Being a Hero

After reading a lot of panicked news about the decline of our culture and wide-spread corruption, it feels like all one can do is stand by and watch. But we don't want to watch idly by. We want to DO, to ACT on something. And that got me thinking about Captain America...more accurately Steve Rogers.

I'm only familiar with the recent movie so that is what I'll be referencing. One of the reasons this was one of my favorite movies is Steve's single-minded devotion. It was not enough to sit and watch along the sides or support the war efforts indirectly. He wanted to act, to participate, to DO something. However, he could not participate in the normal way.

So many times, an issue will crop up that makes me feel like I want nothing more than to take up arms and march against the injustice. However, in our world there won't be just one thing, it'll be 20,000. I want to give myself to all these issues. I want to right all these injustices. But I'm not Captain America, I'm Steve Rogers, blocked at every point of entry.

I've often reminded myself that there should be one main passion in my life and that is what my energy should be spent doing. It's just so hard to choose, especially with all the noise that surrounds us. Protest this! Petition against that! March with us! Write to your representatives! Fight the injustice! It's nearly impossible to think with all the shouts for attention.

At the same time, the Church calls us to uphold Social Justice. The question is how do you answer the call?

This is when I look to St. Terese of Lisieux's story. There is the physical world where we see a lot of injustice, evil, and destruction. There is also the unseen side of things where battle rages on. The Little Way to Christ is still a way. That is the most important thing.

Stewardship is what it's known as in the Church. Our Time, Talent and Treasure are what we can give. I'm sure it has come up in a homily or two in your parish. It usually aligns with the ministry fairs where every ministry is recruiting for new members.

This past weekend, I went to my parish's ministry fair. I officially joined the parish a few months ago although I've been attending masses there for a year. (It's close to my work and after night shift, I could catch the 7:30 a.m. mass on my way home.) It's been one of my "recovery steps" to get involved with a parish community again. AND luckily this parish has a ministry for those that struggle with life's difficulties.

I don't want to bite off more than I can chew because I have a lot of hobbies I love to neglect. For now, I've signed up to join the choir, I've been part of the Prayer Warrior team (seriously an easy ministry. They email intentions and you pray for them. I love it. It also give me a good picture of how folks in the parish are doing in life. Looks like it's not all a walk in the park.). I also want to join the sewing ministry that makes prayer blankets. Because it fits with my hobby of sewing!

For starters, Church ministries are a great place to start on your walk to hero-dom. (Which may lead to martyrdom.)

In anycase, Thank Jesus for everything. He likes to work through us to help the least of his people.
(Which is why I help kitties get adopted at the pet store on Mondays. <3 I know kitties aren't people! That's more of a make me happy volunteering. Although I still have to take time out to do it.)

Game Thoughts: Fire Emblem: Fates

So for Easter I got myself the game bundle for Fire Emblem Fates so I could play both storylines - Birthright and Conquest. One was advertised as being more difficult and focused on strategy, so I figured I might get frustrated with that storyline, but no...if you play both in Casual mode it's no biggy.

Synopsis

The avatar (Corrin) is royalty captured from their home country at a young age and raised with "the enemy" with the conflict growing between the countries Hoshido (clearly Japanese influenced) and Nohr (medieval Europe inspired). Once you find out your true heritage you must decide who you will support: the land of your birth or the family who raised you? Then work for peace and all that nonsense.

Features

The game decided to split the story into two games and you have to buy both to get the whole story, which is lame if you are more story-motivated to play the game. There's also a 3rd game that's supposed to clarify a few things "Revelation".

There is DLC and amiibo stuff and nonesense.

Weapons no longer have a limited number of uses.

The partner, marriage, children system is back. They added bonding time with avatar's chosen spouse. Which just means more work for me...uggggh.

Pros

Again the marriage with children thing I have to highlight that here.
Lovely art and music
Some returning characters for nostalgia.
Easier gameplay compared to Awakening, a lot more accessible.
Empowered female roles.
A huge cast of interesting characters
Lots of pro-family goodness.

Cons

Very sexualized, revealing armor and body-types for female characters
Includes a gay marriage (male in conquest, female in birthright)
A somewhat convoluted timeline, really not sure who was the parent of who, but there is time travel which ruins everything.
Almost an overload of characters.
Ritual suicide (samurai story so...it's expected.)
Personally the cutesie "bonding time" with your spouse is weird to me. Are we having sex? Is that what we're doing? I can't tell! I'm glad I can't tell, but seriously weird and oddly uncomfortable, but I'm uncomfortable with any affection from game characters anyway. I'll have to write about it later or something.
Suggested Incest? I think you can "marry" your blood siblings. Unless there's a story point that means you're not related to EITHER family. (Looking through walkthrough: spoiler not blood related but still very very very weird.)

Conclusion

I think this iteration can be passed over. The gameplay is similar to the last one but it's not super great. The fact you have to buy two games is rough. Personally, I like the Conquest storyline better. (Because personally, I'd feel more loyalty to the people I grew up with.) However, Awakening was a better experience for me.

I Got a New Computer and a New View

Another personal experience that has oddly deepened my faith. All experiences can be ways God talks to us.

So I've been anticipating the release of Dragon Age Inquisition for many months. I pre-ordered a digital copy, downloaded it early and the moment it was unlocked to play I started it up.

Or I tried to. At first things were just slow so I figured it was just because of Origin. Then it just didn't load. After fiddling with settings and continually meeting the same black screen, I decided to google my issue. It took only a short time to realize that...yes...it was true. My machine was not powerful enough to run the game even on minimal requirements.

Now, in the months past I tried to avoid media about the game. I did look into the min requirements and I went out to get a newish computer and new monitor for it for about $400. However, it didn't quite cut it.

As you can imagine, I was very, very disappointed, but I hadn't given up hope yet. I found a website that would check my system specs against the game requirements to see what I was lacking. Alas, the RAM and Graphics card were not able to handle the game needs. And becasue of the computer model I got, I can't change out the graphics card.

But I have other computers so I tried to see if any of them could cut it. My 10 year old dell desktop had the graphic card power but did not have the CPU or the RAM or the operating system. My laptop was close. It lacked the RAM and graphics card as well.

So I went into a fury of research to solve my problem quickly.
At first I thought, I could just upgrade the parts of my 10 year old dell. I ordered a new OS and decided to go to the electronics store for lunch at work. It was then during more of my research and help from friends who build machines that well...my desktop although customizable could not handle a new cpu without a new motherboard. And the case could not take retail motherboards. So I thought, I would have to buy a new computer again!? The price tags of gaming computers are much higher than others. I didn't want to drop 1000 dollars to play this game.

Almost on a whim, but mostly salemanship, I decided to get a build. I customized my PC, got it assembled at the store and now I have a new custom PC...and it cost less than a gaming pc. :)

It's pink! :) I call her "Eevee".

Thinking about it now, I think this computer cost about the same as my current laptop so it was a good deal. However, I felt a weird guilt.

Over this game I was willing to drop a lot of money and make sacrifices to play. It felt a bit misdirected. Possibly because on Sunday we hear about the parable of the talents. The priest at the mass I went to also had a long (too long) homily on tithing. Oh yes, giving a percentage to God is what is demanded of us. But to someone working on an hourly wage, it takes a lot of faith. The priest had very good points that were hard to hear. So when I was so reluctant to give some of my wages for the Church, how could I turn around and give 90% of a paycheck to getting a computer.

It was a bit of an awakening. I live alone and may have fallen into the trap of selfishness.
But then I looked at it another way:
1) I have passion again. Which is something I haven't had in a long while it feels.
2) I reached out to friends and gave them an opportunity to offer their expertise.
3) I learned a lot about computer hardware.
4) I am impatient...and a bit impulsive. But I did do research first.
5) I brought God into many aspects of this. (I did end up tithing a bit to my parish this week. Because Catholic guilt works that way.)
6) I have two computers I want to give to someone else who may need it more than I. (Granted I can't donate them really after this big purchase.)

So my struggle with that homily and this big purchase for a single game has actually deepened my faith and relationship with God. I prayed last night after plugging everything in that this wasn't a bad thing. I might suffer for it, but I felt it was worth it. If I could do that for a game, I could certainly direct towards other things as well.

On the downside, I was brought to much frustration too. Working with technology is never easy. Nothing goes as planned. Another life lesson I guess/

Objectification and Games

Recently the infamous Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency came out with a new video in her series Tropes vs Women. This one focuses on female characters in the background of games specifically those that are "objects".

The video itself does contain explicit examples that are Not Safe for Work or Children.
A copy of the video's transcript can be found here.

I was particularly fond of Anita's look into the psychological effects of these visuals and gameplay have on players.

One of the points I really liked in the video was this:

A toaster is still a toaster regardless of whether or not you choose to make toast with it. It’s still designed for the express purpose of toasting bread. And it still communicates that fact even while sitting unused on your kitchen counter.

Likewise a sex object is still a sex object regardless of whether or not you personally choose to use and abuse her. And that fact, in and of itself, still communicates extremely regressive ideas about women.

This seems like a problem that won't go away, but that is the big lie. It can be stopped.
We begin with prayer, one of the most powerful tools in the Catholic armaments in our fight against evil.
Then support is given to better games.

God in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

As I played through the Sci-Fi romp Mass Effect, I thought of other sci-fi titles in other media that I have experienced. Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Gallactica and pretty much anything that takes place OFF our planet seems to leave God back on Earth. Seems a bit odd seeing as he's the Creator of the Universe according to our Faith. Everything in the heavens and on Earth, visible and invisible.

Science, the New god 

It was in a philosophy class IN a secular school that I re-encountered the notion of the "religion of science". Now this wasn't news to me, but the concept and reasoning was understandable. People are comfortable with the idea that Science will explain everything. Anything can be done through science. It has it's rules, laws and methods. The faith put into science is certainly greater than what a lot of people put in any one religion.

Science can be wrong but, it makes sense and follows logic. The mistake can be corrected by approaching the problem differently. It has a following of defenders that will vouch for science with a passion equivalent to an evangelical. But Science is not the enemy of faith. This Extra Credits video illustrates the point very well.

In most future settings, the only true god is Science. But it can't answer all questions. Some questions must be dealt with in philosophy or theology. BOTH these fields use reason and logic similar to science, however, it goes into metaphysics. Things that may not be readily observable.

Deities, the Old gods

On the flip side of the coin, many fantasy worlds have some form of religion and deities. Generally, these are set in "simpler times". There is no democracy, no off world travel. If there's flight it is by "magic" or flying creature, not invention. In this quaint setting, there is also an old quaint belief system. Maybe there's some formality to the religion but it's there often to govern magic. Thus giving the impression that religion is an "old-fashion" thing, something for a simpler people and a somewhat oppressive system.

I think the only "sci-fi" or space travel set story that uses any kind of supernatural force is Star Wars. (Ah...I said force.) That's why I often think of Star Wars as more of a "space fantasy" than a sci-fi movie.

Not to let fantasy off the hook so easily because often a fantasy story can be about defying the gods and killing the gods. (Killing God must be a human thing. *shrug*)

Mythology

Our modern mythology just goes to show how far away we have fallen. Now I only remember the quote from the TV mini-series of "The Odyssey" where Poseidon's "big moral lesson" was "Man is Nothing without the gods." All the punishment suffered was due to hubris.
Modern myth now glorifies man has the pinnacle, a creature that no longer needs the gods. C.S. Lewis describes us as being "men without chests" that is to say "no heart". We find our gods in our own intellect and heads.

That is not to belittle man, because humans ARE great. God himself took on our form and became human. If you believe such things...which I assume a Catholic geek would.

A Godless World

 There is something very unsatisfying for me about a world without God. It's empty or tragic or un-human. However, in our pluralistic culture, we don't want to exclude any one faith. Therefore, it's easier to just not include religion or make up a "safe" religion. In a strange way though, it makes a life-giving sacrifice almost more of a sacrifice. There is literally no promised reward. Just boom...dead, but everyone lives. You're the hero.

I guess the redeeming quality there is that luckily these games and worlds are open to interpretation. For me at least, like in the real world, I see a glimmer of God's work within human art and story. To me it is very significant that in Mass Effect the big bad Enemy is defeated on Earth (where God walked) by a human (a form which God himself has taken.)...or it could be taken as American Imperialism if you want to feel so cynical. Star Wars, while relying heavily on Buddhist philosophy, has an afterlife in which those in the past still affect the physical world. I'm not familiar enough with other Sci-Fi series (besides the comedy series Red Dwarf) I can't point to more examples.

Conclusion

Dear writers and authors, if you are of the Christian or Catholic persuasion AND not just culturally following your religion, I encourage you to write more. I'm doing my best. But I would love, love, love to read/write a book about a Catholic priest sent on a missionary trip to another planet with another race. I've already got Out of the Silent Planet that does the opposite.

Maturity and Game Plans

This is just a mild response to a video from The Escapist by the Jimquistion. In his most recent video rant, he talked about the latest Bioware interview that the "sex scenes" in the upcoming Dragon Age Inquistion would be "more mature and tasteful". (Insert my internal groaning...because I'm not surprised.) His point was that no, they were not. They were the same as any "sex scene" in a game: pandering, with no consequences, and often following a mechanic of "give gifts, get reward".

For the majority of this I say, true. Yes. This is a thing. This element is a selling feature and making such promises about possibilities, boosts sales. And to be honest, some element of romantic interest is something I look for in a game story. But, personally I wish that explicit sex scenes were not allowed in any form of media ever.

 I would love a game where the romance had more weight and consequence and if it weren't just a coin slot. So, I guess I'm up to the challenge. Next month is NaNoWriMo month which many writers use as a challenge to write a novel in 1 month. (National Novel Writing Month...by the way.) While I'm not writing a novel, throughout November (and into December), I'm going to write up and plot out a romance option game that does not cater to the stereotypes of gifting and complimenting, displays a maturing relationship within an overarching adventure story. It will be a challenge to myself to then translate that into some form of game engine. That part will take much longer.

Also for fun, one of my favorite video blogs about Sex in games. I'm sure I've linked it before but it deserves more linking.

I'll try to keep this blog updated with progress if any gets made.

Death and Martyrs in Games

While working on one post that just isn't going where I want it, I thought of a different topic to write about: Martyrdom. There are many examples of game characters sacrificing themselves or being sacrificed for the sake of something or other. It got me thinking about how martyrdom is treated in some game titles.

Real Martyr Stories

Historical accounts of martyrs evokes a certain reaction. Awe for their bravery (or stubbornness if one wants to be cynical about such things.), conviction, and willingness to physically suffer. The stories inspire us, perhaps make us feel bit ashamed we do not show courage in small things, but above all their sacrifice gave new life. Something great is accomplished.

For St. Maximilian Kolbe, a man was able to return to his family. In the case of the 816 Martyrs of Otranto, the Ottoman invaders failed to conquer Italy and the heart of the Church. Thousands of Christian Martyrs throughout the Roman Persecution only helped fill the Church. Good things usually happen when a martyr dies. God's work continues through them and that sacrifice. In Earthly time and space we may not see it right away of course.

There are martyrs for things other than the Catholic Church of course. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination is a martyrdom for the Civil Rights movement in a way. However, I'm most familiar with the Catholic stuff and this is a Catholic blog so that's why they get the big mention.

Now in games I tend to see certain trends in a sacrificial or martyr type death that are maybe not so great.

Romanticized Sacrifice

 It's clean, beautiful and poetic. Oddly enough it's usually a female character in this role...and most of my top-of-my-head examples come from Japanese titles. Minor spoilers ahead but...
Final Fantasy VII - Aerith's Death, Fire Emblem: Awakening - Chrom's older sister, and others.

Usually the scene is very artistic, clean and almost crudely colors the idea that "THIS GIRL WAS INNOCENT". It will most definitely inspire emotion and provide narrative motive for the surviving characters.

Heroic Death

In a similar strain, sometimes it is the player character that makes the sacrifice.  This is done in a way that somehow praises the player. The sacrifice is SO noble, other characters are in mourning, and so on. Also very artistically portrayed and such. However, I think that in part the very nature of "death" in a game world is different than a narrative death.

With my recent play through of the Mass Effect series, I found that final sacrifice really did reward the player in a way. It stroked the ego and emphasized the "nobility" of this act.

However, this isn't just an aspect of death portrayed in games. Many narrative mediums want to give the hero a glorious, heroic death.

Narrative Martyrs

Is there a way in which a sacrificial death can be made not heroic? Personally, I don't want there to be such a thing. Even the stories of real martyrs, even if they aren't over-the-top heroic, they should be treated as such. Glorifying the sacrifice in a respectful way is good, especially in narrative. It highlights how amazing a human life is. It's is worth more than we can imagine. Pardon me for getting stereotypically Catholic but God became Man to die for human life.

With the triumph over death and promise of eternal life, there is always the risk of feeling that well, death isn't really all that big of a deal. They go to Heaven, it's all good. Christians have the great example in Christ's death and Sacrifice. It's still hard though. As St. Paul says, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die." (Romans 5:7) Somehow though, I feel it's even more heroic for a character without such beliefs to make that same sacrifice.

Conclusion

Some part of me feels that the overly romanticized death of a major character in a game makes it cheesy. However, at the same time, that character represents several hours of time spent playing the story and "letting that go" is a big deal. It does deserve some type of "reward". 

Thinking about it now, a game character martyr is very rare. Probably because any sense of spirituality, religion, or cause is so rarely included with a main character. 

And this short thing is all I have energy to write for now. My new job is a bit tougher than the last one.

Value Systems

There are days when I am lucky to find a site with articles for geek women like myself. There is some solidarity. However, as with all collective groups there is going to be only some overlap with values. I might rant a bit today.

A value System

First, a value system is a collective of your held personal beliefs influenced by experience, religion, morals etc. What one might think is good and bad.
So for myself, I have a Catholic value system meaning I accept the Churches teachings on pretty much all moral matters.

What becomes difficult is reading or talking with someone with perhaps a more secular value system about moral matters.

It is particularly mind-numbing and eye-gouging to deal with relativism. Give me anything but a relativist. (Although I probably shouldn't ask for something worse. I just can't think of it at this moment.)

The Offender

I've written about feminists before and I will again today because my feathers are a bit ruffled. The particular article I started to read was about the virtue of modesty. (Modesty is generally the handle I use online.) Effectively, the article was about turning this virtue into a vice.

RAZZAFRAGGA!!!

This gets under my skin SO MUCH. This article isn't the only offender no. The general attitude is seen in many places and often amplified in online geek communities. It's opposite land out there! Vices are virtues! Virtues are Vices! They question the idealism of being courageous and noble and virtuous? They praise the ability to act out violent childish fantasies. And by "they" I mean game journalists and other online journalists.

It can be applied to the media culture at large though.

Hypocrites All!

One of the big reasons that such a mirror universe is so aggravating is that the writer still expects decency. For example, the writer who wrote about the "vice" of modesty claimed that the burden of resisting temptation was on men. Basically, if men get turned on by a flash of ankle it's not the woman's fault. Granted it was more about being allowed to show as much skin as she wanted without being objectified or sexualized. One, God made woman beautiful. She is created to allure, it wasn't a mistake. Two, God created man to desire beauty and therefore woman. These are good natural things.

We live in a world where anything good is twisted by the Enemy. The deformity is what we often experience. Sexiness is a distortion of true feminine beauty. So unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

On the other side of the coin, yes, it is true that there are those so Puritan that they cover the body because they believe it evil and gross. The mindset should be that my body is so precious and sacred that it should be covered lest the world go mad upon gazing upon it. (I may be dramatizing this a bit, but hey drama is the spice of life.)

But there's a bright side too...

Today I happened across this Kickstarter Project: TUG.
Most geek girls lament the scantily clad super heroine or game characters. This project took social science to help design this game. Seriously going through their philosophy and design plans and studies fills me with hope.

It is only in a fantasy world where a woman can wear a bikini and somehow not be ogled by the men around her 90% of the time. Fantasy is not reality and often we forget that.

I may have a Thomas Merton type post about that sometime soon. I'll first have to re-read some of Merton's complaints about journalism.

Ideals and Objects

This past week, I enjoyed a little video by Jimquistion on the Escapist about the "objectification of men" in video games. While his presentation style may not be for everyone, the point he made was very solid and worth the discussion.

A common argument against objectification of women in the medium is that male characters are equally objectified. To which Jim argues: "No, they're idealized, not objectified." He went on to say that this too was a problem.

It was a very well worded piece and I recommend watching it if you can stomach his style of "humor".

Ideals: Good or Bad?

While most moral people can agree that reducing a person to an object is wrong, holding someone up to an ideal should be preferred. But what do we mean by "ideals".
One definition is an archetype or something that exists only in fantasy.
Another definition is a principle or value that one pursues as a goal. (wikipedia) 

So an ideal is abstract and often used in characters to uphold said value. For game characters or heroes, that value often reflects the values held by the culture which is a mixed bag of good and evil.

For example, courage, strength and sacrifice are all values that game heroes often ascribe to. These are generally good. Other values such as womanizing, sarcasm and callousness are often portrayed as well.

A good character is generally a mix bag of virtues and vices. It's necessary for them to seem human or relatable to the audience.

Ideals and Idolatry 

Idols are images that we worship or uphold that we believe support our system of values. To take an example outside of games, Team Edward or Team Jacob in Twilight fans illustrates this concept rather well. Large groups of people uphold Edward as the ideal lover for his qualities of protectiveness, focused attention and faithfulness. (Which most sane people translate to controlling, jealousy, and obsession.)
There are many examples of our culture idolizing celebrity status for a myriad of values: beauty, singing talent, wealth, political standing, leadership, knowledge, etc.

The danger lies in setting that person as only that value. Placing the person as a goal to be attained. Which is often why we become disappointed when a celebrity does something completely human like cheat on their spouse or lies.

Holding a person to represent an ideal value perfectly is unrealistic. It turns them into "objects".

Ideal Characters

Characters set in a fantasy world are not human in the same sense that a celebrity is human. They can be vessels of values attained near perfectly. In morality stories, they work well to illustrate a moral value or lesson.

The question becomes: Is this bad for games?
When considering an audience and the nature of the story told, it will be more or less effective. It's good for characters to uphold good values and overcome vices. Audiences generally like that sort of thing.

Conclusion

Art idealizes many things. The human form is made beautiful, but it does not exist in that way in our current reality. Simply because such perfection or idealization cannot exist in our reality does not mean we cannot hope for it in true reality (heaven).
It is common in our culture to reject ideals because they're unrealistic. Realism is what matters most. It's a very utilitarian viewpoint.
Should video game characters be less idealized? Or perhaps should they portray different values?

Public Enemy: Video Games

As someone who enjoys playing video games, it becomes frustrating when Youth Group Leaders, Ministers or very intelligent Catholics condemn the hobby. Naturally we feel defensive because it feels like they get their information straight from TV news which has been anti-video games for a long time.

So let's talk about games and why they are so unpopular with a Christian life style. There are three common arguments used to condemn video games: violence, addiction, and controversy.

Must it all end with Violence?
The fact that video games are violent is a true statement. A large percentage of game titles are about using violence or murder to solve a problem. There are whole genres dedicated to this style of game.
There is concern that being exposed to so much violence it desensitizes the player towards real violence and other people.

Studies on the subject of games and violence remain vague on the causality issue. It is not a simple A causes B.  There are many mediums in which we expose ourselves to depictions of violence including news, movies, comics, and television. A vicious cycle has been in motion for quite some time. Culture influences media as much as media influences culture.

Granted this IS a big issue in games that needs to be addressed. Having such a large percentage of games being shooters, hack/slash, or beat 'em up type games reaffirms the idea that ALL games are violent, with the exception of "games for kids" which may be non-violent. It'd be nice if games were a bit more like Deus Ex: Human Revolutions where there is a "non-lethal" route to take. Or a game like Mirror's Edge where the protagonist can not defend herself except by running and jumping.




A-A-Addiction
From the game designer chair, getting the player "lost in flow" is the pinnacle of good game design principles. This has become a double edged sword for games as an activity. There are reports of people dying at their computer or showing symptoms similar to any addict.

However, this is a bit overblown in reports and all the attention is very negative. Because gaming is still seen as socially unacceptable as a practice except for children.
I would like to direct you to two very well written articles on the subject of addictions to MMOs which is the most commonly addictive game type:
The Trouble with Addiction
Understanding and Dealing with Gaming Problems: A Q&A with a Therapist

  "As with other activities in life, it starts to become clear that moderation is key. Online games can be therapeutic and enabling when engaged with in moderation, but can become disabling when someone plays too much. While seemingly obvious once laid out, this sensibility is oftentimes missing when the issue is presented by the media or anti-game proponents. A complicated “both-and” issue becomes mangled into a far more simplistic “either-or” / “good vs. evil” issue."
(Nick Yee, "The Trouble with Addiction" 2006)

This problematic gaming issue comes up a lot in my conversations. There is nothing that upsets me as a gamer more than someone telling me about a news story about someone who died at their computer while playing a game. This marginalizes me as someone who enjoys the hobby but plays with moderation. This incident does not put ALL gamers at risk for spontaneously dropping dead with controller in hand.

All that said, I do not deny the fact that there are people with problematic playing behaviors. The ones that show up in the news and used to villainize gaming.
"Unfortunately many people, particularly those prone to compulsive behaviors, are not highly self-aware and have a hard time reflecting upon and regulating their own behavior. Children are not able to do this, which is why they have parents who regulate them. Adolescents do it sketchily. Adults vary according to many complex factors."
(Nick Yee, "Understanding and Dealing with Gaming Problems", 2006)

I know for me my parents were good at regulating our play time with gaming systems, TV watching and computers. Self-discipline is the important factor in combating the potential of what could be dangerous behavior.

Too Sexy for my Shirt
The perceived maturity level of developers is actually fairly accurate in many companies. Dealing with complex issues like relationships does not come easily in game story telling. So, the game industry is incredibly competitive and cut throat. With the current business model they have to be. And it all comes down to sales and consumers.

See in film and other media avenues, they don't suffer financially if someone buys a used DVD or watches it "for free" online. Pirating movies and TV, while still active, have become less and less of a problem for the industry thanks to the many avenues of legal distribution now available. Movie in particular have several avenues for making money back and profit from theatrical releases AND DVD sales.

For a game company, they only make money back on a project from every new game purchased. Consumer expectations are set at a certain level and the economy makes them much more careful about choosing which game to buy for $60. Used game stores like Gamestop take advantage of this by profiting off of the sale of used games. The developers don't see any income from the sale of used games. Pirating is a bigger problem for games. And here's where the controversy comes in.

The cost of game development for AAA titles is about the same as a Hollywood film. It's in the millions. In terms of game design, things are average at best. So many companies have adopted the tactic of banking on gaming's negative image as a selling point. Stirring the controversy pot is going to make sales. Gratuitous gore, nudity, violence and sex all mean sales to the "core demographic" and getting the news to talk about the game. Free advertising.

This is something that the industry is struggling with. It's easier to make a mediocre game and then market the controversial nature of the title than to make something innovative and good.

However, this is why the Independent game companies and "Casual" game companies are starting to see some growth. The core demographic is tired of average game design and quirky/creative titles are starting to gain more recognition. Such as..grumblegrumblangrybirdsgrumple*, Journey, and Limbo.

This is a legitimate problem in game development that hopefully the industry will grow out of. Because the more they use the controversy pot, the less chance the medium has at being viewed as a legitimate ART FORM like film or comics (to a much lesser extent).
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/facing-controversy
(This short video presentation discusses this topic very well.)

Can I be a Catholic Gamer?
 PLEASE DO! I think it is INCREDIBLY important to start playing LIKE a Catholic (or Christian). As I've been reading some of Matthew Kelly lately (I hope to review the book on this blog in a few weeks), it is important to remember our faith should be a lifestyle. Can video games be a part of that lifestyle?
Well, movies, comics, music and TV certainly have become a part I don't see why games should be any different. But it is incredibly important to remember that the games you play will reflect on you. Just as the movies you enjoy and books you read reflect on you. Owning well know controversial titles is probably NOT the best reflection. It suggests all the negative ire associated with the negative view of gamers in general. It also suggests that you are ONLY practicing your faith in certain areas of your life instead of ALL.

Please be reassured that not all game titles rated are evil. There is a wide array of titles that may include "mature" themes that are worth playing. (Granted, I always tend to approach M-rated games with extreme prejudice.) Purchase with conscience is recommended.
Playing with moderation is important. In various stages of life, long hours of gaming will be less and less frequent.

Conclusion
There is unfortunately merit to the things video games are accused of. Some of it is media propaganda making mountains out of molehills, but there is a good portion of gaming that needs to be changed. Gaming is more social than ever before and hopefully someday will be less of a social stigma.

Moral Choices

 In our experience of life we have to make decisions on moral situations. Our conscience helps us guide our decisions. This aspect is often times mimicked in video game stories. Some of these "systems" fall under harsh criticism from reviewers and players alike. Do these games offer a good reflection of moral choices?

Linear Story
Most games do not offer a "moral choice system". The game will usually support some reflection of a moral code. In a game like Uncharted, it is acceptable for Nathan Drake to shoot people because it is self-preservation. It is acceptable for him to steal, simply by virtue of being the protagonist. In many adventure stories like this (i.e. Indiana Jones), normally reprehensible behavior is justified somehow.

In this case, whether the player agrees with the story's moral standard or not, it is out of their direct control.

Sandbox Games
There are a few games that allow for a style of play with only a story world to play in. There may or may not be consequences for in-game "moral" actions. Red Dead Redemption has a series of "quests". John Marsten's reputation in various towns changes based on how the quests are completed and other random in-game actions. Killing an innocent bystander will result in a Bounty on your head. You can either pay the bounty or get arrested.

The actions the player takes have in-game consequences similar to consequences one might expect to meet with in our own world. Bad choices are "punished" and good choices are not. 

Story Games
There are some sprawling RPG titles that allow the player to co-author the story. Mass Effect serves as a good example as there are three ways to respond to situations of conversation: Paragon (Good), Neutral, or Renegade (Evil). These responses affect the narrative and the types of "conversations" the player can have with other characters. The player can interpret if the moral system of the story rewards or condemns certain choices.

These types of games also tend to reflect on moral standards we accept in our society and apply game rewards accordingly.

Our Morals in Games
Culture shapes our entertainment as much as it shapes us. I find in games there are always going to be actions in which the consequence is obvious to us. However, I've noticed in some of my games some actions which are morally reprehensible and/or outright sinful.
Most commonly is the revenge storyline which will somehow justify ANY mass murder. These actions carry much of the same reasoning used to defend the death sentence in the United States.
Another growing theme is the casual nature of sex or sex for fun. Not only is it marketing gold, but reaffirming people in their beliefs of treating other humans as toys. And lastly, a demonizing of anyone practicing an orthodox religion or presents qualities of being concerned with moral behavior. Most commonly, it is some sort of Catholic doctrine which somehow ends up on the chopping block. The character will be poised as intolerant, naive or somehow reprehensible/foolish. (And of course become my favorite characters.)

These are just a few things I've noticed in games with strong narrative worlds that are just so obviously modern in a non-modern setting. (For example, I've heard some modern linguistics in a medieval set game which continues to make me roll my eyes.)

Lessons Learned in Game
In one or two of my Video Game Theories courses, we discussed how games like Grand Theft Auto and Mass Effect could be platforms of discussion. They can become case studies of behavior, morals and philosophy if played in the right frame of mind. I personally tend to compare notes with a Catechism when I play certain game titles which have moral systems to see if they really line up with what the Church teaches. At times a game title will make me wonder about a moral issue and how I project my own moral compass onto those in game decisions.

This frame of playing a game is not something I always do. It is not uncommon to completely ignore the morality system and only make in game decisions that provide the best ending, the best gear or the best rewards. However, I feel more powerfully moved by a narrative if given the chance to immerse myself and get a feel for how actions can affect others. In my play-through of Dragon Age Origins, I was moved powerfully by some of the results of my in-game choices. In all cases I tried to apply my own morals. (Avoiding confrontations that would end in violence, remaining chaste, and not giving into revenge.) The results were bitter, but I think by far it was my best play through. It actually made me wrestle between wanting a particular ending and accepting the results of my "decisions".

This is merely a possibility that such games can allow. They may unintentionally reaffirm some good moral decisions. Yet there is still the prevailing modernism and moral bankruptcy saturating the storyline. It takes someone strong in their faith to really view gameplay and game narrative through that lens.

Conclusion
Games provide a pretty good reflection on what our society considers "good morals". Protecting the poor and unfortunate is good, accepting outcasts is good, murder for the sake of murder is bad, and prejudice/racism is bad. Some things that are in the grey area are homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, and vengeance. Such topics have pretty clear boundaries in light of the church but in games the Church more often than not is an evil conspiracy sink. 

Even if fantasy worlds provide a bit of escapism there is always elements of our own culture within it. Virtual worlds provide us a "safe place" to test anti-social behavior or gives us moral choices we probably won't face in our own lives. As I've mentioned many times, exposure to such stories and "systems" can lead to a weakened will. Game Narratives are no place to learn a good moral system, you must have one prior to playing to fully appreciate the nature of in-game choices.
God Bless!

Gaming and Gay Marriage

This topic will be mostly focused on how gay marriage and the gay movement is having an effect on video games. In discussions about this topic, I tend to fumble around with my words so it is most likely this post might contain something you find offensive. So I'll put it out there, I do not support same-sex unions and stand on Church teachings on the matter. Now let's talk about games.

Popular Culture's Influence
You know who benefits from "negative" marketing? Most products, but especially games. They at times thrive on the negative attention they get because at least it's attention. If it upsets someone you do not like then you support it by spreading the word about it. Likewise, those that are upset about it and whine about it also advertise it.

The topic of homosexual encounters in a game's story tend to net positive attention from various groups so it has become appealing. As illustrated here rather eloquently by David Gaider's response to an unhappy fan "Straight Male Gamer". Mr. Gaider makes very valid points against the arguments brought to the table by the original post. However, the point is that the LGBT community is also a MARKET for products. It is a very vocal minority, more so than straight female gamers. The game in question also netted some public controversy thus making the possible homosexual relationship seem like a huge deal.

It is a very valid and seemingly open-minded (read relativist) point of view. The game neither praises nor condemns the morality of...well...any in-game choices. It tolerates. In a way it is a space in which you can project your own morals and see how things play out. I'll have a better article about this style of gameplay on another day.

Romantic Elements in Games
You know what else draws attention to a game? Having romance OPTIONS. For some games they bank on these options to help sell the game. And I'm not thinking only of the big name companies that have stoked the controversy flames for attention. No...I'm talking more about a niche series, Harvest Moon and a few other Japanese titles. Dating sims are a bit more popular across the ocean than they are here. There is a cult following but it's a minority.
A few years back there was a version of Harvest Moon where you could select a female avatar and have a "best friend" ceremony with another female NPC. (There were only 2 characters of supernatural nature that you could perform this with under my understanding.) However, the North American release removed this aspect from the game because well, they knew it would not market here AS WELL to have what looked like a lesbian marriage.

 It's fun to have a choose-your-own adventure type story where you can choose what character gets to be the romantic interest. Why not right? Now what if I want the romantic interest to be the same sex as my character? Does that make it an interesting option to explore or a promotion of a sinful lifestyle?


Marriage vs. Romance Scenes
To better answer that question I would like to discuss what the differences are between marriage and romance options when talking about games.
A romance option can mean two things depending on the intended audience of the game and the game style. In a game marketed to a "Rated T" or "E10", it means someone you date or ultimately becomes your boyfriend/girlfriend. Generally because that intended age is not ready for marriage.
In a game marketed to the "Rated M" or more crowd, romance means you get a sex scene with this character or "mature relationship". Generally because sexual promiscuity is more marketable as fun for a predominantly male audience...and a growing female audience as well.

However, there are a few titles that offer marriage options. That is to say that the goal of the relationship is to net a spouse.

From a Catholic perspective there is a severe lack of positive views of marriage and sexuality in games. It either means nothing or its tacked on as one option out of many. FOR EXAMPLE:
In Dragon Age: Origins you create your main character and can choose their appearance, background, sex and "race". The main character travels with companions which can be interacted with and develop over time. There is only ONE marriage option. It is only for a human female character of noble origins. There are no marriage options for male characters. Which at least to me says: marketing has shown that female players are more interested in marriage than our males who just want a fun fling or a threesome. A majority of our players are not into commitment.

Harvest Moon (a farming simulation game) in the earlier games of the series had a "purpose" for the spouse character. She would perform some of the chores on the farm every so often. In later games the spouse just says nice things to you, brings you a present on your birthday and is required to have the child character. On the other hand, the whole point of romancing a character is to eventually marry and you only get one choice. There is no option to divorce and pick someone else. It treats marriage in a fundamentally traditional way although it's still very superficial on the surface.

In game marriage is fairly common in MMO settings where the gameplay depends on social contact. The setting provides some stat boosts when the characters play together and opens up "couple only" quests unavailable for single players or even groups. This helps not only in-game situations but can help real relationships. Most MMO games restrict that marriage has to be between a female and a male avatar. Unlike single player games, the union is between two players and may represent a real life romance, friendship or marriage.

In almost all cases (MMO's being the exception), romance or marriage restricts focus on a character to a very specific role. It can be the characters defining aspect in the eyes of a player. Games tend to categorize characters into "functional roles" since that is part of game mechanics. It is very easy to see a character as "healer" or "range fighter" instead of a character.

Games influence on our Culture
 Ahh...yes, there is something very important as to why as Catholics we should care about how this is handled in a medium such as games. Art and Stories and Entertainment have a large hand in shaping our conscience and beliefs. This is why propaganda is a powerful weapon. It can dehumanize a group of people in our imagination.. Now, not all media propaganda is so overt, but social pressure influenced by the news, our films, and games makes an individual feel ostracized or attacked for believing or living in a way opposed to what is seen as popular.

There are games that do try and get an honest look at what a homosexual or Same Sex Attracted person struggle with in society without attacking any one belief system. It is usually through a "spokesperson" character in a narrative setting. The best example I know of being Persona4.
However, take that character and make it a romance option changes the perception of that character. It can narrow the view of the character to only be defined by their sexual orientation.
The character wasn't "FOR" you. You have other choices. Suddenly there is an US vs THEM instead of an attempt to open discussion on common ground. The same can be said of any female "option" in a game. Her struggles with society won't be taken seriously if she is also a romance option.  

For example, (I'm sorry I keep using Dragon Age...its just illustrates everything SO easily.) the character Anders from Dragon Age was a party member in one of the expansions. There were no romance options. The character was interpreted as a character of a certain personality and most likely assumed heterosexual.
This changed in Dragon Age II when Anders returns as a romance option. This caused a bit of turbulence since he revealed he was bisexual and open about being in homosexual relationships. The player's view of him changes between the two games because as a romance option we care about his sexuality as a character and it became his defining feature. Instead of thinking about what kind of struggles the character went through the player feels "cheated" because now Anders is flirting with us and we don't know why and our avatar is NOT homosexual at all.
In the end, it caused a lot of discomfort which instead of reflecting on WHY and trying to understand the source it reestablished that dividing line of us and them.  
(Side note: If playing as a female avatar, Anders does NOT talk about being homosexual directly. If you are a  male avatar, he admits it. Really not sure if I should interpret that as he's bisexual only if you play as a male character or not.)

Closing Thoughts
So what's the big deal with gay marriage in games? If marriage and romance is so "cheap" and superficial in games it should not be our concern. Well, to be fair, games have not moved out of the 'entertainment' realm into 'art'. The handling of deep human exploration is basic right now but there is potential to get deeper than what film and literature can provide.

Extra Credits does a good presentation on the state of sexuality in games: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/sex-in-games
I recommend it strongly.
However, that does not change video game's role as an idea shaping medium. The ideals it promotes are usually only a base level that is skewed toward a young, white, male demographic. This may be more worrisome. There is a need for views on intimacy and marriage within games (and other media) that offer more positive situations outside of a character being married in the past or cheapening sex and relationships.

At this point the inclusion of a homosexual romance option strikes me as pandering or marketing without much deeper thought about what marriage or being homosexual actually means. The only thing it does do is "normalize" the idea of same-sex marriage in our imagination. Just as it normalizes the objectification of women, human trafficking, prostitution and solving problems with violence. If you are not confident about your stance on these subjects, it is easy to be influenced by fiction and imagination.

If you don't feel up-to-date on the Church's stance on Gay Marriage, I suggest reading the following articles:
What the Church Teaches about Homosexuality
Catholic Answers: Gay Marriage
How to Make the Case for Marriage (Using Non-religious Language)

Whew...this was a tough one to write.

Conscientious Objector

Intro
Because "boycott" is such a misused word, but conscientious objection is still at least a little less so. It also illustrates a deeper meaning as to why a person may not support a particular form of popular media based solely on personal conviction.

Objecting to Media
 Can you object to media? Absolutely. You can control the media you consume! I am not sure how you were raised but my parents definitely filtered the TV shows I could watch and movies I could see. And they did so until my younger siblings were close to high school age. This taught me many things, but two very appropriate things.
1) There are some things in media that I don't have to watch and should not watch until I can really understand. For example, my parents did NOT let me watch "The Simpsons" until I was older. Because really that's an animation aimed at an older audience that might have some appeal, but I was a really dumb 6 year old.
2) I do not have to watch everything my friends watch on TV or what the culture promotes as "cool". It was acceptable to be picky. It was good to control what I watched.

It is important to form your "media conscience", because media is a big part of our modern lives. Media does affect a person and a person's soul. If you expose yourself to the overwhelming negative news, don't you feel a little depressed or hopeless? Media helps us shape our opinions AND beliefs. It can also promote us to action. If we are cultivating our souls for heaven then we should work on strengthening our soul. If there is media to consume that weakens your will to sin, then it might be best to avoid it OR consume it with the proper company.


Would you play this game with Jesus?
First off, never, ever ever ever utilize this as an argument. I put this title here to make a point. In another article I read, (I've since lost the link) claims that this is an inappropriate way to decide whether or not to read a book or watch a movie or play a video game. If Jesus was there, it would mean the rapture was at hand so let's go home. And I would be too busy worshiping him to bother playing my game.
Then it also sets up God as not being present in the world. It makes Him seem like some morally uptight peeping tom or Big Brother. This is just not the case. God is not a moral policeman and consuming media that might touch on controversial topics will not displease Him or damn you to Hell.
Pardon this side note of a section it's just something that really bothers me about those who denounce certain media titles.

Granted there are some types of media that the Church has formally proclaimed as gravely sinful and should NOT be consumed nor promoted.
2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. (CCC)


Forming an Opinion without "Seeing it"?
Is this possible? Sure. You can learn about a game or film from others who have seen it and form your opinion based on that. Your own argument may seem undermined by this but not all "bad experiences" need to be done in person to know that they are bad. We have learned from others that we don't want those experiences ourselves.

For example, I never had to play Duke Nukem Forever to know it was going to be a bad game and one I would not want to play. I had watched others play it online and read many reviews and knew from my own experiences in media production that a project that changed hands so often and took that long would not be anything great.

Same with Dante's Inferno which shot itself in the foot with its negative marketing campaign. The only good that comes from it is that people will now possibly get a copy of Dante's Inferno the poem and read it. However watching the marketing and game play videos I knew that it would not be a game that interested me. That type of marketing should be discouraged.


Making Your Objection Known
Going public is the only way to advertise your objection. This can become a double edged sword. The gaming community is full of passion so getting attention by announcing your objection to a game title will definitely get you some feedback. However what good does that really do? The internet is not always the best medium for changing minds or opinions.
If anything something more private may be more effective. Think rationally WHY you object to a game. If it is for something serious that you think is detrimental to society, individual groups or the gaming communities reputation, then provide feedback to the company. These kinds of protests work better than trying to convince other players to not buy the game.
In fact this should happen more often. Sensationalism only promotes the company and gives them attention. It is in a way a weird sort of advertising. Outrage has the opposite affect on the content of games.
Again, the guys at Extra Credits do a good job of illustrating this point in their "Open Letter to EA".

But what if the Game is REALLY Good?
This is where you have to really wrestle with your conscience. Despite the aspects you object to, there might be enough content in the game for you to dismiss it and enjoy a gaming experience. Then you can discuss your game play with friends and on forums etc. However, the game has aspects really upset you and go against morals that you hold dear.

There is going to be no easy way to deal with this. For example, I rented Assassin's Creed Brotherhood to try out. I only remembered watching a review of it and watched a friend play some of it. It looked fun. However, I was lost at the introduction denouncing the Church and Templars. It made me feel uncomfortable, like if I were to play a game or story that relived the exploitation of African Slaves in America. There should be some level of guilt. True. But along with the guilt of "Oh yeah, the Pope was very corrupt back then and the Templars weren't as noble as their creed", it was full of conspiracy theory that was similar to the Da Vinci Code (which I am also not a fan of).  I knew that my religion was not going to be portrayed fairly.
BUT, oh my goodness the freedom to run and jump and climb all over the place was so much fun! The views were gorgeous and the motion was fluid. I knew that I could enjoy playing this game but I knew I would not feel good about "winning" this game.

Wrapping it up
When you were younger perhaps your parents monitored what you watched. Now as an adult its up to you to filter your media. Objecting to a certain title should go with your moral compass. Try not to be discouraged if fellow players find your reasons to be "unfair" or "unfounded". It is neither of these things. Developers and the Industry NEED to be held responsible for the media they create. As consumers we should challenge them so that the industry can grow just as film grew. Try to do so as an individual by voicing your concern to developers and to your friends.

Virtual Sin

Intro
Do our action in games really affect our soul? Is it wrong to play certain game titles?
While I do not claim to be an expert on the subject of sin, I can offer some of my reasoning and point you to sources for your own further research. I am definitely open to corrections of my views should something be contrary to Church teaching.


What is Sin?
Let's define some terms here. Sin is the transgression of God's Law. There are Mortal Sins which deprive us of everlasting life and Venial Sins which weaken our will. Both are not good but we are creatures of sinful nature.
More details can be read here. I'm summarizing. (And doing a poor job of it.)

Traditionally there are 3 conditions that must be met to consider a sin a Mortal Sin:

1. It is a grave matter in direct conflict with God's Law. 
2. There is full consent of will
3. Full Knowledge that this is a sin

Mortal sin can be both thought, word and deed. Basically, you know it's very wrong, it's serious and you decide to do it anyway.
Venial sins are things of habit that are not something that deprives us of sanctifying grace.


Gaming and Sin
It is sure to come up for a moral Christian: Is playing "Game Title" sinful? As a Catholic we are morally obligated to filter what we consume as entertainment. Many little sins can lead up to serious sin later. Or using "Boiling Frog" anecdote, numbing our senses to the seriousness of a sin does not make it less serious.
So where does one draw the line when playing games?

In some cases, the sin is obvious...for a moral person. A rape simulator or pornographic game, is sinful to play because viewing pornography is a sin against Chastity.
Murder is also a sin and often times games are criticized as murder simulators and they are found in the homes of anyone in the news blamed with violent crimes. The jury is still out on this one but there is a thing as "violence porn".

Like any film or book, a person is meant to use their reason and conscience to determine if this is a good title to play or own.

Violence
The usual culprit is "too much violence" in modern games when criticism is looking for easy prey. However, I would consider all sports violent: football, hockey, rugby and soccer. Competition and finding outlets for aggression is healthy for a human being. Personally I deal with competitiveness and aggression through various outlets. I take a kung fu class or if I'm very upset I have to DO something so I go out and take a walk. Some people play drums or loud guitar. And I have some beat 'em up video games and a few "violent" video games. (Which are really not more violent than your average fantasy adventure movie.)

As a culture, we have grown rather numb to depictions of violence. We deal with many issues and violent crimes in our country. And some people may pervert this into pleasure.

But the real question is: Is it a sin to "kill" in a video game?
Murder is defined by the actual taking of human life. It is a grave matter.

Personally, I really think that something that is gratuitously violent, weakens one's will and can further the numbness toward human suffering. But like any violent sport, it can be therapeutic and a healthy social gathering. It can also be re-purposed for discussions on morality. Killing in a game is not taking a real human life and we do not have "virtual souls".

Sex
As mentioned before, viewing pornography is sinful.
However, sex a very human, yet divine act. It deserves respect in depiction. High Art, Literature and music all have elevated sexuality in a way that showcases its beauty and goodness. Holy Scripture is especially saucy if you care to read Song of Songs or Tobit and much of the Old Testament. Video Games have yet to make it but there are titles that come somewhat close.
In games that follow a heavy storyline, it is more likely to have respect to sexuality. Mostly because these will delve into relationships in general. Games without plots can have positive impacts as well.

Similar to violence, gratuitous nudity or near nudity weakens the will. The same could be said of "soft porn" or the weird dry humping scenes in some games. Playing a story that includes sex is not wrong, but explicit video is pretty much pornographic and should be avoided...or skipped if that option is available.

Addiction
Some of the real problems from gaming is how it affects your daily life. Like all entertainment, moderation is necessary. Taking time from family, friends or work are the obvious problems that can arise from spending too much time on one activity. At the same time, immersing yourself and spending several hours playing is not necessarily a bad thing. Just as staying up late reading a good book is fun or talking late into the night, is all right from time to time.

Sins of Thought
Going back to some definitions here, sin can be anything that you say, do and sometimes THINK. This is tough area for a concerned Catholic because of societal pressures. It is often thought that only things you say or do to harm others is sinful. But there are sins of thought or Internal Sins. Usually there are 3 distinguished types. (Latin ahoy!)

• delectatio morosa, i.e. the pleasure taken in a sinful thought or imagination even without desiring it;
• gaudium, i.e. dwelling with complacency on sins already committed; and
• desiderium, i.e. the desire for what is sinful.
  (from Catholic Encyclopedia).

Delectatio morosa and desiderium are probably the two types of internal sin that can be committed through media consumption.  In my brief research on the subject, the answer is mostly: does it promote you to indulge in this sin?
Also, author intent is taken in consideration. For example, it is not wrong to watch a movie with implied sex scenes or to view nudity in art if the content was for characterization, social commentary, or plot. However, a piece of art displaying nudity for the purpose of titillating the viewer is more dangerous. The famous line in Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Conclusion
 If a person is struggling with "is this a sin?" type doubts, that doubt should be listened to! It may be your conscience which is your God-given help. It would be best to take such doubts to the confessional or ask a priest. (I would suggest asking a priest who knows you and you trust.)
But as for games, they are like other forms of media whose content should be filtered by an individual. If you have an unhealthy appetite for a particular vice AND you want to preserve your soul, then it's best not to feed the bears.

Update:  http://www.aliveandyoung.net/2009/05/music-and-passions.html
For a similar discussion as it relates to music. I feel it has very similar bearing to the discussion of a visual medium like games.

Game Thoughts: Dragon Age Series

Introduction
It's no secret that one of my favorite games this year has been the Dragon Age Series by EA Games and Bioware. Titles by Bioware that follow this Choose-your-own adventure type design are often full of moral goodies that can really challenge a player's perceptions thanks to good writing. It was just this year that I finished playing Origins, Awakening and Dragon Age 2. I have played through Origins 3 times, Awakening 2 times and DA2...I'm working on my 5th or 6th play through. I've lost count.
In this post I'm going to highlight some Catholic thinking in these games.

Free Will
First concept I'd like to cover is Free Will. Free Will is the human freedom to choose evil or good in simple terms. Animals do not have free will because they can not distinguish good and evil, they act on instinct. Our ability to reason and qualify an act as good or evil and the ability to choose between the two is our Free Will.

 In gaming, this is often represented in "morality choices". I will speak more on this another time.

Much of the player character's Free Will is limited to in game dialog choices which allow for certain actions to take place. In Origins and Awakening, the choices were more numerous and often grey in moral standing. In DA2, things are made a little more limiting by labeling the choices as "good" or "bad" (peaceful or aggressive etc.) Between the two main titles, this change was a bit upsetting. The outcome was "freer" in Origins where the player was allowed to interpret for themselves what would be an "evil" or "good" response.

Morality
 Thanks to the writing and scenarios in the game, there are lots of moral issues that the player deals with in the game.  Immersion level really helps the weight of these choices to the player. However, the player is not only making moral choices but reacting to moral problems. The sheer number of scenarios make it difficult to pick and choose. However, there are several themes I notice in my playthroughs.

 Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity
  Most often, I will find the story saddles the player with the choice of either killing or releasing a person.  The lives of criminals and innocents alike are set before you. Will you let one live and the other die? Most often, it is a choice to let a criminal live or die. The crimes vary from petty theft to outright slaughter.
Catholic teaching respects ALL HUMAN LIFE. That also means the life of a criminal, murderer, rapist, and pedophile. In both the game titles, there comes a point where you must spare the life or kill a key character. One choice will upset a party member and they will leave, usually the one who was portrayed as the "morally straight and narrow" type. It's one of my FAVORITE points in the game because the choice remains difficult. Because both instances, there is a chance for the perpetrator to redeem themselves if they live. Which is precisely why the Church (and myself personally) stands against the death penalty...in a majority of cases. (Church's Stance on Capital Punishment...it's short).
HOWEVER, because of the game setting, (roughly the middle ages), such matters of justice were more common place. In some cases, within the game, the player IS a figure of authority and it would be appropriate to dish out death to protect the community. In other cases, it's a personal choice. (Oh the woes of bringing modern thinking into primitive society!)
 
 Sexuality
Yay my favorite thing to talk about in these games. One of the "selling points" of the game is the simulated romance and "sex scenes" (with awkward 3d models yay!). So where to start?
Well, let's talk about impact. Pursuing a romance in Origins offers more story related effects particularly to the ending of the game. At the same time, romancing each character in a play through offers a trophy award. A head mounted on the wall as it were. In DA2, the trophy award is simply "you romanced someone". I'm not sure if it qualifies as objectifying if its an object anyway but the concept of objectifying another person is still there. Church teachings are pretty clear about objectifying another person. (Hint: It's not good.)

There is one point in DA2 that somewhat GRINDED MY GEARS because it aptly shows a misconception rampant in society. That is the perception that CHASTITY = NO SEX. This couldn't be further from the truth in Church teaching. Celibacy...celibacy is the free choice to abstain from intercourse for life. Chastity is respecting and recognizing that sexuality is a gift to be given. It demands that you see others as a human being, not an object to be used. All people, married, single and celibate are called to Chastity. If you're curious, there is a point in a romance with the character Sebastian where he suggests a chaste marriage, suggesting there is romance but no intercourse.
Err...yeah, all marriages should be chaste but marriage is certainly NOT about celibacy. Dear God, it's so not! (Although there is a romance path with this character that ends in a non-celibate marriage too. :3)

Moving on to the concept of marriage. It's a bit "weird" in these game titles as the option to get married is only available in rare cases. It's kind of sad really. But I suppose that may be the comic guy(or gal) mentality sneaking in and not enough of the marriage is great guys(and gals). There are plenty of other popular beliefs about sex within these titles including, cohabitation, homosexuality, bisexuality, prostitution, and other such objectifying beliefs. These are usually viewed as "acceptable" actions in this world...well by most of your companions. That's the other nice thing is that each character's beliefs will be reflected in their dialog reactions.

All this said, sex is not bad or evil. It's very good. It's awesome and therefore special. It's also the one thing most actively attacked by Satan and used against us. It is a great lie to say that sex is bad and should be repressed. Also that its meaningless or only for your personal pleasure is a lie. There is a great deal of smarter men and women who write on this subject. I would point you to the blogs linked here to read more on Catholic Sexual Morality. (I just like talking about games.)


Good vs. Evil
 An overriding theme is that you the player are in a conflict of Good vs. Evil.  The theme is more obvious in Origins with the enemy is clearly defined as evil. In general, the player is always the "good guy" but things are taken a step further based on actions in key points during the game. How good was the Warden? Were things really that much better after the defeat of the Archdemon? Do the ends justify the means?

That's another big theme too. The Church teaching on this is that the Ends do NOT justify the Means.


Closing Thoughts
This really only scratches the surface of things I've gleaned from the stories in Dragon Age.  Often I try to utilize my personal method of making moral choices when choosing in game options. It's really hard for me to play as a "jerk" in these games but I do try for the sake of exploring that option. I won't really get into the whole "is it a sin to..." kind of discussion but I may in another post. Because it's something to consider.

And of course, the millions of humorous responses to events and choices never fail to entertain.
In fact, I've made stupid comics about them...enjoy: Tale of Mage Angelo and Warrior AJ