I can offer my point of view as a reasonably enthusiastic gamer. I own an Xbox 360 which I purchased about 3 years ago. I’ve bought various games for it, usually playing them for a while, and trading them in for store credit (and then newer games) when they get boring or a better game comes out.
First, I’d like to mention this briefly: I’m not sure if you are a gamer, but if not it’s likely that you are not aware of a great debate that’s been going on among game develpors/designers, gamers, and others about whether or not video games can be considered art. Everyone has a different definition of what art is, so everyone has a different opinion about it. Obviously, in my opinion, if a video game is art, then it has value simply because a human being created it not only as an expression of him/herself (and of the myriad of people who contributed to the game), but as a way of helping others enter into that world and find ways of expressing themselves through it. (e.g. multiplayer and “role playing” games, video game lingo, etc.). If video games are art, then clearly they hold some value, even just for existing.
What is the value in video games, if any? Isn’t it always inherently an escape from true reality? Doesn’t that make it always a waste of our God-given time in the real world?
I can think of a few other things about which you might say the same thing… Television, movies, novels, talk radio, blogs and social networks… to name just a few. I think that video games have just as much value as all these things. When you sit down to watch Lord of the Rings, or read it for that matter, aren’t you looking for an escape from reality? That’s what makes these things so grand. That’s why we’re taught as little kids that reading can take us all over the world, beyond the moon and up to the stars, and back again, in our imaginations. Are such pursuits a waste of time? I don’t think so.
Some provisions have to made, of course, as there are some dangers. Video games can be highly addicting, Maybe even more so than television or the internet, because of the level of immersion one experiences in the world of the game. This immersion seems to be the “holy grail” of the gaming industry right now. As technology gets better, so does the realism of the gaming experience. Not only are graphics and sounds better, but characters have more to say, in-game worlds are rich, and you can’t discover everything the game has to offer in one sit-down. Story-lines are complex and characters reveal themselves to you slowly over time. Many games even include possibilities for the gamer to choose the path his character takes. The Fallout series is a perfect example of this. Everywhere you go in Fallout there are choices to make, such as “do i steal this item?” “do I believe what this person is telling me?” “Do I make this deal?” “Do I kill this person?”
Games are becoming more and more like real life, and it won’t be long now, until Star Trek’s vision of the “Holodeck” becomes a reality. We have to be careful to limit our amount of time spent gaming, just as we limit our time in front of TV, etc. to make sure we’re using our time wisely. Video games are one way to wind down after a hard day of work, or enjoy a day off. Just don’t overuse them.
Also, it should be noted that many games out there are certainly not appropriate for children, and may be morally offensive to a person of any age. Be careful what you find yourself doing in games that portray evil as fun and inviting. Some games encourage the player to steal cars, shoot innocent civilians, hire prostitutes, etc… (Grand Theft Auto comes to mind.) While these games may have merit on some level as achievements of technology, and can be appreciated in certain ways, we should be careful to know ourselves and know how much it will influence us before we go shooting machine guns out the window in a stolen-car in-game drive-by.
Other than a few disclaimers, I think video games have as much or more merit as movies, television, and other ways of escaping reality. They are a fun way to entertain ourselves and can let us experience things we’d never get to do in real life. (Play professional sports, travel all over the universe, race at 100 mph down a city street, and infinitely more). I don’t know if your post was asking “should I play video games,” but if so, I’d say it’s totally a matter of opinion. Some like them, some don’t. Do whatever you think you need to do to serve Our Lord and become a Saint!
God’s peace.
-Francis
This has to be one of the most outrageous statements I have ever seen on this forum. Communication with our Creator is a “form of escapism”??!!! I guess Jesus liked to “escape” a whole lot, as well as all of the saints.