Murder, looting, pizza theft, and other hazards of cooperative video-gaming:

What is it about games that bring out the worst human behaviors? I’m sure the guy next to me was a wonderful human being, a delightful co-worker, and a caring husband and father. But in this game, he was the Poseidon to my Odysseus—yes, it felt that epic—an enemy bent on ensuring that I would never reach the promised land. As long as you don’t take it too personally, cooperative play reveals what makes video games such a special medium. Being granted the opportunity to be friends or adversaries, games allow us to act out the worst of human pathologies and encourage behaviors that would get us yelled at, arrested, or killed in the real world.

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Richard Clark

Richard Clark is the Founding Editor of Christ and Pop Culture. He is also the managing editor of Gamechurch and a freelance writer for Unwinnable, Paste, and other outlets. He lives with his wife in Louisville, KY and has a MA in Theology and the Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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