I love games. While I would say that chess is my favorite, I also enjoy playing the occasional video game. At one point I was really into a game called World of Warcraft. Though it’s among the nerdiest things anyone can do, ten million of us gathered everyday in an online world called Azeroth, which is a grand and beautiful place where you live through a fake character. As you go on various quests in this land, you don’t necessarily win the game, you just gain powers and have lots of adventures. 

Interestingly, World of Warcraft is not only one of the most successful video games ever, it is also one of the most addictive. Sadly, I’ve heard of three people who’ve died playing it because they were so immersed in their online experience that they forgot to eat and drink. That’s pretty bad! Naturally, the thing people want to know is why is this game so habit-forming? As researchers have begun to study the nuances of the virtual world of Azeroth, one of the conclusions they have come to is that human beings have an innate need for personal progress and the fantasy world in the game perpetuates that. As characters “level up” and gain new weapons, the individuals playing also have a sense, no matter how false, that they are moving forward in their lives. This perceived forward progress is addictive.

Friend, you were made to move forward, and while you need to feel like you are growing and making progress, your source is not a video game! Because you are a child of Jesus Christ and His Spirit is constantly at work in you, your life has a purpose, and you are moving ahead into the good plans He has prepared for you. You’re learning, you’re achieving, and you’re becoming the most developed version of you —  just don’t settle for less than His best! Your Heavenly Father loves you and is proud of you…and so am I!