You’ve likely met some Christians who emphasize safety for children rather than preparing them for spiritual conflict. That’s why some more genteel-churchy responses to pop culture have said “it’s useless” or else “stay away” from stories like Harry Potter, Doom, or Dungeons and Dragons. So is it any wonder that a top-selling subgenre among young male readers is LitRPG, often with totally epic and jacked soldier good guys (maybe with mech suits) who slay evil aliens and demons?

Jonathan Shuerger is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who brings authenticity, faith, and a love of story to every page. His writing is marked by military precision, theological depth, and cinematic imagination. He’s the author of Devil Dog: A Marine vs. Hell, available on Royal Road. Find all his works at JonathanShuerger.com.

Pragmata released to gaming consoles April 17. The new Capcom title promptly sold 1 million copies by its first weekend and provoked much discourse from fans and some haters. Why the gate? Because players everywhere, especially men, loved the key concept of an outer space soldier teaming up with a little android girl to fight robo-monsters. Gamers declared they would do anything to protect Diana. How does these stories help humans remember to restore our “factory settings”?