In our fourteenth episode, we sit down with Patrick Griffin, longtime Wilmington resident and esports aficionado, to talk about the evolution of video games, the arrival of esports and the Fortnite craze that is taking the world by storm. At the beginning, we discuss the unique challenge of connecting with students in Christian ministry & the role that video games play in building meaningful connections with them (03:30). Then, we dive deeper into our first experiences with gaming and break down the similarities and differences between traditional video games and this current era of esports (06:00). After the break, we reflect on how Fortnite completely upended the video game industry and paved the way for a new wave of free, downloadable, highly engaging game content accessible on a variety of platforms (19:40). Next, we talk about the rise of esports streaming and the creation of new esports celebrities through the rapid growth of streaming platforms like Twitch (22:05) and wonder whether the esports revolution is helping or harming society through its intentionally addictive gameplay (30:05). Finally, we question the role that our faith plays in our consumption of and attitude toward esports and video games (39:35). Thanks for listening!

Share your feedback on Instagram or Twitter! @lookcloserpod