Chicago native Robert Prevost was officially named Pope Leo XIV yesterday, marking him as the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church. The announcement quickly sparked a wave of humor and creative content on social media, including jokes and memes about how he might engage with various aspects of American pop culture. Intriguingly, it seems Leo XIV’s connection to this cultural milieu extends to video gaming, making him the first known ‘gamer pope.’
In a recent interview with NBC5 Chicago, John’s brother John Prevost shared that the soon-to-be pope indulged in a couple of casual video games just prior to his departure for the papal conclave. “We typically start with Wordle, as that has become a regular routine for us,” he revealed. “Then we play Words with Friends. It helps to take his mind off the pressures of reality…”
While the pope’s penchant for word games might not align him with hardcore gamers who are known for speedrunning titles like Doom, it highlights the fact that at 69 years old, he falls within the demographic of American men from the Baby Boomer generation, with reports indicating that 44 percent regularly play video games, and that 15 percent of those aged 55 and over have played Wordle.
A New Era
Historically, the Vatican has taken a cautious stance toward video games, with papal figures expressing concerns about their impact. In a 2016 address, Pope Francis cautioned against excessive time spent on “a sofa that promises us hours of comfort,” alluding to the dangers of escapism through video gaming. Similarly, Pope Benedict XVI had previously criticized games that celebrate violence or present anti-social behavior.
Conversely, Pope John Paul II once praised the Pokémon franchise during a televised Vatican broadcast in 2000, highlighting its imaginative qualities and themes of friendship.
Pope Leo XIV, being the first pope from the Baby Boomer generation, may embrace video games as a familiar aspect of contemporary culture rather than a fad. He experienced the rise of home video gaming first-hand during his youth; the game’s first major sensation, Pong, exploded in popularity when he was just 20 years old. This generational perspective aligns him with a growing network of younger American politicians, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a self-proclaimed Dreamcast enthusiast, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who reminisces about playing Super Mario 64 with family.
While Leo XIV stands out as the first pope confirmed to have actively played video games, he is not the first in papal history to possess one. A notable instance occurred in 2016 when streamer MatPat gave Pope Francis a Steam key for the indie game Undertale during a meeting with popular YouTube personalities, a moment that quickly became a meme within online communities. MatPat remarked that the game symbolizes an evolution in gamers’ expectations, stating, “It’s important to let the world know that this community is about more than monster-hunting and level grinding.”
