Video games are not evil (...?!)

I've really being enjoying this song today. It is a Swahili version of the Lord's prayer. It was actually written for a video game (Civilisation IV). I didn't post the ''official video'' for the song because it has scenes from the game in it. Scenes of violence. I am against violence, simulated or otherwise, so I tend to think that the world would be a better place if video games didn't exist. Not only do I believe that video games normalize and desensitize people to violence, they also prevent people from having authentic, personal social interactions, contribute to our society's sedentary lifestyle that leads to all sorts of health problems (both physical and mental), and prevent people from engaging with the real world, preventing people from getting involved in the true struggles that are happening in meatspace.

So with all that being said, it's a bit humbling to admit that I am spiritually uplifted by a song from a video game soundtrack. 

In more video game news, I stumbled upon this CBC article today about a computer game that can be used to treat depression in teens and is as effective as one-on-one counseling. 

So what can I conclude from all this? Well, firstly this has been a reminder that making negative generalizations about something (in this case, videogames as a potentially useful media) can blind a person to its positive potential. Secondly, I have to say that this only affirms my suspicions that being open can make a person see grace in places where they would never have imagined that they would find it.