I recently read the September 15th issue of WIRED magazine. The cover story on "Halo 3" caught my eye. In it, we learn of the science behind the art of creating the latest installment in this popular franchise.
I was struck with one particular aspect of the article:
"Pagulayan makes a note... It is his job to find flaws in Halo 3 that its creators, who know what players SHOULD do, might not be able to see. He assesses whether the aliens have gotten too lethal, whether the revamped Needler guns are powerful enough, and — most important — if and when players are getting bored or (as is more often the case) frustrated..."
The article goes on to say how the developers have spent a great time studying problem areas in the game...where players are getting stuck, lost or killed again and again. They then correct these problem areas to bring gameplay back into balance. Note that the game designers don't say "too bad," or "this game rocks and you're just not good enough."
Now, what does this have to do with our church? I catch myself (and I know many others are tempted as well) creating a ministry opportunity that I think is great, perfect, progressive, deep, etc... and then folks don't like it. They don't show up, they burn out, or they miss the point. My knee-jerk reaction is to get mad or frustrated and think everyone else is wrong. They're the ones with the problem, right?
Not so, according to Halo 3. Leading a ministry where it needs to go requires a delicate balancing act between doing the will of God and remaining open to the feedback or criticism of participants. It means being willing to go back and re-plan or re-group. It means forgetting what (in gamer speak) "players SHOULD do," and realizing what they ARE doing, making small corrections to take the gamer through to the next level.
http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/15-09/ff_halo
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