Is Second Life, Life?

Today, a reflection on another kind of pioneer, a man named Gary Gygax who died yesterday at 69. Many people will have no idea who he is, unless they happen to be one of millions of closet "gamers," or dabblers in the game Dungeons and Dragons. Gary Gygax was one of two guys who co-created Dungeons and Dragons and the whole idea of role-playing games.
When the games first came out there was a lot of worry. What about the fantasy elements, are they appropriate? Christian groups especially worried about what they saw as occult elements in the game. The height of panic was reached when reports started coming out about people who became too wrapped up in their game characters. They even made a TV movie about it, Mazes and Monsters, starring a very young Tom Hanks.
Mazes and Monsters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFIWUYr0n10

But gradually the panic faded and the game Dungeons and Dragons went on to inspire a whole industry. Online gaming, Second Life (secondlife.com) and other virtual worlds, even most console video games owe their inspiration partly to the fantasy gaming world created by Gary Gygax. Now people argue over whether all of those things are good or not. But it cannot be denied that this influence was/is far reaching. Gary Gygax himself was heard to muse about the phenomenon he, in part, started.

"There is no intimacy; it’s not live," he said of online games. "It’s being translated through a computer, and your imagination is not there the same way it is when you’re actually together with a group of people. It reminds me of one time where I saw some children talking about whether they liked radio or television, and I asked one little boy why he preferred radio, and he said, ‘Because the pictures are so much better.’ "
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/05gygax.html?ref=arts

So what does Gary Gygax, and online gaming have to do with Christian spirituality?

The question that comes up more and more now is, what is the value of online communities of all kinds, not just gaming? What about the virtual church? The United Church has one http://www.wondercafe.ca/. Personally, like Gary Gygax, I feel that there is no substitute for actual human contact. Online stuff is a good supplement, but physical community is important. In the Bible, Jesus is shown again and again sitting with people and sharing food, touching people to heal them, and visiting in houses. Many people nowadays are disconnected from a spiritual community. They have spiritual beliefs, spiritual longings, and even an active spiritual life. But there is something important about that physical spiritual community. We all need a little help from our friends sometimes.
So find a community where you are comfortable and can grow in your faith. Even if everyone doesn’t think the same way (I actually think that’s better in many ways). Such a community can be a wonderful place to bring your questions, seek solace, and grow. Just as Gygax pointed out, "your imagination is not there the same way it is when you’re actually together with a group of people." In a similar way, our spiritual growth is not nurtured in the same way it is when you are actually with a group of people.
Check out the description of the early Christian community. Acts 2:42-47 and then find someone to go out for coffee with and talk spiritual stuff with. Enjoy.