Is there any reason a Christian shouldn't play Earthbound?

[BrethrenBoy]

If you don’t know, Earthbound is a quirky Japanese RPG that came it in the '90s. It is set in a parody of then modern America and tells the story of four children with psychic powers who discover that they are the chosen heroes that are prophesied to defeat the evil alien Giygas who is trying to conquer the world. I recently discovered a blog post written by a fellow Christian fan of the game, who told how it had played an important role in his faith journey. In the comments were these quotes.

If I were an orthodox Christian, I probably wouldn’t play Earthbound. The aliens (Giygas is arguably a demon), religious cult, Mani Mani Statue, psychic powers, violence, implied sexual references, and other aspects make for a very Biblical contradiction. I’m not saying that Christians can’t appreciate or play the game, but if one were “true to their faith” in the traditional sense, then that person could not ethically play Earthbound. If you’re loyal to your religion, and you follow the Bible and other Christian teachings (St. Augustine’s Confessions), then you wouldn’t play Earthbound. I’m sorry if that offends you, but it’s the truth. That’s not my opinion; it’s fact. Most Christians, in America, are not pure orthodox, so they interpret things and bend meanings to what they want.

(The Mani Mani Statue is a demonic statue in the game that creates a cult of people who go around painting things blue.)
Do you find any truth to this?

 

[ironchapman]

I’ve played around with Earthbound some, but I never gave it a serious go. If you’re referring to the blog post I think you are, earthboundcentral.com/2013/07/you-are-now-heavenbound/ , take note that the original post and most of the comments are very supportive of the idea that faithful Christians can play Earthbound without jeopardizing their faith.

Also, the same person who made the comment you are referring to late noted:

Oh, I think I offended someone with the truth.

Obviously, I’m not a Christian, and I wasn’t trying to be unkind to [redacted name]. You just interpreted my facts as harsh. Ironic how non-Christians know more about it than Christians like yourself, huh?

There are plenty of games, books, shows, and movies that have magic and demons and such, but it’s not sinful to play them. One might make that complaint about Harry Potter, Final Fantasy, or many anime.

 

[VanSensei]

No, of course not! It’s Japanese, they’re really fascinated with other religions over there.

 

[Razanir]

:ehh: That’s what they take issue with? It’s in the same boat as Harry Potter. It doesn’t actively teach you how to use the powers. So as long as you’re sane and can separate fiction from reality, it’s fine.

If you want a real Christian argument against it (and I’m very interested in hearing people’s opinions on this), bring up the final boss. It’s implied, at least, that you’re aborting Gigyas before he could ever be born.

 

[RPRPsych]

If you don’t know, Earthbound is a quirky Japanese RPG that came it in the '90s. It is set in a parody of then modern America and tells the story of four children with psychic powers who discover that they are the chosen heroes that are prophesied to defeat the evil alien Giygas who is trying to conquer the world. I recently discovered a blog post written by a fellow Christian fan of the game, who told how it had played an important role in his faith journey. In the comments were these quotes.

(The Mani Mani Statue is a demonic statue in the game that creates a cult of people who go around painting things blue.)
Do you find any truth to this?

No.

Fantasy games, by definition, are not set in the real world. They are set in fictitious worlds, whose very nature differs from ours.

Unless the game is actually advocating demon worship (which most RPGs do not), I see no reason not to play this. In fact, I’ve found worthy messages and parables in the weirdest RPGs.

 

[BrethrenBoy]

Ok, Thank you. That’s what I had thought, but I was surprised by seeing that post and wondered if I was wrong. Where do you think they are getting this idea?

 

[BrethrenBoy]

If you want a real Christian argument against it (and I’m very interested in hearing people’s opinions on this), bring up the final boss. It’s implied, at least, that you’re aborting Gigyas before he could ever be born.

Earthbound is the second game in the Mother series, the first and last of which never made it out of Japan. A major plot point of the first one was that Gigyas was raised by the main character’s great grandparents. I fail to see how they could raise him if he wasn’t born.

 

[suko]

Where do you think they are getting this idea?

I think this happens when people are a bit ill-formed in the Christian faith, and grossly misinterpret/stretch/twist scripture passages and having them stand on their own, instead of in light of the whole Gospel and teachings of the Church.

On another note, I never was a big Earthbound fan. I played the first one, but I think I gave up within an hour or so of playing it. I think it’s because I played it at too late of an age… I think I was in high school or just started college when I finally gave it a go, and by that time, I had already played and enjoyed a billion and one RPGs so it just didn’t quite hold up to any of them, and so I lost interest pretty quick in the game! ^.^