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God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

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God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz



God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

Best Ebook God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

If he were alive today, what might Heidegger say about Halo, the popular video game franchise? What would Augustine think about Assassin’s Creed ? What could Maimonides teach us about Nintendo’s eponymous hero, Mario? While some critics might dismiss such inquiries outright, protesting that these great thinkers would never concern themselves with a medium so crude and mindless as video games, it is impor­tant to recognize that games like these are, in fact, becoming the defining medium of our time. We spend more time and money on video games than on books, television, or film, and any serious thinker of our age should be concerned with these games, what they are saying about us, and what we are learning from them.Yet video games still remain relatively unexplored by both scholars and pundits alike. Few have advanced beyond out­moded and futile attempts to tie gameplay to violent behavior. With this canard now thoroughly and repeatedly disproven, it is time to delve deeper. Just as the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan recently acquired fourteen games as part of its permanent collection, so too must we seek to add a serious consideration of virtual worlds to the pantheon of philoso-phical inquiry.In God in the Machine, author Liel Leibovitz leads a fas­cinating tour of the emerging virtual landscape and its many dazzling vistas from which we are offered new vantage points on age-old theological and philosophical questions. Free will vs. determinism, the importance of ritual, transcendence through mastery, notions of the self, justice and sin, life, death, and resurrection—these all come into play in the video games that some critics so easily write off as mind-numbing wastes of time. When one looks closely at how these games are designed, at their inherent logic, and at the cognitive effects they have on players, it becomes clear that playing these games creates a state of awareness vastly different from that which occurs when we watch television or read a book. Indeed, gameplay is a far more engaged process—one that draws on various faculties of mind and body to evoke sensa­tions that might more commonly be associated with religious experience. Getting swept away in an engrossing game can be a profoundly spiritual activity. It is not to think, but rather simply to be, a logic that sustained our ancestors for millennia as they looked heavenward for answers.Today, as more and more of us look screenward, it is important to investigate these games for their vast potential as fine instruments of moral training. Anyone seeking a concise and well-reasoned introduction to the subject would do well to start with God in the Machine. By illuminating both where video game storytelling is now and where it currently butts up against certain inherent limitations, Liebovitz intriguingly implies how the field and, in turn, our experiences might continue to evolve and advance in the coming years.

God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1075840 in Books
  • Brand: Leibovitz, Liel
  • Published on: 2015-05-26
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 8.50" h x .60" w x 5.50" l,
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 160 pages
God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

Review “Many dismiss video games as a worthless pursuit, and some even go so far as to consider them a harmful and addictive activity that sets individuals towards violence. Liel Leibovitz defies those assumptions while explaining gaming’s allure and place in the world… . this work is a thoughtful, well-written, and concise scholarly analysis of a popular pastime. As such, it is a recommended resource for college and university libraries.” —Sarah E. Keil, Trevecca Nazarene University, The Christian Librarian

About the Author Liel Leibovitz is a visiting assistant professor at NYU Steinhardt focusing primarily on video game and interactive media research and theory. Having received his PhD from Columbia University in 2007, Leibovitz continues to study the ontology of electronic game play, exploring such diverse issues as human-machine interaction, gaming and the con­struction of player subjectivity, and representations of death and violence in video games. He is a member of the advisory board of the New York chapter of the Digital Games Research Association, a founding member of the NYU Faculty Council on Games, and a member of the academic advisory board of the American Jewish Historical Society. He is also the author or co-author of several books, including, most recently, The Chosen Peoples: America, Israel, and the Ordeals of Divine Election, co-written with Todd Gitlin, as well as contributor to newspapers and magazines such as the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Dissent, and Tablet.


God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

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Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great research into the moral and spiritual value of video games By Wayfaring Stranger Excellent work. It clearly shows the moral dimension of video games and the value of game play in our spiritual lives. Extensively researched but very readable. Dr. Leibovitz explodes the conventional media narrative of games as immoral. I think a few heads are going to explode, too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Gaming and God By Michael Philliber To enter the matrix of video games is to enter an Augustinian world? So concludes Liel Leibovitz, senior writer for "Tablet Magazine" and visiting assistant professor focusing primarily on video game and interactive media research and theory at NYU-Steinhardt, in his recent work "God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit." This short, 144 page hardback will intrigue gamers and religious alike. Though written more on an academic level, well educated readers will be able to fathom much or most of the author's material.This book unfolds in four chapters where Leibovitz seeks to make the case that gaming, unlike television, literature or warfare, is more attuned to religion. Not that it is an alternative to religion, but that gaming "is a practice in rituals, ethics, morality, and metaphysics" (x). Similarly, religion is modular, rule-based, moved my metaphysical designs that are governed by earthly designs (xi). To make his case, Leibovitz draws in Descarte, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Rabbi Akiva, Maimonides, Augustine, Plato, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and a host of other communications theorists and philosophers. The author's reason for bringing in such a vast regiment of thinkers is "not to delve deeply into abstract philosophical issues but rather to appropriate their theoretical frameworks and, in some cases, language, to address the distinct realities of video games" (115).For my part there were two issues that made the book a bit stiff. Firstly, the second chapter was all based on the author's gaming experience, described in great detail over 39 pages. It was quite a tedious section to labor through. The second has more to do with the connections the author makes between gaming and some aspects of religion. Sometimes the logical connection Leibovitz perceives is not so clear. I found myself scratching my head on occasion, unable to see what the author saw.On the other hand, I was delighted by some observations. For example, toward the end of the book the author brings into the discussion the old debate between Pelagius and Augustine. Leibovitz surprised me by seeing that Pelagius's "enlightened doctrine" was actually "far more rigid than it sounds; it places upon people an onus no individual could bear" (124). Whereas Augustine offered "a much more humane approach ( . . . ); while life under the shadow of the original sin might appear unjust, divine grace emerges to kindle the torch that illuminates the path to redemption" (125). This brings the author to shockingly conclude, "Video games, then, should be seen as an Augustinian simulator, a rule-based environment into which one enters, abandoning the pursuit of reason and receiving instead a chance to transcend the irresovable anxieties of modern media" (126)."God in the Machine" shows depth as well as breadth. It would be a fitting addition to a book discussion group or theological reading circle. Whether you come to the same conclusions as the author or not, "God in the Machine" will change the way you see gaming here on out. I recommend the book.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A solid book that treats the medium with academic respect and explores some insanely interesting ideas. By Stephen Rubio I immensely enjoyed this book from cover to cover. It is the first book about video games I've read where I had to stop and think for a decent chunk of time before moving on. I spent about an hour trying to dig into about five pages of content, writing stuff down to figure out all the amazing ideas that had been packed in. It moves between explanation, exploring games, and exploring the structures/impacts of religion beautifully. I disagreed with Leibovitz's points often, but that did not at all impede my enjoyment of this book.This book asks a lot from the reader. You have to be willing to seriously engage video games on an intellectual level, and that can be tough sometimes, but this book seriously pulls it off.

See all 5 customer reviews... God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz


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God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz
God in the Machine: Video Games as Spiritual Pursuit (Acculturated), by Liel Leibovitz

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