Is it ok for Catholics to play violent video games?

[Ositokc]

The difference between violent video games and sexualized ones is a pretty big difference. Lust, in a general case, is a mortal sin, and therefore experiencing that through a game (which may not be the case for everybody in every game) is clearly wrong. Violence is not inherently sinful, in fact there are situations where Catholics ought to resort to violence, as such we have a dichotomy. I tend to not enjoy playing games where I’m violent in ways that I would not consider appropriate in the real world. But games where I defend the innocent, or rescue the President, those are things I can certainly get behind.

I have to vehemently disagree my friend. Violence is MUCH MORE sinful that lust. Have you actually played a video game these days? 9 out of 10 involve shooting, killing, or murdering the other player. War games, space games, you name it, they involve grotesque extreme Violence, and they seem to be rated T for Teen or M for Mature.

But in the biggest irony and hypocrisy, you can’t show any kind of nudity, or even have sexual themes. But when it comes to grotesque graphic violence and MURDER well that’s in almost every popular (non sporting) video game out there.

I’m more of the opinion Sex is actually NOT as bad as Violence.

 

[AMFV]

I have to vehemently disagree my friend. Violence is MUCH MORE sinful that lust. Have you actually played a video game these days? 9 out of 10 involve shooting, killing, or murdering the other player. War games, space games, you name it, they involve grotesque extreme Violence, and they seem to be rated T for Teen or M for Mature.

But in the biggest irony and hypocrisy, you can’t show any kind of nudity, or even have sexual themes. But when it comes to grotesque graphic violence and MURDER well that’s in almost every popular (non sporting) video game out there.

I’m more of the opinion Sex is actually NOT as bad as Violence.

That is not the opinion of the Catholic Church. Now indiscriminate violence is bad. But violence in video games is very rarely indiscriminate, depending on the actions of the person behind the keyboard. Violence in video games is often serving a purpose, and oftentimes that purpose is defending and protecting the innocent. Even shooters such as DOOM or Duke Nukem, had your characters killing the hordes of aliens or demons in order to protect the innocent people of Earth.

We are often very quick to judge violence, but it is a necessary thing, as is sex. I would agree that having disordered violence in a game, would be as bad as including disordered sexual conduct, although it really isn’t. Violence’s appeal is in it’s visceral nature, simulated violence is far less than actual violence, and it doesn’t have the same psychological affect that exposure to real violence has. Whereas sexual simulation has exactly the same sort of effect (mentally) that real sex has, and furthermore all sexual simulations are in some sense masturbatory, which is explicitly sinful. Whereas hitting a punching bag wouldn’t be.

Edit: It’s also important to note that the initial question had to with Catholics playing these games, and that is a question where we must then use Catholic morality.