Army chaplain competes in Street Fighter V

Courtesy Photo | Capt. Ryan Lewis, chaplain for 297th Military Intelligence Battalion talks to Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Jones, U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion – Baton Rouge, Louisiana and @twitch.tv shout caster James “jchensor” Chen during the Army Entertainment Esports Street Fighter V tournament 11 August 2018, at the Alternate Escapes Café at Fort Gordon, Georgia.  

FORT GORDON, GA, UNITED STATES

08.11.2018

Story by Nelson Ballew 

U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade

It is not often you will see a U.S. Army chaplain engaged in hand to hand combat, even when the fighting is done digitally.
Capt. Ryan Lewis, a chaplain assigned to the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion, was at the Alternate Escapes Café on Saturday night participating in the Army Entertainment Esports Street Fighter V tournament hosted by MWR.
Lewis, who has been serving as a chaplain for six years saw the tournament flyer posted on the Fort Gordon Facebook page and decided to compete after his wife encouraged him. Since he had not played Street Fighter V in about twenty years, he went out and bought a copy to practice.
He loves video games. He was exposed for the first time at a friend’s house in 1987. Later that year for Christmas his mother gave him his first system. Over the years the video games he’s played have changed. Some of the games have been Mario Cart, Final Fantasy and now he is involved in speed running the game, Duck Hunt. Speed running is where the player tries to complete the game as quickly as possible.
When Soldiers from the unit visit his office they are often surprised to see Pokémon figurines in his office. He is responsible for the spiritual health of 367 Soldiers in his battalion. The figurines as well as the games provide an opportunity to make his Soldiers feel more comfortable and open to confiding in him. On a normal day they talk about video games, Pokémon and anime. On a day they need more spiritual or emotional support it has provided them with the trust to broach a topic of concern.
Although his results at the tournament were not what he desired he is thankful for the opportunity. Someone who has no knowledge of what a Soldier is who play videogames or is watching the telecast on Twitch.tv can see that the Army is about more than gun, knifes and sports. We will accept them as they are. “You don’t have to conform to some norm when you become a Soldier,” said Lewis. “You can be yourself.”
Lewis a fan of the tournament. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in an event like this,” said Lewis. “It may never come again. How many other people can say the played a video game on television in front of five thousand people with a chance to represent Fort Gordon at the PAX West videogame showcase in Seattle, Washington later this year.”

• Date Taken: 08.11.2018
• Date Posted: 12.27.2018 16:17
• Story ID: 305439
• Location: FORT GORDON, GA, US