USA Today published a recent article discussing the popularity of video games among adults. A few highlights include:

• “According to a new AP-AOL Games poll, 40% of American adults play games on a computer or a console.”
• “About one in six online gamers play more than 10 hours a week.”
• “Of those who play online games, nearly one in five said they had formed ongoing friendships or relationships with fellow gamers they did not know before.”

Video games have certainly become a noteworthy part of many people’s lives, and their popularity is growing. Early this year, another article claimed that one in three parents play video games, and “80% of that segment play video games with their children.” It is an unchartered issue by previous generations. Obviously, older generations successfully navigated life without video games, but these games seem to be a very integrated part of life for today’s younger demographics. Last August, a South Korean man died of exhaustion after playing video games for 49 hours non-stop. It wasn’t the first time. In 2002, another South Korean died after 86 hours of gaming. It has become a concern to South Korea as they learn to deal with 35% of their population being obsessed with gaming.

Without a question, video games are reshaping cultures and birthing entirely new cultures of their own. Will it affect the church? In some cases, yes. I am certain that gaming over attending church will tempt many the same way that a sunny day at the lake has tempted previous generations. At the same time, it also offers another platform of outreach. Many ministries, particularly youth ministries, have already begun harnessing the power of gaming to attract people to church and help create meaningful relationships.