Can 'Xbox Doc' put God and faith in video games

Dr. Butch Rosser has long advocated using video games as an educational tool. But what about as an instrument of God?

Rosser led a panel on video games and faith Sunday during Otronicon, the 10-day video-game festival at the Orlando Science Center.

Rosser hosted other seminars this weekend looking at the positive power of video games. His "Top Gun 4 Kids" demonstration, which uses video games to inspire young people about science careers, will be featured several times this week.

A surgeon at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, Rosser also is a video-game junkie who says the games helped him hone his skills. Known around the country, Rosser has been dubbed with nicknames such as "the Xbox Doc."

Rosser said pop culture -- from Ben Casey to comic books -- played a big role in his education and career path.

But so did God, he said. "There have been some extraordinary miracles in my life," said Rosser, who plans to devote a chapter in a book about video games he is writing to faith.

"I said, how can I address medicine and education and not address the faith-based community?"

Used so often by so many kids, video games are a logical way to teach young people about faith and morals, Rosser said. "We want something that's fun," he said, "that goes to the masses."

Still, he said, there is a line to be drawn.

Rosser mentioned "Catechumen," in which players use "spiritual weapons" such as a lightning sword, a drill sword and an explosive staff to defeat the forces of evil. The game has gotten positive reviews, but Rosser questioned its premise.

"Now it's OK for angels to be armed," Rosser said. "That is labeled under a Christian game, and it is not. . . . This is not where I think we should be going." Instead, cited Digital Praise, a company with products focusing on tamer fare such as the Max Lucado Hermie & Friends bugs.

Panelist Waymon Armstrong said his company, Engineering & Computer Simulations, has focused on high-tech weapons, but he hopes to delve into games touting faith and education. Just as The Simpsons has religious themes, he said, "we have to convey this as subtly."

Attractions at the festival include more than 100 gaming stations and seminars about their design.

Otronicon ends Sunday.