Church Of England Thinks Games Can Be Force For Good

[wraggster]

A bunch of Church and charity leaders gather around a table to discuss video games and their impact on society - surely a recipe for military-grade Moral Outrage, no?

Well, no, actually. To interrupt your scheduled grumblings about know-nothing moral guardians and anti-games cliches I bring news that several figures from Church of England groups and charities met at a round table chat organised by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) and came to the conclusion that this gaming lark might actually have something positive to contribute to society.

Mike Royal, national director of the Lighthouse Group said that games can encourage children to talk about 'boundaries' and what behavior is good and acceptable, not only in gaming but other aspects of their lives.

Up next - Jack Thompson "really getting in to Tales of Vesperia".

http://kotaku.com/5062012/church-of-england-thinks-games-can-be-force-for-good

[mistac]

What a refreshing change. I usually avoid anything church related like the plague but in this case it's good to see a group of people actually thinking about taking an oft negative critiqued past-time and thinking of a constructive way to use it.

If only a few other organisations could put a little thought and effort into doing the same instead of responding with the knee-jerk "quick, ban it!" mentality.

Still, that said, I hope I don't get any visits from a penguin priest in Animal Crossing.

[alanparker05]

I guess this is a good thing... i usually don't take much notice of mainstream religious views when they constantly reverse their beliefs to fit in to modern life, but religion does have a lot of influence and their new views on gaming could be a real benefit to us