The Name of the Game

When I try to think of a post title, I generally start with songs. Perhaps the most appropriate one would be Video Games by Lana Del Ray, but the question is looking for the name of the game, so I’ll choose Abba, and I do love that song. I was a 15-year old punk rocker when it was out. I wouldn’t have admitting to liking it, but it’s very much about teenaged crushes. So I loved it 😀. Here are some songs with Game in the title or content.

• “The Name of the Game” – ABBA
• “The Crying Game” – Boy George
• “Games Without Frontiers” – Peter Gabriel
• “Mind Games” – John Lennon
• “Love Is a Losing Game” – Amy Winehouse
• “Pinball Wizard” – The Who
• “Video Games” – Lana Del Rey
• “Games People Play” – The Alan Parsons Project
• “Play the Game” – Queen
• “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” – Backstreet Boys

And here’s my top 10 games in order of preference;

• 1. Demeo
• 2. Rocksmith 2014
• 3. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
• 4. Train Simulator
• 5. Forza Horizon 4
• 6. Walkabout Mini Golf
• 7. Angry Birds
• 8. Smash Drums
• 9. Tetris Effect Connected
• 10. Mario Kart

I could easily reorder these if I thought about it again in a few days. I have played some great games, such as Skyrim, Half-Life Alyx and Resident Evil VR 7, and many more in bygone years. But those I’ve listed above are the ones I’d be inclined to play again and again.

So let me explain Demeo. It’s a virtual reality (VR) tabletop RPG dungeon crawler. I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons. Perhaps the closest thing was a board came called Hero Quest, which we had back in the early 1990s.

I remember back in 1985, someone saying that Dungeons & Dragons is an evil satanic game. Some say the same sort of thing about Harry Potter. Perhaps this is because fantastic, bizarre images are used to portray evil forces in the Scripture; for example, consider the following passage:

Rev 12: 3-40
³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

Some think that if someone comes up with something like that in a game, that it’s a real demon or there’s a real demon behind it. But Satan’s real work is a lot more subtle than that.

And you do get fantastic, bizarre images to portray good angels in the Bible too.

Rev 4:6-8
⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

And in most fantasy books, films, and games, you are a good person fighting evil creatures. 17th Century puritan, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is a little like that in some ways. I remember reading his forward, and he was concerned that some might criticize him for it.

Anyway, back to Demeo. I don’t generally play multi-player features. I just play the single-player option, called skirmish. I find it great fun wandering around the maze with my four characters and defeating the bad guys. I don’t always win, but it’s always a joy to defeat the final boss, if I get than far.

Life is a little like that too. We battle with physical, mental and spiritual ailments. And, of course, we still have real battles and wars. We do need police and armies to prevent evil people from invading our own or other countries. But generally, when Christians speak of battles, they speak of spiritual battles, where we fight evil within and Satan’s influence in the world by spreading the gospel. It was never God’s intention to spread the gospel by military means, though in later centuries, nominal Christianity got mingled with politics resulting in the crusades etc. But that wasn’t New Testament Christianity. That said, Christians do serve in the military, and police and the military are endorsed in the New Testament; for example:

Rom 13:3-5
⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

Ironically, that very ruler (Nero) is said to be responsible for the martyrdom of Paul, which shows that Paul is speaking in general terms here. Like all humans, and human institutions, governments can do evil as well as good. Government is better than no government, and generally they should be supported, but sometimes, if there is opportunity to oust rogue rulers, Christians have done so. An example is Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany.

Many hymns focus on spiritual battles. Here are six examples. I always find it quite exhilarating to sing them:

And here are a few more:

• Fight the Good Fight
• Through Our God, We Shall Do Valiantly
• Battle Belongs
• Victory in Jesus
• Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)
• The Battle Belongs to the Lord
• The Son of God Goes Forth to War
• The Lord Has Given a Land of Good Things
• We Are Marching in the Light of God
• Every Giant Will Fall

And here are a few verses about spiritual battles:

Luke 10:19
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.”

Romans 8:37
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

2 Corinthians 10:4
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 Peter 5:8-9
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion… Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”