News

The Next Mission Field Is a Game

Esports opens new opportunities for evangelism, even during a pandemic.

Illustration by Dorothy Leung

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Roman Khripunov didn’t realize the missionary potential of video games.

Khripunov ran soccer academies for refugees and immigrants in Houston, using the sport as a platform to share Christ with children. When the coronavirus paused in-person outreach, the ministry came up with an alternative: Soccer coaches would begin playing video games on the livestreaming platform Twitch and invite players to watch and ask spiritual questions. On Twitch, participants talk with each other as they play or type back and forth in a chat box.

It was a hit. Teenage soccer players reluctant to spend 15 minutes discussing spiritual matters in person were willing to engage for three to four hours over video games online. Eventually, the ministry opened its Twitch channel to the public and began to establish a presence on other gaming platforms as well, with coaches talking with people online. Among the success stories, a man from the Netherlands professed faith in Christ while gaming, then brought five friends to hear the gospel too.

“The people that we’re starting to observe on these [gaming] platforms are actually seeking a lot of spiritual things,” Khripunov said. “They’re very hungry for the gospel.”

Khripunov isn’t the only one who has realized esports can be used for ministry. From Houston and Brazil to South Africa and China, esports has emerged as an extension of Christian sports ministry.

Esports—video game competitions—has more than doubled its viewership in the past decade to an estimated 454 million people worldwide last year. The most popular esports championships rival the Super Bowl in viewership. When South Korea hosted the world championship finals for the battle game League of Legends two years ago, the event drew almost 100 million people online.

Professional esports players—many of them teenagers—sign with teams, compete in brick-and-mortar arenas packed with fans, and at times take home multimillion-dollar prizes. Teams have starters, substitutes, and leagues, just like traditional sports.

But gaming includes a wide span of casual players too. A third of the world’s population plays video games, including more adult women than teenage boys, according to data compiled by the online ministry training resource Multiplication School.

When the coronavirus caused lockdowns around the world last spring, some traditional sports leagues like NASCAR and the NBA turned to esports to hold their fans’ attention, putting their stars into video game tournaments.

Some Christian sports ministries saw an opportunity too. A group of about 35 of them got together on Zoom to strategize.

“It’s a connection point,” said André Dickson of Brazil, who trains soccer coaches to disciple youth players. “We think about esports as a place where people are.”

Assemblies of God pastor Matt Souza shepherds GodSquad Church, an online-only congregation for gamers that attracts about 100 people for worship each Saturday night. Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, hosted an online Easter egg hunt this year using the video game Minecraft.

Some Christians have moral qualms about video games and have shied away from esports. Many video games are of real-world sports, like FIFA and NBA 2K, but many others include sexualized and violent content, such as Overwatch and Valorant. There are also concerns about other negative effects. While playing video games has been linked to improvements in cognitive skills, 9 percent of gamers show signs of addiction, according to Multiplication School, and video game abuse has been linked to anxiety and depression.

Canadian Stefano DiSalvo, the most prominant professional esports player to share his Christian testimony openly, has experienced the dark side of esports. He played video games eight hours per day as a teenager to escape from the pain of a broken home. Then he found a relationship with Jesus at age 15 before launching his pro career. He sought to be salt and light in the industry and was known by his screen name, Verbo—Italian for “word,” signifying the Word of God. DiSilvo left esports at 19.

Many teenage gamers are “escaping from their own reality and kind of taking out that anger, taking out that depression on other people online,” DiSalvo said. “It creates this toxic environment at times.”

That may be a reason to avoid esports. Or it may be a reason to find lost souls there. Christians must “wake up” to “the reality of gaming in church,” said Bumble Ho, pastor of Redemption Point Church, a Vietnamese congregation in Fountain Valley, California. The church hosted a tournament this year with about 10 other area churches.

John Merritt, who coaches esports for Oklahoma Wesleyan University, knows the spiritual needs of players firsthand. He got into video games as a teenager struggling with depression, sometimes playing up to 18 hours a day. He attempted suicide before finally finding new life in Christ. Now he’s part of the Unashamed Network, a community of Christians that seeks to reach fellow gamers for Christ.

At one point, he reached 20,000 viewers with his evangelistic gaming stream. Recently, a gaming friend messaged Merritt to say, “I met with a pastor today to be saved. I credit . . . you as part of my journey to this.”

Another area of growth in Christian esports is at Christian colleges and universities. At least 11 evangelical schools have added esports programs, which is part of a larger trend. In all US colleges and universities, there are nearly 200 new esports programs, with a combined $15 million available in annual scholarships, according to Promise Road Institute, a ministry to teen gamers.

Greenville University coach B. J. Fink said his school’s esports program draws students who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in a Christian education. That creates unique ministry opportunities.

“We have a large group of students from China, for example, that, now knowing about esports programs here, are much more involved on campus, and we use our recruiting network to reach new students in China itself,” Fink said. “They may be closed off as a country, but they play video games and have the ability to communicate that way.”

DiSalvo, the Christian esports professional who now owns a gaming company, thought God would stop him from playing video games. But gradually he realized the Lord was calling him deeper into the gaming world as a missionary and a Christian witness. He hopes other believers will experience similar divine calls.

Some Christians “view gaming as from the Enemy,” he said, while “people from the gaming community think Jesus is an outdated figure.” There’s a need for believers who can engage people where they are online.

David Roach is a contributing writer for CT and is based in Nashville.

Also in this issue

Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Atlantaโ€™s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church whoโ€™s now running for US Senate, talked about his calling into politics as a Christian. He said, โ€œmy impact doesnโ€™t stop at the church door. Thatโ€™s actually where it starts.โ€ That approach to living out the gospel extends across generations and segments of society in Atlanta. In this monthโ€™s cover package, we hear from pastors, politicians, and entrepreneursโ€”black Christian leaders whose faith calls them back into their communities in the diverse hometown of Martin Luther King Jr.

Cover Story

Atlanta Beyond MLK: How Black Christians Continue a Civil Rights Legacy

Cover Story

The Black Church Is Atlantaโ€™s Original Community Organizer

Cover Story

Racial Reconciliation Is Still a Dream for Atlanta Christians

Cover Story

How Black-Owned Businesses Bless Atlanta

Sign Language Bible Complete After 39 Years

News

Who Will Help Gen Z with Anxiety, Depression, Suicide? Youth Pastors Turn to Counseling.

News

Gleanings: October 2020

Reply All

When It Comes to Sacrifice, God Doesnโ€™t Play Fair

The Best Way to Memorize Scripture Has Little to Do with Learning Words

Testimony

I Took Drugs to a Church Conference. Then God Found Me.

Your Devotional Is Not a Bible

Excerpt

Churches: Donโ€™t Worshipโ€”or Serveโ€”Until Youโ€™re Blue in the Face

Minding the Gap

Editorial

Christianity Is About Systemic Change

Our October Issue: Atlantaโ€™s Black Church

Good News: Tomorrow We Die

Pursuing Racial Justice Requires More Than Lament, but Never Less

Review

Marilynne Robinsonโ€™s Latest Novel Probes the Mysteries of Predestination and Grace

Review

Jesus Is Your Lord and Savior. Is He Also Your Philosopher King?

New & Noteworthy Books

View issue

Our Latest

Latino Churchesโ€™ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern โ€˜Technocultureโ€™ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who donโ€™t perceive God to conclude that he doesnโ€™t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamarโ€™s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But itโ€™s the work of Godโ€™s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive Godโ€™s Wordโ€”together.

Review

Safety Shouldnโ€™t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube