How do you guys feel about this

gravesmeister

New Member
So as a christian I feel convicted about most games that are out there. I find that more and more games I can't even finish because either there's sex or nudity, taking the lord's name in vain over and over again and many other things I know the Lord would rather me not be partaking in. How do you guys deal with that as Christians? I was playing Valhalla but I heard the Lord's name in vain over and over and there's drunkenness, some sort of weird alters to norse gods and such. I'm just not able to justify most of what's going on in most games today without some sort of conviction from the Holy Spirit. My games list is quickly getting smaller and smaller.
 
So as a christian I feel convicted about most games that are out there. I find that more and more games I can't even finish because either there's sex or nudity, taking the lord's name in vain over and over again and many other things I know the Lord would rather me not be partaking in. How do you guys deal with that as Christians? I was playing Valhalla but I heard the Lord's name in vain over and over and there's drunkenness, some sort of weird alters to norse gods and such. I'm just not able to justify most of what's going on in most games today without some sort of conviction from the Holy Spirit. My games list is quickly getting smaller and smaller.
Yup. I've been banging that drum for a couple decades in the hopes Christians would take up the mantle of making games that have both good gameplay and good morals. Sadly it looks like the closest thing is a push for conservative content which I don't expect will push back on language.

I feel more convicted about avoiding games that are actively pushing an agenda, or idealology, though. God/religion is bad, man is or can become god, homosexuality, etc. When a story is built around pushing an immoral moral, with an emotional crux, I think it's more destructive. That's not to say I disagree with your objections. The mindless repetitions of taking God's name in vain, or the glorification of sex, equate to brainwashing taken collectively and most definitely have an impact. I too have often avoided games for sex and language. Back in the day I avoided the tarot cards in Ogre Battle and the evolution of SimEarth, now we have to be on the lookout for boys being called girls.

A world going farther and farther astray is why I am stuck playing a decade old TF2 which basically only has a couple objectionable words and some non-sensical magic use (I don't really object to the Demoman being comically drunk because I don't think it's an approval of it). TF2's plot has a couple of objections as well, but, they didn't write it until after I bought the game. TF2 and what amounts to digital board games are my multiplayer options nowadays. While my singleplayer choices are basically limited to a handful of indie games, which probably only lack objectionable content for want of a budget (though pronoun options are now killing those).

It's not just the immoral slide of the world, or the fact video games were originally marketed to children, but that the internet changed everything. Bully anonymity and a support group for every perversion came with the freedom the internet gave. Christians need to get with it because people don't gather at the well to hear the word anymore, but gather online.

Anyway things were never, will never be perfect, but if there is a silver lining it's that things have gone so far, become so anathema to Christianity, that I no longer struggle to pass on most of it because I legitimately will not enjoy it. So yeah I am learning guitar now :p .
 
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So as a christian I feel convicted about most games that are out there. I find that more and more games I can't even finish because either there's sex or nudity, taking the lord's name in vain over and over again and many other things I know the Lord would rather me not be partaking in. How do you guys deal with that as Christians? I was playing Valhalla but I heard the Lord's name in vain over and over and there's drunkenness, some sort of weird alters to norse gods and such. I'm just not able to justify most of what's going on in most games today without some sort of conviction from the Holy Spirit. My games list is quickly getting smaller and smaller.

Ultimately, it's between you and God as to how you want to honor Him with your free time, and that includes what kind of games you want to play and enjoy, why you want to play, and what you're most comfortable playing.

Some Christians are able to play certain types of video games with little to no effect on their faith and commitment to the Lord. They know and understand that what goes on in the video game isn't always an accurate portrayal of real life, and they know they themselves wouldn't act like what goes on in-game. Others can't handle playing certain genres and have to actively avoid it to flee from temptation.

Just because Christians play a violent video game, it doesn't necessarily make the Christian violent. That said, some are more susceptible to what they see in the media than others and choose to abstain it for valid reasons. I think 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14:3 describes best the principle of the freedom Christians have in whether we want to participate or abstain in something that we feel the Holy Spirit is convicting us in one direction or another.

Personally, I play video games because I value them as a genre of art and creativity - and I like to play for fun. I value good story/art, good game mechanics, good rewards, and the hard work it takes for a video game developer to produce a game. I don't have to agree with every moral behavior or belief a character chooses in-game, but I can appreciate a good story. And for some people, it means a lot to them that a piece of their life story is being represented in modern media.

I can handle playing Valheim because I mainly see it as a fun Minecraft in a Norse setting. The Norse mythology is more of a narrative backdrop for me. I can appreciate the cultural setting, but ultimately my faith and relationship with God is my priority.

Certain games like Grand Theft Auto, Cyberpunk 2077, and a lot of horror games are too much for me to be able to play because they over-glorify something that I don't feel comfortable with (sex, nudity, ultra-violence, etc.) or it's too scary for me to be able to make much progress in-game.

TL;DR: Be mindful and prayerful about how you want to honor God and enjoy playing video games. Either way you pick, you still got us CGA folks to enjoy fellowship with and play together as a group. :)
 
I understand. I personally avoid gore and mystical things ONLY BECAUSE I don't enjoy seeing them. The premise of gaming for me is having fun, and if I can't achieve that with certain games, there is no point for me in playing them. So that's my thinking.
 
So as a christian I feel convicted about most games that are out there. I find that more and more games I can't even finish because either there's sex or nudity, taking the lord's name in vain over and over again and many other things I know the Lord would rather me not be partaking in. How do you guys deal with that as Christians? I was playing Valhalla but I heard the Lord's name in vain over and over and there's drunkenness, some sort of weird alters to norse gods and such. I'm just not able to justify most of what's going on in most games today without some sort of conviction from the Holy Spirit. My games list is quickly getting smaller and smaller.
If you feel convicted, then don't play it. No game is worth ignoring your convictions. You have to live with your own decisions, so be ready to receive wise counsel (as you've received from others in this thread already, thanks all!) but don't feel compelled by others to play games that you do not want to play.

On the flip side, other Christians may not share the same convictions regarding games, so I advise staying true to your own convictions AND refraining from applying your convictions on others. There are, of course, specific examples of games no Christian should feel at peace playing, but others (such as Diablo 3, which I don't play personally but have good friends who are mature Christians who enjoy the game) should be up to the individual.

To quote Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."
 
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