The Peace Columnist of the Catholic Peace Weekly reminisces on his hobby of playing video games. His first encounter with video games was in the early 1990s. He vividly remembers the wonder and joy of just holding the controller, pressing the buttons, and seeing the moving characters on the screen
Video games today are very different from those of the past. Games in the past were typically played in a set order. However, recent gaming trends provide players with a world, allowing them to freely explore it and create their own stories through interaction.
‘Freedom’ and ‘open world’ have emerged as important elements. The measure of a well-made game is how free and ‘plausible’ the world created is. For example, in a game set in the American Wild West, players can ride horses and go places, talk to people, and solve cases. You can get caught up in a whirlwind of uncontrollable events in a fantasy world. When he looks at the games that ‘created the world’ like this, he can’t help but feel admiration.
Many people thought it was just a game played by children, recent games have come so close to the ‘real world’ that they will find it shocking. However, let's say someone claims that the person who created this game software, which is a culmination of amazing, cutting-edge graphics and all kinds of technology, does not exist and that it came into the world by chance. Probably not a single person would think that such a claim is logical or credible. Rather, most people would ask why such an absurd claim is made.
Surprisingly, there are people in the world who make similar claims. Atheists who do not believe in God the Creator claim that this world, full of beauty and mystery that cannot be compared to the latest games, is simply a ‘product of coincidence’ created over a long period. However, just as we look at a well-made game and wonder, “Who made this and how?” It is natural to acknowledge the existence of a creator when looking at the beauty and mystery of this world.
It is a great irony to think that people who do not believe in God the Creator also admire human creations such as well-made games and say: “Wow, who made this and how!” They often ask: "Is it not too difficult to believe in the God who created the world?" Instead, he wants to ask them:"Isn't it more difficult to believe that the love we share with all things in this beautiful world, and the desire for righteousness, just happen to exist by chance?"
Recently, attempts to introduce artificial intelligence into games are increasingly being made. A game featuring characters who respond to anything you say, rather than choosing a set line, will be released in the not-too-distant future. If that happens, the world in the game will become a little closer to the real world. How many more amazing games will we come across? How much praise will be poured out on those who created them? But what should really be praised is not the games, artificial intelligence, or the people who created them.
Whether it's artificial intelligence or the latest games, which are hot topics these days, it's not just a coincidence that humans can create such amazing things. Because humans were created to resemble the image of God, they can demonstrate creative abilities. We must remember that amazing human creations also originated from God's grace. It is natural to feel God's hand in all the creations we create and to praise Him. Praise be to you, Creator God!
