Shaman, paragon, God-mode: modern video games are heavily coded with religious undertones. From the Shinto-inspired Japanese video game Okami to the internationally popular The Legend of Zelda and Halo, many video games rely on religious themes and symbols to drive the narrative and frame the storyline. Playing with Religion in Digital Games explores the increasingly complex relationship between gaming and global religious practices. For example, how does religion help organize the communities in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft? What role has censorship played in localizing games like Actraiser in the western world? How do evangelical Christians react to violence, gore, and sexuality in some of the most popular games such as Mass Effect or Grand Theft Auto? With contributions by scholars and gamers from all over the world, this collection offers a unique perspective to the intersections of religion and the virtual world.

Families in the Urban Environment: Understanding Resilience introduces students to some of the challenges that children and families face in urban environments. The text also highlights resilience as a process and discusses the family as a social unit. The book is divided into five parts: Theories of Resilience, Family in the United States, Marriage and Partnership, Family and Work Life, and Urban Factors. Specific topics explored throughout the text include social capital and health; resilience to discrimination stress across ethnic identity stages of development; familial dynamics in immigrant families; and resilience as it relates to the survivors of partner and martial violence. The books also explores familial budgets; the feminist reorganization of family; child well-being in middle-class environments; educating the homeless and other highly mobile students; protective factors for low-income youth; and more. Families in the Urban Environment presents students with a comprehensive look into the myriad challenges that urban families face today. The book is ideal for undergraduate courses in family systems, social work, or child development.

Brothers Jason and Joe grow up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, within a magical backyard of safety, comfort, and love. But when Joe is killed in a car accident just before Jason graduates from college, his idyllic world suddenly crumbles around him. As Jason and his family rely on their Catholic faith to help them through the unfathomable loss, no one has any idea that for years, Jason has been harboring a secret: he is gay.

With his youthful sense of immortality deeply shaken with Joe's death, Jason embarks on a journey of self-discovery after college graduation that leads him across Europe with the hope he can discover a new perspective on life, death, and living with loss. Even as he battles a seemingly endless internal struggle between the strict teachings from his Catholic faith and his overwhelming desire to live his life as a gay man, Jason continues to press on, realizing that his happiness depends on his determination to find the answers.

Amsterdam Angel is the compelling tale of one man's life-changing adventure across three continents in search of peace, love, and most importantly, his true self.

Brothers Jason and Joe grow up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, within a magical backyard of safety, comfort, and love. But when Joe is killed in a car accident just before Jason graduates from college, his idyllic world suddenly crumbles around him. As Jason and his family rely on their Catholic faith to help them through the unfathomable loss, no one has any idea that for years, Jason has been harboring a secret: he is gay.

With his youthful sense of immortality deeply shaken with Joe's death, Jason embarks on a journey of self-discovery after college graduation that leads him across Europe with the hope he can discover a new perspective on life, death, and living with loss. Even as he battles a seemingly endless internal struggle between the strict teachings from his Catholic faith and his overwhelming desire to live his life as a gay man, Jason continues to press on, realizing that his happiness depends on his determination to find the answers.

Amsterdam Angel is the compelling tale of one man's life-changing adventure across three continents in search of peace, love, and most importantly, his true self.

Shaman, paragon, God-mode: modern video games are heavily coded with religious undertones. From the Shinto-inspired Japanese video game Okami to the internationally popular The Legend of Zelda and Halo, many video games rely on religious themes and symbols to drive the narrative and frame the storyline. Playing with Religion in Digital Games explores the increasingly complex relationship between gaming and global religious practices. For example, how does religion help organize the communities in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft? What role has censorship played in localizing games like Actraiser in the western world? How do evangelical Christians react to violence, gore, and sexuality in some of the most popular games such as Mass Effect or Grand Theft Auto? With contributions by scholars and gamers from all over the world, this collection offers a unique perspective to the intersections of religion and the virtual world.