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I got involved in playing a game on my phone called Celtic Heroes. It’s a fantasy role playing game where players kill mobs and bosses to gain xp points and gear to advance in their level. Players organize into clans to coordinate their efforts.

I played pretty casually for a long time, then I started playing more seriously. I got to a high level and have a lot of good gear, but I’ve come to realize this isn’t something a person trying to grow closer to Jesus should be doing. I’ve been thinking about it and here are some problems I see with this type of game
  1. It’s violent. It’s cartoony type violence, but the goal of the game is to kill mobs (regular characters in the game) and bosses (special characters who drop good gear). The fifth commandment says you shall not kill.
  2. It encourages greed, amassing gold, weapons and armor (dragon sickness). The tenth commandment tells us not to covet our neighbor’s goods.
  3. Players use magic, spells, potions, amulets, magic weapons etc. Sorcery and witchcraft aren’t just part of the game, they’re celebrated and glorified. Players can be mages or Druids with magic powers. One of the most powerful bosses is the Necromancer, who can raise the dead.
  4. It focuses on death, with bosses like the Necromancer and the dragon Mordris. One area (the sewers) is populated with the walking dead. Other areas have ghosts and spirits or walking skeletons (the catacombs). The whole world is a dark, somber place. Jesus says God is a God of the living, not the dead. Jesus says He is the light of the world and that his followers will not walk in darkness. This game is just the opposite of that.
  5. It takes up a lot of time to play at a high level. The game becomes more important than real life relationships, including your relationship with God.
There are other reasons these kinds of games are problematic and interfere with a person’s life and their relationship with God. I thought I would post this so other people can avoid a pitfall in their journey.
 
This is a topic I have talked about a lot, usually on the side against your argument. The Protestant churches I used to attend talked very negatively about video games, to the point where a lot of the teens ended up playing them behind their parents’ backs. I am kind of also biased as a gamer myself, where I used to spend over eight hours a day playing games since I really had nothing else to do.

So… My opinion on this, is that games can in fact teach people a lot, for example I learned about socializing with people, my grammar improved a lot from gaming when prior to getting seriously into them I really didn’t care for grammar, and I learned about economics since I suddenly had a visual and interactive way of learning about it(I ended up spending a lot of time staring at the prices of in game items, but was able to buy most of the high level gear while my in game friends had to go into dungeons in hope of getting a single piece of gear).

Then for the actually issues that can occur, really comes down to the person playing the game. For example I actually improved my life for a while through gaming, while one of my friends became very violent, another friend became obsessive/controlling around video games, etc…

My updated opinion, since starting college and looking into religions, is that gaming should really come down to not doing it obsessively, for example playing for eight hours a day when instead you could be out making money, learning, or helping other games. Obviously they could also be used for good if you were spending time with your family, or using the, to interact with friends you haven’t seen in a while.

Sorry if this made no sense, I am really tired since I have been on the road for most of the day and it is now 1am almost…
 
Hi, I’d just like to say that playing games where
you are in control of “people” playing pieces make
you objectify other people and USE them for your
own ends, but the Bible says they are made in the
image of God and should be treated w/ dignity and
respect.
 
Saul_to_Paul said:
I got involved in playing a game on my phone called Celtic Heroes. It’s a fantasy role playing game where players kill mobs and bosses to gain xp points and gear to advance in their level. Players organize into clans to coordinate their efforts.

I played pretty casually for a long time, then I started playing more seriously. I got to a high level and have a lot of good gear, but I’ve come to realize this isn’t something a person trying to grow closer to Jesus should be doing. I’ve been thinking about it and here are some problems I see with this type of game
  1. It’s violent. It’s cartoony type violence, but the goal of the game is to kill mobs (regular characters in the game) and bosses (special characters who drop good gear). The fifth commandment says you shall not kill.
  2. It encourages greed, amassing gold, weapons and armor (dragon sickness). The tenth commandment tells us not to covet our neighbor’s goods.
  3. Players use magic, spells, potions, amulets, magic weapons etc. Sorcery and witchcraft aren’t just part of the game, they’re celebrated and glorified. Players can be mages or Druids with magic powers. One of the most powerful bosses is the Necromancer, who can raise the dead.
  4. It focuses on death, with bosses like the Necromancer and the dragon Mordris. One area (the sewers) is populated with the walking dead. Other areas have ghosts and spirits or walking skeletons (the catacombs). The whole world is a dark, somber place. Jesus says God is a God of the living, not the dead. Jesus says He is the light of the world and that his followers will not walk in darkness. This game is just the opposite of that.
  5. It takes up a lot of time to play at a high level. The game becomes more important than real life relationships, including your relationship with God.
There are other reasons these kinds of games are problematic and interfere with a person’s life and their relationship with God. I thought I would post this so other people can avoid a pitfall in their journey.
Click to expand...
Welcome to CAF! 👋

I think reason #5 is really the main point of concern. There are all sorts of games that are benign but would be considered problematic if we took them literally. In chess, you’re knocking off pawns, queens and even bishops! :eek: And don’t get me started on Monopoly where the goal is to bring your opponents to bankruptcy and financial ruin and celebrate whenever they land in jail. 😛

But mobile games can be very distracting. Mobile games are designed to hold the carrot in front of your face, always seemingly in grasp but perpetually out of reach. They want you to feel like you’re making forward progress (with leveling up and collecting gear) but there is always one more rung on the ladder to climb. That’s because they make their money when you play every day and either watch their advertisements or pay real money to advance more quickly and/or collect limited edition gear). So the games are designed to encourage you to play frequently in short bursts (or sometimes longer bursts, too). And they are designed to keep going because if you got to the end and “completed” the game, you would stop playing.

The effect of that is that they can really suck you in and serve as a major source of distraction, much more so than even traditional console video games. So we do have to be careful that they do not replace God as our central focus in life. That is always something we need to watch out for. 👍
 
GLam8833 said:
Hi, I’d just like to say that playing games where
you are in control of “people” playing pieces make
you objectify other people and USE them for your
own ends, but the Bible says they are made in the
image of God and should be treated w/ dignity and
respect.
Click to expand...
Good point Glam. Using people is the basis of the “relationships” players have with each other. It’s all about amassing gear and levels, to the point that “scamming” or cheating other players is part of the game.

The world-view of these games is that there is no God, and therefore no morality based on God’s commandments. Morality is based on what advances you and your clan in the game.

Which is what I would say to Avinia, that yes, you are learning through these games, but what you’re learning is that God is irrelevant; morality is all relative and based on what advances you in the game; magic, sorcery, witchcraft are all fun and useful things; there are many gods, and players themselves can become gods (the most highly prized gear grants “godly” powers); the way to get what you want is either through scamming other players or killing mobs and bosses.

To anybody involved or getting involved in a game like this, I would say consider how you could be using the time and money you are putting into the game in better ways. If you are really enmeshed in it, it is a form of addiction and it’s hard to stop.
 
Joe_5859 said:
Welcome to CAF! 👋

I think reason #5 is really the main point of concern. There are all sorts of games that are benign but would be considered problematic if we took them literally. In chess, you’re knocking off pawns, queens and even bishops! :eek: And don’t get me started on Monopoly where the goal is to bring your opponents to bankruptcy and financial ruin and celebrate whenever they land in jail. 😛

But mobile games can be very distracting. Mobile games are designed to hold the carrot in front of your face, always seemingly in grasp but perpetually out of reach. They want you to feel like you’re making forward progress (with leveling up and collecting gear) but there is always one more rung on the ladder to climb. That’s because they make their money when you play every day and either watch their advertisements or pay real money to advance more quickly and/or collect limited edition gear). So the games are designed to encourage you to play frequently in short bursts (or sometimes longer bursts, too). And they are designed to keep going because if you got to the end and “completed” the game, you would stop playing.

The effect of that is that they can really suck you in and serve as a major source of distraction, much more so than even traditional console video games. So we do have to be careful that they do not replace God as our central focus in life. That is always something we need to watch out for. 👍
Click to expand...
Yes, really good points. These games are designed to suck you in and play more and more. They’re like black holes that suck up all your time.

I do think that the demonic world of the game is a concern too. It’s not benign like chess or monopoly. You really become engrossed in a world populated by demons, witches, sorcerers, the walking dead, etc.
 
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Saul_to_Paul:
It’s not benign like chess or monopoly.
Click to expand...
Those games are hardly benign. The objective in chess is to destroy your opponent’s forces and to force the opposing King to capitulate. In monopoly, the objective is to amass the most amount of money and/or property and to bankrupt the other players.
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Saul_to_Paul:
You really become engrossed in a world populated by demons, witches, sorcerers, the walking dead, etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it’s an imaginary world. You do realise that, don’t you? Demons, witches, sorcerors and the undead don’t actually exist in the real world.

Roleplaying games are not suitable for everyone. If you can’t play them in moderation and without becoming obsessed by them, then it’s better not to play them at all.
 
Nixbits said:
Those games are hardly benign. The objective in chess is to destroy your opponent’s forces and to force the opposing King to capitulate. In monopoly, the objective is to amass the most amount of money and/or property and to bankrupt the other players.

Yes, but it’s an imaginary world. You do realise that, don’t you? Demons, witches, sorcerors and the undead don’t actually exist in the real world.

Roleplaying games are not suitable for everyone. If you can’t play them in moderation and without becoming obsessed by them, then it’s better not to play them at all.
Click to expand...
Demons, witches, sorcerers do exist in the real world. In fact St. Paul warns us
For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.
Click to expand...
Ephesians 6:12

St. Peter also warns us that the devil is real and is out to get us.
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.
Click to expand...
1 Peter 5:8

Playing around with the occult is not jusr harmless fun or entertainment. That’s what I was trying to warn people about with these types of games. Yes, they’re a big waste of time, but the danger is deeper than that. They could be opening the person up to demonic influence or even possession.
 
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Saul_to_Paul:
Demons, witches, sorcerers do exist in the real world.
Click to expand...
Nonsense. If you believe they’re real then I agree that you steer well clear of games of this sort.
 
While I don’t think games are bad themselves, the time they suck away, and the addiction that ensues is certainly bad.

I have been addicted to video games for a while, but I have stopped playing games quite a bit. I am still addicted to the computer however, and that still sucks away time.

The only games that I would call bad would be ones with scantily clad characters, that could possibly cause the player to lust. :o
 
I have been trying app game after app game but I keep finding faults with the games. In one they constantly use Greek gods or strange gods, in another magic, in another the female characters are dressed immodest, in another worshiping the environment, in another violence, in another pointless leveling up. So I have yet to find a good wholehearted mobile app game, but I still look here and there. I may be interested in the Pokemon Trading Card Game, that looks like fun but requires a computer or IPAD. (Your suggestions are welcome)

But yes be careful because these games can and do take up alot of time and as the others said it seems like there is no final way to win the game, so you keep playing and playing.
 
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Saul_to_Paul:
You don’t think demons exist?
Click to expand...
There is no convincing evidence for the existence of demons. If you are aware of any, then I suggest you make it public and win yourself a Nobel prize.
 
What do you think about exorcists/exorcism then?
devil does exists and he is real my friend. Try reading An Exorcist Tells His Story: Fr. Gabriele Amorth. Gabriele Amorth is an Italian Roman Catholic priest and an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who is reputed to have cleansed tens of thousands of demonic possessions.
freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1260364/posts

The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist

Father Amorth reappears with his book and smiles. “Remember, when we jeer at the Devil and tell ourselves that he does not exist, that is when he is happiest.”
freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1260364/posts

Remember, Jesus casted out demons.
Check the link for supporting verses from Bible
bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Jesus-Casting-Out-Demons

:gopray2:
 
Ohh, of course. I quite forgot. Back in March 1999 when Father Amorth published his book presenting convincing evidence for the existence of demons. The scientific and medical communities around the world had to re-assess most of what they thought and they had to re-write all their text-books.

No, wait a moment . . . that didn’t happen, did it?
 
Nixbits said:
Ohh, of course. I quite forgot. Back in March 1999 when Father Amorth published his book presenting convincing evidence for the existence of demons. The scientific and medical communities around the world had to re-assess most of what they thought and they had to re-write all their text-books.

No, wait a moment . . . that didn’t happen, did it?
Click to expand...
Do you believe in God? You seem like a secular atheist who worships at the feet of the scientific method. If you can’t verify something through a controlled experiment, then it doesn’t exist.

I’m a Catholic Christian who “walks by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
 
In my opinion as long as anything doesn’t lead people to sin it is fine

so movies,video games, books are all ok if they dont lead you to sin.

But thanks for the heads-up anyway
 
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Saul_to_Paul:
You seem like a secular atheist who worships at the feet of the scientific method.
Click to expand...
Ha-hah! I don’t worship at the feet of the scientific method, or any other man-made process for that matter. That would be absurd. However, I do recognise that the scientific method is by far the best and most reliable method we have for determining what is true about the physical universe.

There are areas of study that have not yet been well-researched and it is therefore sensible to withhold judgement. However, the various claims of the supernatural (ghosts, demons, witches etc.) have been subjected to extensive scientific investigation over many years. Not once has any convincing evidence for anything supernatural been found. On this basis, to continue to believe when there is no compelling evidence is absurd.
 
Nixbits said:
Ha-hah! I don’t worship at the feet of the scientific method, or any other man-made process for that matter. That would be absurd. However, I do recognise that the scientific method is by far the best and most reliable method we have for determining what is true about the physical universe.

There are areas of study that have not yet been well-researched and it is therefore sensible to withhold judgement. However, the various claims of the supernatural (ghosts, demons, witches etc.) have been subjected to extensive scientific investigation over many years. Not once has any convincing evidence for anything supernatural been found. On this basis, to continue to believe when there is no compelling evidence is absurd.
Click to expand...
Do you believe in God?
 
Do you think that my opinion on the existence of God is relevant to my opinion on fantasy role-playing games? If you only wanted responses to your post from a specific proportion of the contributors to this forum, then perhaps you should have made that clear at the beginning.
 
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