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Game over--and over

26 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

A sizeable percentage of young people who play video games--almost one in ten--may resonate with the cry of help we hear in this Sunday's psalm: "You who relieve me when I am in distress; have pity on me, and hear my prayer!" A new study suggests that 8.5 percent of young video game players exhibit signs of addiction to gaming. Douglas A. Gentile, a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor at Iowa State University in Ames, said the study is the first to document the prevalence of video game addiction using a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents. "What's most concerning to me is really the total percentage, just the vast number of kids that are having real problems in their lives because they play games, and they may not know how to stop it," said Gentile, whose study appears in the May edition of Psychological Science. Experts say that when playing video games becomes compulsive and results in kids skipping school or not playing with friends it could signal other mental health problems. "What you usually find with these kids is this [video game compulsion] is just the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Michael Brody, a psychiatrist in private practice in Potomac, Maryland and chairman of the media committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "Underneath you usually find a lot of depression and anxiety." Source: An article by Karen Pallarito for HealthDay Reporter

Children teenagers young people mental health adolescents douglas a gentile gaming addiction video games

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Prognosis rather poor for Commonwealth Games

26 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

From this Sunday’s reading from the First Letter to Timothy comes the encouragement to “compete well for the faith.” The Commonwealth Games, however, which every four years bring together more than 7,000 athletes from 71 countries and territories of the former British empire, have been plagued by problems in host country India and may not take place at all this year. Games officials rushed to New Delhi Wednesday seeking emergency talks with the prime minister over India’s chaotic preparations for the scheduled October 3 opening, as two world champion competitors withdrew and England warned that problems with the athletes’ village have left the sporting event on a “knife-edge.” No national team has pulled out yet, but Scotland announced Wednesday it would delay its travel to the Indian capital, where the athletes' village has been described as “uninhabitable” amid reports of shoddy construction work and toilets left in a “filthy” state. The collapse Wednesday of a partly constructed footbridge built for the Games further clouded the outlook. Source: Articles by Jane Cowan for abc.net.au, Ravi Nessman for Associated Press, and TIME

india commonwealth games

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Supreme Court views violent videos as protected speech

03 Jul 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s first reading promises that the savior will banish instruments of violence such as the warrior’s bow and declare peace to the nations. On Monday the highest court in the nation ruled that the sale or rental of violent video games to minors cannot be banished from the marketplace, striking down a California law that attempted to do so. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 that the California law violates the First Amendment. It was the latest ruling by the high court to take a broad view of free-speech rights. "Even where the protection of children is the object, the constitutional limits on governmental action apply," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his 18-page opinion. The decision scrambled the court's typical ideological lineup. Scalia, a conservative, was joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy and three justices on the court's more liberal wing--Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. Justice Samuel Alito wrote separately in favor of the same outcome, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, but the two expressed some disagreement with the majority. Justices Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer filed separate dissents. Scalia said that as far as the First Amendment is concerned, the viewing of violent videogames was essentially the same as reading books. "Reading Dante is unquestionably more cultured and intellectually edifying than playing Mortal Kombat," he wrote. "But these cultural and intellectual differences are not constitutional ones." Alito and Roberts, while agreeing with the result, questioned the breadth of the majority's opinion. "The court is far too quick to dismiss the possibility that the experience of playing video games (and the effects on minors of playing violent video games) may be very different from anything that we have seen before," Alito wrote. The church’s perspective on violent videos was perhaps summed up by Cardinal William Keeler, former archbishop of Baltimore and a U.S. Bishops’ Committee for Communications consultant, in an interview several years ago. “The media's escalating use of graphic violence in speech and action” has desensitized many to the harm of such exposure, he said. “Families need to protect their homes. They wouldn't welcome visitors who trashed their homes, and they shouldn't welcome visitors through media who trash their minds.” Sources: Articles by Jess Bravin for the Wall Street Journal, Brett Molina for USA TODAY,Alan Liptak for the New York Times, and USCCB.ORG/comm/keeler.shtml

Violence Children video games supreme court freedom of speech first amendment antonin scalia minors william keeler

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Video makers game religion’s reputation

11 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“You shall not kill” is among the commandments the Lord delivers to the people in this Sunday’s first reading. Apparently, video-game makers didn’t get the memo. Many video games have begun incorporating religion into their story lines, and a new study finds that these representations often equate religion with violence. Greg Perreault, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, examined five recent video games that include religion heavily into their scenarios: “Mass Effect 2,” “Final Fantasy 13,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,” and “Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.” Perreault found that all of these games closely link religion with violence. “In most of these games there was a heavy emphasis on . . . 'Knights Templar' and crusader motifs,” Perreault said. “Not only was the violent side of religion emphasized, but in each of these games religion created a problem that the main character must overcome, whether it is a direct confrontation with religious zealots or being haunted by religious guilt.” “It doesn’t appear that game developers are trying to purposefully bash organized religion in these games,” Perreault said. “If you look at video games across the board, most of them involve violence in some fashion because violence is conflict and conflict is exciting. Religion appears to get tied in with violence because that makes for a compelling narrative.” Source: An article by Nathan Hurst for the University of Missouri News Bureau

religion Violence video games university of missouri school of journalism greg perreault

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Games worth playing

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Sunday sports—from children’s games to watching football and beyond—famously pose challenges for churches, but maybe on a deeper level something else is going on here: Maybe they share something. Experiencing God’s presence in the Word and Eucharist is of course very much more than a mere game could ever be, but consider: Games in general, whether on the field or in massive multiplayer online role-playing games, are a way of constructing a world and disciplining oneself to a rule or way of life. The liturgy is like that. The Mass is a divine game where we all have our roles and all need to be full, active, and conscious participants if we are to fully realize the potential of the encounter. Both a Mass and a game are highly predictable yet always different. We know that if the game goes well and works as we hope it does, we will to go out to transform the world, whether to new levels of sporting behavior, team-building, or shared collective identity within the workplace, neighborhood, and society in general. Prayer is like that, and so is liturgy. Both get us out of ourselves, connect us with others, and even put us in a profound rhythm within God’s good creation. Yet it is not liturgical games that draw crowds but football games, video games, little league games, golf games. People might do both—but which one has their attention and excitement? All other games seem to have people who practice constantly, participants who are excited, more than ample resources, and an expectation that something potentially beautiful and deeply engaging is going to happen. If this were not the case, would people participate? Oddly we comfort ourselves oftentimes that the Mass was “good enough” or “did not take too long.” If we use the language of mediocrity, perhaps we should not ask why people do not participate but rather why they participate at all. Sports are hardly a sacrament, but there seems to be plenty of communion taking place and even real change: players get better, fans get connected, and all see a glimpse of what the world would look like if true team-play defined our world. The Eucharist is the sacramental source and summit of the Christian life, but do we play it for the transformational moment it is? © 2014, Bryan Froehle.

Authors Bryan Froehle

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Let us “strive together” for international peace

21 Aug 2016 - Preaching the News for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

This Sunday’s readings feature the Lord promising the prophet Isaiah that “I come to gather nations of every language.” Every four years, nations of every language gather for the Summer Olympics, which are concluding this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the games were about to open this year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon participated in the Olympic Torch Relay in Rio after the historic torch had made its quadrennial journey from Greece, where the games were born more than 2,000 years ago and revived late in the 19th century. Ban congratulated the athletes and the fans saying, “The Olympics and Paralympics celebrate the best of humanity.” “Let us all do more to uphold the ideals of equality and mutual respect. Let us build prosperity and dignity for all on a healthy planet,” he added. In his message for the games, Ban highlighted the fact that the UN also works for global harmony and peace. “In that spirit, we proclaim the Olympic Truce,” he said, adding: “We call on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and put aside their differences during the Games.” Earlier, the secretary-general met with the Olympic Refugee Team. He saluted the athletes’ work and determination, telling them: “You are a source of inspiration for all of us.” Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, more than 200 national teams have vied for glory at the Summer and Winter Games. This year for the first time a team of refugees competed as well. The first-ever Refugee Olympic Athletes team includes two Syrian swimmers, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a marathoner from Ethiopia, and five middle-distance runners from South Sudan. “Their participation in the Olympics is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees in overcoming adversity and building a better future for themselves and their families,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “UNHCR stands with them and with all refugees.” The initiative comes at a time when more people than ever—59.5 million at last count—are being forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. The squad representing them in Rio hopes to give the world a glimpse of their resilience and untapped talent. The Olympic Summer Games’ power of unification is so strong that it can apparently bring together North and South Korea—at least briefly. During a gymnastics training session on Thursday, a photographer captured a photo of Lee Eun-Ju of South Korea posing with Hong Un Jong of North Korea for a selfie. Despite hostilities between North and South Korea, the tension is not evident between the two competitors at the Olympic gym in Rio. In the photo, Lee is making a peace sign with her hand. “In the past, North Korean athletes avoided conversation not only with the athletes, but also with the reporters from South Korea. However this summer, they greeted South Korean athletes with more hospitality,” reported Korean-American newspaper Korea Daily. The interaction has been praised as a demonstration of the true spirit of the Olympics. The Olympics haven’t been able to cut through all international conflicts. Members of the Lebanese delegation reportedly blocked their Israeli counterparts from boarding a bus they were assigned to share en route to the opening ceremony of the games, and a few days ago, defeated Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby was loudly booed when he refused to shake hands with his Israeli rival. At his weekly general audience leading up to the Olympics, Pope Francis called on athletes to exemplify the unity of the human race during the event. He urged Olympians not to consider winning medals as the ultimate prize, but instead to encapsulate a civilization in which solidarity takes precedence. The pope said it was possible to create a society “based on the acknowledgment that everyone is a member of the same human family, independent of culture, skin color, and religion.” Francis also praised the Brazilian society for hosting the Olympics hoping that, by working together, it could overcome its difficulties and lead to a more just and safe country. Lessons drawn from the readings Jesus reminds us in this Sunday’s gospel that “some who are first will be last, and some who are last will be first.” The Olympics are about more than winning and losing, as Pope Francis pointed out. Yes, they showcase great athletic skill but they also transcend sport. They offer a vision of athletes from around the world uniting in a common effort, “striving together” not only to be the best athletes they can be but also to be model citizens. Though occasionally an athlete or even an entire nation will fall short of the ideal, the vast majority enter into the true spirit of the games as a time to compete fairly and to celebrate what unites us rather than what divides us. Final thought in light of the news Heather Reid, professor of philosophy at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa offers this perspective on the meaning of the Olympics: “There’s something about this collective experience of striving together, which is what the word competito in Latin means, to strive together,” says Reid. “It’s very hard to watch the Olympic Games and not be inspired by what humans are capable of and their ability to overcome their political differences.”

2016 summer olympics ban ki-moon Unity Refugee Olympic Athletes unification olympic games international conflicts

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Fact of the week

21 Aug 2016 - Preaching the News for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

From 1912 to 1948, in seven Olympiads, more than 151 Olympic medals were awarded in artistic competitions. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee in 1894, believed that Olympic competition shouldn’t be just about physical athletics, but “sports of the mind” as well. Fascinating Olympics Facts

olympic games olympics

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