
Well hell and damnation! Another church leader has called for a good old fashioned media barbecue.
Pastor Richard Patrick seems to focus his attention on hip hop, but he also targets video games. In his defense, he seems much more interested in making a positive impact in his community than stirring up scandal for attention. In other words, he's no Jack Thompson:
The problems ... are bad. I think they have got worse. Last year was pretty bad. ... Domestic violence is a big issue. A lot of the problems in this community are drug-related because it trickles down. I also think a lot of the problem is a lack of job opportunities in the community — hopefully that will change in the future. There is also a lack of outlets for youth. If you come here in the afternoon, you just see young people everywhere but with nowhere to go or nothing to do.
Wouldn't video games, even violent ones provide an outlet? I used to volunteer at an urban outreach program. We used semi-violent (think Halo) games all the time to great results. I never once observed actual violent behavior in any of the kids during or after gameplay. If anything, it provided a release, allowing them to get out some of their agression in a safe, friendly environment. I know I'm not breaking new ground here with this argument, but there it is.
Between this and the Church's recent affinity for introducing their younger congregants to Halo 3, Christianity's strained relationship with the gaming subculture is set to continue. For more on this subject, check out Headshots 4 Jesus, an article I wrote a while back about the bizarre relationship between the church and interactive media.