hope for those who have never seen God.