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Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God
Craig Detweiler's collection of up-to-the-minute essays on video games' theological themes (and yes, they do exist!) is an engaging and provocative book for gamers, parents, pastors, media scholars, and theologians--virtually anyone who has dared to consider the ramifications of modern society's obsession with video games and online media. Together, these essays take on an exploding genre in popular culture and interpret it through a refreshing and enlightening philosophical lens.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
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47 people want to read
About the author
Craig Detweiler
18 books22 followersCraig Detweiler is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and cultural commentator who has been featured in The New York Times and on CNN and NPR. He is President of the Wedgwood Circle, a philanthropic collective that invests in good, true, and beautiful entertainment. He serves as Dean of the College of Arts and Media at Grand Canyon University.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 17, 2025
Having tried to use this book in my bachelor project in religious studies back in 2019, it sadly lacks the depth and finesse of an academic text.
Having a Reagan citation on the second page off the book does show the books general stance on different values. The points are superficial and have no academic merit, with more of an "Wow, videogames and Christianity have sometimes, somethings in common!" - which feels very vague and without ballast.
The book might be fine if you want some very shallow essays on Christianity and videogames. The books best purpose is to figure out your own opinion on the subject of videogames and religiosity, which mostly will be disagreeing with Detweiler. There're rare passages of good points, but they few and far between. It's quite the timecapsule into a 2010 mindset.
Having a Reagan citation on the second page off the book does show the books general stance on different values. The points are superficial and have no academic merit, with more of an "Wow, videogames and Christianity have sometimes, somethings in common!" - which feels very vague and without ballast.
The book might be fine if you want some very shallow essays on Christianity and videogames. The books best purpose is to figure out your own opinion on the subject of videogames and religiosity, which mostly will be disagreeing with Detweiler. There're rare passages of good points, but they few and far between. It's quite the timecapsule into a 2010 mindset.
May 28, 2018
If you're a gamer and you've already thought about how gaming relates to faith, this book will probably not contain much new information. If you haven't, it might start the ball rolling, but there may be better ways to get at this information.
An unfortunate reality for the authors of the essays in this book is that tech moves at such a fast rate that this book, published a mere 8 years ago, already comes across as outdated and behind the curve because so much has changed in the digital landscape since it was written.
An unfortunate reality for the authors of the essays in this book is that tech moves at such a fast rate that this book, published a mere 8 years ago, already comes across as outdated and behind the curve because so much has changed in the digital landscape since it was written.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews