The New York Post recently stated, "Millennials Are Choosing Pizza, Push-Ups and Video Games Over Church." The article quoted a NYU professor who said, "They were raised to think for themselves. Millennials are skeptical of authority, including religious institutions." The article highlighted a number of stories of about this loss of religious faith, including the following story about a 22-year old named Alex who claims he had a positive experience being raised in a church:

Still, he left organized religion after high school, describing himself as spiritual but not religious. Now, video games offer him the same solace—without the deep fear of going to hell, he says—by connecting him digitally to a community of other players, many of whom are his good friends.

"You get a community of like-minded people sharing a life away from the harsher realities of the world," says the freelance videographer from Long Island City. His favorite game, The Witcher 3, is practically his spiritual guide. Throughout the game, players are presented with moral questions, such as whether to punish people for specific crimes instead of addressing the root causes of the crime. How a player resolves a particular issue has implications for the rest of his virtual life.

"I still constantly find new ways to think about the issues I face in the real world through the challenges [in the game]," Alex says. "It's very biblical—you learn a lot about yourself."