'Our list is not 'Christian' games, but rather a list of games that pose important spiritual questions to those who play them. 'What if video games have more to offer than just an exciting diversion into a digital battlefield, fantasy war, or alien invasion? While these types of games are certainly the loudest and most financially successful, there are a growing number of games asking important questions about life, the human condition, and even God.' LTN exists to be the love of Jesus to nerds and nerd culture, you can read more about them on their website. It starts with 12 with a challenge us to be a good neighbour, and follows with others added over time. In this list, provided by the LTN (Love Thy Nerd) editors, we bring together video games that have the potential to offer more than entertainment. Games like Eastshade or The Long Dark invite us to linger in these places and gain an understanding that is crucial to our survival. Experiences like Cloud Gardens or Viva Pinata extend this by using play to put us in charge of tending to the natural world. From getting lost in Shadow of the Colossus to finding our way in Journey, games underline the importance of the spaces in which we play. Other games let us experience our connection to the environment by adventuring in it. Then there are games of dire warning that let us step into a future where humanity is all but disconnected from the wider environment and hangs on just by a thread. One family told us about Final Fantasy 7 Remake's commentary on corporations and ecology. Other games, like The Wandering Village underline how our location in the world impacts on us and others. Or it can be how a game like Eco establishes the connection between your actions and the other aspects of the environment. This might be how a game like Terra Nil makes the land itself a character in the experience. As she quotes, “games of environmental responsibility animate our capacity to respond, to affect and be affected, to engage with others: other species, other people, and the otherness of our own planet.” They offer a chance to consider play from an ecological perspective. The games in this list take inspiration from Alenda Chang’s Playing Nature book. These games encourage players to consider the impact of their actions on the environment, as well as their interconnectedness to the world in which they live.

There are, however, many games that offer quite the reverse. It’s easy to assume that video games are all about building big cities or running successful economies.

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