Entrenched in the snow, I wait for the ladders, rams, and towers to finish construction. The jewel, Marseilles, must fall to the Longbow's shaft or past sacrifices will be for naught. As spring comes round, the troops muster to finish the siege, but then the letter arrives. My dear pope wishes the Longbow unstrung and the Fleur-de-lis unfurled on pain of excommunication. Is this prize worth the wrath of God? Yes. This last choice finished my campaign in “Medieval II: Total War”. The game highlights two reasons I play video games: living and learning.
First, players can live vicariously through video games. Medieval II allows players the joy of a successful ending, or as Tolkien puts it, a eucatastrophe. Through setting up a scenario of small land holdings and armies, the game prompts the player to create their own story of how England conquerers the world or fails. With the shadow of failure looming in the background, the joy of a successful campaign lifts the spirit to euphoria. The joy of success points to the great eucatastrophe of Jesus Christ returning to conquer his foes. Players can vicariously experience a snippet of the coming joy of Christ.
Medieval II encourages good living through rest and relaxation. For a couple of hours, players can leave the problems of real life to solve some fictional ones. After vanquishing the fictional foe, players can see their real problems in a new light. When life really grinds down, Medieval II offers an escape from the shackles of toil and trouble for a new world of conquering armies, deft negotiations, close defeats, and heroic victories against all odds that can point to Christ. Sometimes the best option is brief escape from woes. King David escaped into poetry to bask in the support of God in Psalm 121. When escaping, Christian players should look for ways that games point to Christ.
PSALM 121
The Lord the Keeper of Israel.
A Song of Ascents.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.
Second, players can learn through video games. Medieval II teaches different viewpoints through Medieval quotes in the load screens. Arnaud Amaury, Abbot of Citeaux, when asked about distinguishing between Christians and Muslims on the battlefield said, "Kill them all, God will recognize his own." Many people called themselves Christians, but were not true Christians. Arnaud strongly devalued humans, made in the image of God. At the same time people like Martin Luther said, "War is the greatest plague that can affect humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it." Playing “war” may be fun, but everybody should avoid war at almost all cost. The Bible also utilizes story to drive a new perspective home. In 2 Samuel 2:12 the prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin of adultery by telling him the story of a rich man stealing from a poor man. David believes the story and condemns the evil rich man, but he condemns himself in doing so. King David repents as a result of the story. Video games can point out areas for change in people’s lives as well.
Medieval II teaches problem solving through strategy and resource management. To succeed, players must manage taxes, population happiness, agent deployments, and troop deployment. To build and maintain an empire, players learn to break the challenges down into simpler tasks, then solve them with the tool kit of various resources like money, military, or special agents. Sometimes a diplomat succeeds where an army fails. In laying out troop formation, players learn about timing and tactics. Problem solving skills apply both in life and games, like supply chain management or running a church event. Daniel 6:3 says, "Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom" (NASB). Like Daniel, Christians should distinguish themselves with excellence, and video games can help train excellence.
Medieval II highlights the blessings of living and learning through video games. Through the game, people can experience a fraction of the joy to come from Christ, can briefly leave the pain, sorrow, and limitations of the world, and can learn how to better live. As with any art, people should balance the time and energy spent in-game, and focus on games that uplift the spirit.