Can Video Games Be Used For Discipleship?

Can video games be used for discipleship? I get asked this question a lot. Understandably so. I created Lightgliders, a virtual world of Christian faith, games, and community, specifically to encourage children’s discipleship. So, my answer must be 'yes', right?

Well, yes, that’s true, but I do have some caveats.

First, I believe with all my heart that games can be used for discipleship. For a long time, I believed this only in theory as I developed Lightgliders. Now, I believe it in practice as I see games redeemed and used for discipleship purposes inside the platform daily. I see it in the testimonies we receive from parents and ministry leaders. I see it in the in-game prayer events. I see it in our Ambassador program – where players become servant leaders to the virtual community. I see it in recent testimonies from kids playing Lightgliders.

So, again, if you ask me ‘can video games be used for discipleship?’, my short answer is yes.

So, what are my caveats? What are my reservations?

Well, they are probably like those of most parents. As the father of four young children, I worry about screentime consumption. Some research says kids are spending up to ten hours per day in front of a screen, much of which is playing video games. Personally, I would prefer they play outside.

I also worry about the negative effects of screentime. We are seeing new research share the detrimental effects of social media among young people. Social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, discusses this in his new book The Anxious Generation.

However, if I am not careful, I will conflate these two worries. They are not the same. One is an issue of quantity, and the other of quality. I should be far more concerned about quality than quantity. To understand the difference just think of it in terms of food: would I rather have my kids eating vegetables or drinking poison? The answer is obvious.

Video games and screen time are no different. Quantity pales in comparison to quality. Video games are tools that present ideas. Sure, there are valid questions about the quantity of time they consume. And families can, and should, put up time boundaries. But I am far more concerned about the ideas they present:

• Are they presenting good ideas or bad ones?

• Do these ideas encourage human flourishing or destruction?

• Do they uplift my soul or leave it downcast?

• Do our kids know the difference? Do we?

These are questions we need to ask because not all screen time is the same. This is true of video games and television shows. But it’s also true of afterschool activities and childhood friends. Some influence kids positively. Some negatively. Nothing is neutral. In an ideal world, the environment we create and steward for our kids is a positive one, inspiring hope and purpose. So, we need to evaluate what is helping and what is hurting.

Video games can help. Again, they are just a tool. At their base level, they offer kids entertaining opportunities to achieve, explore, create, connect, and rest. These are positive experiences. In addition, because they are a tool, video games can also be used to encourage faith, values, service, and conversations. They can be redeemed for discipleship purposes.

With Lightgliders, we created a platform of digital games with an intentional discipleship strategy embedded into it. We call it the Know-Grow-Show model because we want kids to know, grow in, and show the love of God. Kids get to create a character, play games, explore, socialize in a safe environment, go on missions, and engage with weekly Bible-based activities. Parents and ministry leaders receive the weekly lessons and reflection questions in their email to spark discipleship conversations.

Discipleship is helping another know and follow Jesus. It is carried out in the context of relationships and meaningful conversations. Lightgliders encourages such conversations both inside and outside its platform. So, if you’re looking for digital games and activities for kids that encourage Christian faith, please check out Lightgliders.

But whether you do this or not, you can begin to use video games as a tool for discipleship just by asking the kids you care about questions, such as:

• What games are you playing these days?

• Why do you like them? What is your favorite thing about each one?

• How do they make you feel?

You may create a connection point that you did not have previously, and it might just spark a conversation that helps a child better know, grow in, and show God’s love.

Zach Fay is the creator of Lightgliders, a virtual world of Christian faith, games, and community designed to engage kids, redeem screen time, and encourage family discipleship during the critical pre-teenage years. A father of four young kids, Zach is passionate about encouraging intentional gospel-centered conversations among kids and families.

Lightgliders is available for computers, tablets, and smartphones. It can be found online and in the app stores. Sign up for a 7-day free trial at www.lightgliders.com.