New Here? Press Start!

Hey, thanks for dropping by!

Maybe you found us through a Google search asking if a certain game is okay to play. Maybe you’re a parent trying to figure out what your kid is into. Or maybe you’re a believer who’s felt like your faith and your controller belong in two separate rooms of the house.

Whatever brought you here, I’m glad you came. Let me show you around.

I’m Mike (some of you know me as Samuru). I’m a lifelong gamer going all the way back to the NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Gear and PS1. I’ve been following Christ for over 20 years, I’m a husband and a dad of two, I taught for a decade, and I’m a huge anime fan. Old-school JRPGs are my favorite thing in the world and you will not talk me out of that one. También hablo español, so if you’d rather chat en español, estamos bien!

I started Gaming & God back in 2014 because I kept running into the same two problems. Christians told me gaming was a waste of time, and gamers told me faith had nothing to do with the stories we love. I don’t believe either one. Games are stories, and stories always say something about God — whether the developers meant them to or not. That’s what we do here. We notice it out loud.

Not sure where to start? Try these five

There are over 390 posts on this site, so I know that’s a lot to walk into. If you only read a handful, make it these.

Christian Video Games: Faith-Based Games Worth Playing This is the most-read page on the whole site. Christians have a bad rep for not making good art, and honestly, sometimes that’s fair. But not always! These are faith-based games I’ve actually played and enjoyed, from Gate Zero to That Dragon, Cancer, plus some upcoming ones you can follow.

Should A Christian Play ROMs or Hacked Games? I sold off most of my childhood collection when I needed money, and man, do I wish I still had those games. That’s where this whole question started for me. It’s not as simple as “just download it,” and it’s not as simple as “never” either.

Why Christians Should Play Video Games (with Discernment) If someone has ever made you feel guilty for picking up a controller, start here.

Top Five Christian and Bible-Inspired Nintendo Games The Wisdom Tree games get roasted constantly. A few of them actually hold up, and it was a lot of fun digging back into them.

A Parent’s Guide to the ESRB Rating System For the parents who ended up here because of a game your kid keeps asking for. I’ve got kids too, so I get it.

What we do around here

  • Reviews — I look at whether a game is actually good and what it’s really saying underneath
  • Daily Nerd Devo — short devotionals through a gaming lens
  • Interviews — Christian developers, streamers, pastors and ministry founders
  • Spiritual reflections — the deeper reads, where a game’s story runs into Scripture
  • Retro Gaming Club — somebody’s gotta keep the classics alive

You can browse everything on the Categories page.

Come hang out with us

Join the Gaming & God Discord — this is our front door, and the best place to actually get to know people.

We’ve got gaming chats and lobbies for console, PC and mobile. Anime, board game and TCG talk. Faith-friendly conversation and real talk when life gets heavy. Game nights, giveaways, and folks who will genuinely pray for you.

And listen — you don’t need to have your theology figured out to walk in. Come as you are. Just say hi.

Looking for a church or ministry?

I put this together for those of you who want more than a gaming group. Before you dive in, the same thing I say everywhere on this site: I’m not on staff with any of these, and I don’t endorse everything each of them says. No church and no person is perfect, so you may find things you don’t agree with. That’s okay. Use discernment.

I’ll also say this — digital church is not the same as in-person church. If you have a local body you can plug into, do that too. But sometimes this is exactly what you need for the season you’re in, so check them out.

XP Church

The first church built specifically for gamers. Their services stream on Twitch Saturdays at 1:30pm and 7:30pm ET.

What I’d really point you to are their XP Groups. These are groups of 10–12 gamers who meet weekly on Discord for about an hour to talk, pray for each other, and study the Bible together. Groups usually form around a shared game or interest, and past ones have covered straight Bible study, prayer, discipleship, anime, D&D, and even a parenting group working through a book called Raising Disciples. They run in semesters, so check their site for when the next signup window opens. → xpchurch.com · XP Groups

Lux Digital Church

Live every Wednesday at 8:30pm ET on Twitch — worship, teaching, and real community happening in the chat.

Their Small Groups run in seasons through Discord and cover Bible study, prayer and encouragement. In between seasons they run lighter “Flash Groups” built around community events, which is a nice low-pressure way in. Members also get free access to a big library of Bible study videos, kids’ content and discipleship material. → luxdigitalchurch.com · Small Groups

Checkpoint Church

“The church for nerds, geeks and gamers,” founded by Rev. Nathan Webb. Their nerdy sermons drop every other Sunday, and there are over 150 of them now — Scripture taught through My Hero Academia, Final Fantasy, Spider-Man and more.

Their Discord basically is the church building. New folks land in the #front-door channel and get welcomed right away. Weekly rhythms include watch-alongs of their news show TWIG on Thursday nights, lunch together on Wednesdays, and online communion every week.

If you’ve been hurt by church before, or you’re skeptical and just poking around, I’d start here. → checkpointchurch.com · Discord · Read my interview with Nate

The Church Digital

This one’s less of a Sunday service and more of a training ground. They equip everyday Christians to be digital missionaries, with practical tools for sharing the Gospel online and community on Discord and WhatsApp. Worth a look if you’re already creating content and want it to count for something. → thechurch.digital

TACO Network

The Awesome Christ-centered Outreach — a community of Christian gamers and streamers building real relationships and making disciples across Twitch, Discord and beyond. → taconetwork.org

Just want people to play with?

Totally fair. Here are communities I’ve checked out myself, and I’ve interviewed a few of them to make sure they’re legit.

Parents, a word: please use discernment here just like you would anywhere else. A group being Christian doesn’t mean every single member is going to act like it. I’ve looked at each of these myself, but stay involved — watch what’s going on, or better yet, jump in and play alongside your kid. Taming Gaming is another great resource, with a big database of family-friendly games organized by rating and console.

Gear up: tools to grow your faith

I think of this stuff like the gear shop in your favorite RPG. Browse through, grab what stands out, and equip yourself for the road ahead. The full list is over on Biblical Resources for Gamers, but here’s where I’d start you off.

Reading and study YouVersion for daily reading, BibleProject for seeing how the whole story fits together, and Blue Letter Bible when you want to dig into the original words.

Prayer Echo Prayer so you actually remember what you said you’d pray about, and Lectio 365 for guided daily devotionals.

Books If you’re brand new or wrestling with doubt, Mere Christianity or The Reason for God. If you’ve been walking with Christ a while and want to go deeper, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

I’m not perfect and I’m still learning every day, whether that’s through Scripture or from people way wiser than me. So if you know a resource I should add, tell me!

What if you’re not a Christian?

You’re welcome here anyway. I mean that. Read the reviews, argue with me in the comments, come hang out in the Discord. Nobody’s going to corner you.

But if something you’ve read here has you curious about who Jesus actually is, I wrote a page just for that: Want to Know God? No pressure and no sales pitch. Just the thing I’d want somebody to tell me.

Say hi!

Drop a comment on any post, reach out through the contact page, or come introduce yourself in the Discord. I read everything, and I’d love to hear what you’re playing.

And if you like to write, we’re always looking for people to join the team.

My prayer is that this becomes a place where you feel at home, grow in your faith, and maybe find a few good games along the way.

Let’s level up together. God bless! 🎮✝️