Wait... why do you watch people play games?
A monthly roundup of Let's Plays, Critpoint, and new opportunities
Hello! Welcome to the new and improved 1-Stop Pop Up.
We’ve re-visioned what this newsletter can be and we hope you’re excited for the things contained within. In this monthly edition, you can expect to find:
a story about why one of our LVL2 members watches Let’s Plays
an opportunity to experience that power yourself
a follow-up
on our World 1-1 new visitors class
From Let’s Play to new days, here’s how Checkpoint is living out our mission this month.
Who wants to watch video games?
One of our leaders at Checkpoint, DGC, recently shared on the server about her experience while watching someone play a video game on YouTube.
While nothing beats playing a game yourself as a good way to experience such impactful and empowering stories, however it can be difficult to access certain media due to not having the funds to purchase the game due to life situations, not having the right device to play it on, the license expiring, or that piece of media is lost to time.
Because of this people look towards alternate sources, to which I can understand as someone who has been there. And while I do appreciate remakes/remasters those can be hit or miss depending on the amount of the love and care put into it that respects the source material.
Which is why I’ve really appreciated streams & LPs (Let’s Play) as it not only allows someone like me who is now limited on what games I’m now able to play due to how my vision has degraded over the years and while I’m still able to enjoy this hobby that I’ve loved since I was a child it has become difficult. To which I am grateful for platforms like YouTube and Twitch despite the problems surrounding it works as way to allow those such as myself experience such great stories. There’s also the community aspect of it as it is thanks to these that has led me to meet so many great people.
This is a testimony to the power of the digital world we inhabit to promote radical accessibility for those who want to experience more of life's goodness. This is perfectly in line with Checkpoint’s vision. We’re on the Internet to step into this space and reveal how God can be experienced by those who would have challenges in any other medium.
Our Newest Critpoint Venture
Speaking of Let’s Plays, did you know we have a whole separate YouTube channel devoted to them?
Critpoint is the Checkpoint-backed channel featuring a weekly demo video for a video game, followed by a continuing series of a larger game. In fact, we just completed one on the game, In Stars & Time. That means that we also just launched a new series!
The next continuing game on our channel is a complete playthrough of A Space for the Unbound, a heart-wrenching indie game developed by an Indonesian game studio. Be sure to subscribe and follow along with the series!
Our New Visitors Class went great!
We offered a new round of our World 1-1 class this past week — an event on our Discord server where people who want to learn more about Checkpoint can hear how we got started, what we believe, and more.
One of the most exciting parts of this newest offering was that it wasn’t just 90 minutes of NerdPastorNate’s face on the camera. We had 3 leaders in our community submit videos of themselves walking our new visitors through how Checkpoint addresses sacramental concerns online, our safety policy, how to support us financially, and then how to get involved in the community.
We want to start offering this more often, but it would help us to know if this is something you would like, as well. Be sure to let us know if this is something you would be interested in in the future.
Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this November 2025 edition of the 1-Stop Pop-Up.
As always, the best place to stay involved and aware of Checkpoint Church on a week-to-week basis is our Discord server or on our YouTube channel. We strive to keep this newsletter for those who are primarily curious about the overarching events at Checkpoint, so many of the smaller, but equally exciting, elements will not make the cut for this space.
This newsletter is about showing you the heartbeat of Checkpoint — stories of transformation, opportunities for impact, and new ways to see God at work in nerd culture.
I look forward to reading your replies or comments in the section below this newsletter. I sincerely appreciate your support by subscribing to this newsletter. If you haven’t taken the time to do so, then consider doing so here:
And remember,
God loves you.
We love you.
You matter.