We need a definitive teaching on games better yet: My rant

[thestudentAD]

Like a lot of you, I play games. Of course, now that’s thrown into question as it is now, as it often is: either or. It may never be a thing of ‘and’.
Now on the pro side of gaming:
We are tired of everyday lives if they are boring. we have a whole bunch of bad **** that we may not be able to do, but in games we feel like we can do something, it keeps our minds off of things in the real world.
On the con side, and everyone, practically most of the church believes this; Games don’t do anything for you. They lead to violence, well that’s because they’re realistic, people no longer want an unrealistic game, they want something that resembles reality, something they can relate to. And I can understand the whole addiction to pleasure thing now.
Why is it that whatever seems fun is actually a tool of the devil and whatever seems boring is of the Lord?! Sorry that I’m worked up. I once posted a thread showing my concerns to Traditionalists about their ranting on all of vatican II and that got closed. I may probably never know a moment of external AND Internal peace in my life except when I die and go to Heaven. Nothing is going to be comfortable. In fact, I’m having thoughts about writing books against radical traditionalism and people going insane because neither side can give in or one side is pretty much acting like the Nazis again. There shouldn’t be any comfort in this life, I guess.
I mean, i’ve had thoughts where ‘hey, what if we could make a catholic game for people’. but people instead want more atheistic games, traditionalists probably hate the idea, modernists (considered by traditionalists to be pretty much heretics and unbelievers0 would be into it, but the rest of the Church is ‘NO’.
God gave us dominion over this world, but we rejected it, it got handed over to Satan (Who should be shot in the head and vanished from this world along with his demons.) then, Christ Our Lord took it back and now he reigns over this rebellious world in which:

1. Everything we’ve ever worked for is pretty much ****
2. Science and technology are pretty much not worth a jot and are going to be discarded anyway
3. Faith is pretty much all one needs
4. Leisure time is pretty much usually sinful nowadays
5. only best pasttime is reading and writing
6. The bible and spiritual books are the best things to read, all else is stupidity
7. If it is of the(Human social) world, then it’s of the devil; if it’s about the spirit: It’s from the Lord!
8. The human social world and Christianity don’t mix. the City of God’s going to triumph and the City of Man should be (And let’s all face the hard truth; is) going to beburned to a crisp.
9. Hatred of the world was always the Christian thing, therefore, we should hate the (Human social) world and everything in it
   that is my rant to blow off some steam. I would enjoy seeing your reactions!

 

[jpotato]

1. no. everything that you could work for was created by God, so it is decidedly not ****.
2. again they are gifts from god, which we need to be sure to use correctly.
3. faith without works is dead, and god created us as social creatures. god wants (most of) us to go forth and be holy in our everyday lives. you can be faithful by doing more than just sitting around and squandering his gifts.
4. leisure time is not a sin. if you choose to use it sinfully that’s on you dog.
5. (6?) god doesn’t say only read and write. it would behoove you to cultivate some skills, rather than sitting around playing games.
6. this is false. there is a gigantic amount of excellent literature.
7. this is a heretical idea. Jesus was all man and all God. we humans are inherently sinful beings, but physical things and relationships with people are not in themselves sinful.
8. Christianity IS the human social world. God gave us rules to live by which were divinely created to make us lead happy lives , and loves us so much that he offered his only begotten son as a sacrifice to redeem us.
9. God loves the world. christians are called to be a light that radiates love onto others. hate isn’t a christian ideal.

your post is clearly. it seems that you have an unhealthy attachment to video games. if you are trying to persuade me that video games are great you aren’t going to convince anyone. being a student, i already regret the amount of time that i wasted playing something designed to waste my time and money.

 

[WoundedIcon]

I believe, along with the writer of one of the Deuterocanonical books, that leisure is necessary for wisdom. One outcome of leisure is the arts, which game developers are involved in through many aspects of game design. I feel that traditionally minded people should look farther back for aspects of violence/dark themes in Christian culture. As a metalhead who grew up with Final Fantasy I am actually in love with ritual and splendor, the grand liturgies of yore. Epic and dramatic. Long story short - don’t forget that there is a history of Catholic leisure. If Tolkien and Lewis could use pagan-styled storytelling fo.Christ I doubt it’s impossible to baptize gaming.

 

[Robyn_p]

Like a lot of you, I play games. Of course, now that’s thrown into question as it is now, as it often is: either or. It may never be a thing of ‘and’.
Now on the pro side of gaming:
We are tired of everyday lives if they are boring. we have a whole bunch of bad **** that we may not be able to do, but in games we feel like we can do something, it keeps our minds off of things in the real world.

Hmmm…that’s not really why I play video games (I’m assuming you’re talking about video games, and not board games. ) I play for the same reason I read books and watch movies and plays. To have fun and enjoy a good story.

On the con side, and everyone, practically most of the church believes this; Games don’t do anything for you. They lead to violence, well that’s because they’re realistic, people no longer want an unrealistic game, they want something that resembles reality, something they can relate to. And I can understand the whole addiction to pleasure thing now.

I guess it depends on the game. A lot of games (I’m looking at you Call of Duty) are mindless and pointless. But there’s a lot that aren’t. I’ve been intellectually challenged by some games, I’ve been even emotionally moved by a few. (I challenge anyone to play Telltales Walking Dead and not feel something. It’s not just another zombie game.)

If games don’t do anything for us, then neither do books or movies or music or any other form of artistic expression. There’s a lot of junk out there, but there’s a lot of good too. We shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

Why is it that whatever seems fun is actually a tool of the devil and whatever seems boring is of the Lord?!

It’s not. This isn’t Catholic belief. God gave us the good things of the earth. (And that includes recreation and art) for us to enjoy and to lift our minds to him. The devil perverts these things, (like he does every good thing.) but that doesn’t make the things themselves evil. Not at all.

Sorry that I’m worked up. I once posted a thread showing my concerns to Traditionalists about their ranting on all of vatican II and that got closed. I may probably never know a moment of external AND Internal peace in my life except when I die and go to Heaven. Nothing is going to be comfortable. In fact, I’m having thoughts about writing books against radical traditionalism and people going insane because neither side can give in or one side is pretty much acting like the Nazis again. There shouldn’t be any comfort in this life, I guess.

Sounds like you’ve gone through a lot in your life. I agree radical traditionalism is spiritually destructive. I pray you find some peace.

I mean, i’ve had thoughts where ‘hey, what if we could make a catholic game for people’. but people instead want more atheistic games, traditionalists probably hate the idea, modernists (considered by traditionalists to be pretty much heretics and unbelievers0 would be into it, but the rest of the Church is ‘NO’.

I don’t know what you mean by the rest of the Church, but I think this is a great idea and you should go for it. There’s actually a Catholic college in San Diego that’s doing just that, called John Paul the Great university. You should check it out. It might be something worth looking into.

God gave us dominion over this world, but we rejected it, it got handed over to Satan (Who should be shot in the head and vanished from this world along with his demons.) then, Christ Our Lord took it back and now he reigns over this rebellious world in which:

1. Everything we’ve ever worked for is pretty much ****
2. Science and technology are pretty much not worth a jot and are going to be discarded anyway
3. Faith is pretty much all one needs
4. Leisure time is pretty much usually sinful nowadays
5. only best pasttime is reading and writing
6. The bible and spiritual books are the best things to read, all else is stupidity
7. If it is of the(Human social) world, then it’s of the devil; if it’s about the spirit: It’s from the Lord!
8. The human social world and Christianity don’t mix. the City of God’s going to triumph and the City of Man should be (And let’s all face the hard truth; is) going to beburned to a crisp.
9. Hatred of the world was always the Christian thing, therefore, we should hate the (Human social) world and everything in it
   that is my rant to blow off some steam. I would enjoy seeing your reactions!

Well, all I can say is whoever told you those 10 things has a severe misunderstanding of the faith. This is Puritanism, not Catholicism. The Church has nothing against science, technology, or leisure at all. Especially not science. Some of the greatest scientific advancements were discovered by Catholic clergymen. I’m not sure where you are getting this, but don’t listen to it. It’s a false presentation of the faith.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

1. faith without works is dead, and god created us as social creatures. god wants (most of) us to go forth and be holy in our everyday lives. you can be faithful by doing more than just sitting around and squandering his gifts.

Sociability is highly subjective… as is the standard for what counts as squandering.

1. (6?) god doesn’t say only read and write. it would behoove you to cultivate some skills, rather than sitting around playing games.

cultivate skillsdo.

being a student, i already regret the amount of time that i wasted playing something designed to waste my time and money.

As a graduate, I regret not playing more.

 

[balto]

Honestly, OP, I think you need to deal with these anger issues that you seem to have. I don’t think too many Catholics here are going to tell you that you are going to burn in Hell if you play video games. Like everything else, it should be done in moderation and you should not seek out games that promote intrinsically evil things, and I think you can use your common sense to figure out what that would entail. If video games are bad, then so is an type of fictional work including books, TV, plays, theater, music, movies, etc.

And seriously dude, you need to drop the paranoia you have with traditional Catholics. You’ve started several threads specifically aimed at attacking them. Do you think it is a good thing to let all this anger fester like this? Ignore them if you cannot deal with it constructively. “Never let the sun set on your anger lest you give the devil a foothold” and all that.

 

[mikekle]

I never realized so many grown adults still play these ‘games’, I used to play video games, but once I reached about 19 or 20, I kind of lost interest and found other things to do. ( I was 20 yrs old in 1994 btw). Heck, I even remember friends and other people I knew around this time, who would bust my chops about me still having a nintendo game system LOL, of course my dad, always told me to grow up and throw out the video games too. ha ha ha

Plus, I know before that, like early to mid 90s and prior, nearly NO adults played video games, Im curious what changed in such a short time to go from no adults being interested in these types of games once they reach a certain age, to entire industries springing up to make millions off the MANY adults that play such games…??

I suppose it could just be a popular fad, that will eventually fade away and go back to only kids being interested in gaming, but no way to predict that.

 

[Joe_5859]

Like a lot of you, I play games. Of course, now that’s thrown into question as it is now, as it often is: either or. It may never be a thing of ‘and’.
Now on the pro side of gaming:
We are tired of everyday lives if they are boring. we have a whole bunch of bad **** that we may not be able to do, but in games we feel like we can do something, it keeps our minds off of things in the real world.
On the con side, and everyone, practically most of the church believes this; Games don’t do anything for you. They lead to violence, well that’s because they’re realistic, people no longer want an unrealistic game, they want something that resembles reality, something they can relate to. And I can understand the whole addiction to pleasure thing now.
Why is it that whatever seems fun is actually a tool of the devil and whatever seems boring is of the Lord?! Sorry that I’m worked up. I once posted a thread showing my concerns to Traditionalists about their ranting on all of vatican II and that got closed. I may probably never know a moment of external AND Internal peace in my life except when I die and go to Heaven. Nothing is going to be comfortable. In fact, I’m having thoughts about writing books against radical traditionalism and people going insane because neither side can give in or one side is pretty much acting like the Nazis again. There shouldn’t be any comfort in this life, I guess.
I mean, i’ve had thoughts where ‘hey, what if we could make a catholic game for people’. but people instead want more atheistic games, traditionalists probably hate the idea, modernists (considered by traditionalists to be pretty much heretics and unbelievers0 would be into it, but the rest of the Church is ‘NO’.
God gave us dominion over this world, but we rejected it, it got handed over to Satan (Who should be shot in the head and vanished from this world along with his demons.) then, Christ Our Lord took it back and now he reigns over this rebellious world in which:

1. Everything we’ve ever worked for is pretty much ****
2. Science and technology are pretty much not worth a jot and are going to be discarded anyway
3. Faith is pretty much all one needs
4. Leisure time is pretty much usually sinful nowadays
5. only best pasttime is reading and writing
6. The bible and spiritual books are the best things to read, all else is stupidity
7. If it is of the(Human social) world, then it’s of the devil; if it’s about the spirit: It’s from the Lord!
8. The human social world and Christianity don’t mix. the City of God’s going to triumph and the City of Man should be (And let’s all face the hard truth; is) going to beburned to a crisp.
9. Hatred of the world was always the Christian thing, therefore, we should hate the (Human social) world and everything in it
   that is my rant to blow off some steam. I would enjoy seeing your reactions!

It sounds like you have some serious misconceptions about Catholic teaching with regards to recreation and leisure.

 

[Joe_5859]

I never realized so many grown adults still play these ‘games’, I used to play video games, but once I reached about 19 or 20, I kind of lost interest and found other things to do. ( I was 20 yrs old in 1994 btw). Heck, I even remember friends and other people I knew around this time, who would bust my chops about me still having a nintendo game system LOL, of course my dad, always told me to grow up and throw out the video games too. ha ha ha

Plus, I know before that, like early to mid 90s and prior, nearly NO adults played video games, Im curious what changed in such a short time to go from no adults being interested in these types of games once they reach a certain age, to entire industries springing up to make millions off the MANY adults that play such games…??

I suppose it could just be a popular fad, that will eventually fade away and go back to only kids being interested in gaming, but no way to predict that.

I feel like this view is prevalent amongst many, but it doesn’t quite make sense to me. I don’t see why video games would be different than any other form of entertainment.

There are kid’s board games (like CandyLand), but that doesn’t make all board games something that are only for children.

Kids play sports and there are many sports leagues set up for children in schools across the world. But that doesn’t make sports a “kid’s thing” in the eye of many.

There are kid’s TV shows, books, magazines, etc. But that doesn’t mean there are not also these same things for adults.

So why would video games be any different? If an adult can enjoy a board game, or some TV or some intramural sports, why not a video game?

 

[Cat]

Why not indeed?

Joe 5859, video games are just like any other human pleasure. Nothing wrong when used properly.

The problem is human sin, which has marred our bodies and minds and introduced the bane of “addiction” into human behavior. Some of us are susceptible and some of us are not.

In the other thread, you asked me if perhaps my nephew is more susceptible to addiction to video games because of his Asberger’s Syndrome. I’m sure that’s a factor.

But addiction is not just something that happens to people with mental and emotional syndromes. There is a scientific reason behind addiction–when the pleasure centers of our brain are stimulated, we seek more of the same stimulus. Those with addictive personalities have something that is not quite right with these pleasure centers–we are unable to walk away from those things that give us pleasure and we become enslaved by them.

So while one person is enjoying a glass of wine or a beer or even refusing because they would rather just have a glass of water with dinner, the addicted person is thinking about the next drink and the next one and…they are powerless to stop themselves from desiring or seeking out or taking a drink.

I do this with certain foods. I can’t stop at three Oreos. I can eat the entire package. It doesn’t make me sick. It just makes me feel really good! (I wish it would make me sick.) And there are so many other foods that are “triggers” for me to just drop everything, go find that food, and consume it. Other people (normal people) just eat because they need to stay alive, and sometimes they even forget to eat. I can’t imagine being this way.

**And video games are especially addictive because the rate at which they deliver pleasure to the pleasure centers in the brain is faster than many other things. A person playing a video game gets a “pleasure hit” to the brain every few seconds! This is faster then drugs! **
This is why I think that children should never ever be allowed to play video games–it’s just too much pleasure for them to deal with and walk away from. In the old days, kids under 18 weren’t allowed to play pinball in the arcades and bowling alleys. I think there was great wisdom in this, and I personally wish that parents would make the same rule in their family–no electronic or video games until 18 years of age. I think it would help a lot of kids have a chance of experiencing more “real” activities while growing up. It would also give them a chance to mature and develop their “impulse-control” centers.

So my feeling about this is just what I said in the other thread–if you have an addictive personality, then it’s probably best to stay away from video games, or you risk ending up being one of those people who plays them every waking moment that you aren’t at work. That’s fine if you are alone and have no one else that you need to communicate with. But if you are married or have children or other family–it’s really bad. It’s one thing to take a ten-minute break from your wife and kids, or from your other family members. Even a one-hour break is fine (a lot of people use that hour to work out or go for walk or to go to the Adoration Chapel at their parish).

But to absent yourself for several hours and allow the wife and kids to do without you all that time–that’s just wrong.

But if you’re alone and plan to remain alone, then why not retreat from the real world and play them?

 

[Joe_5859]

Why not indeed?

Joe 5859, video games are just like any other human pleasure. Nothing wrong when used properly.

The problem is human sin, which has marred our bodies and minds and introduced the bane of “addiction” into human behavior. Some of us are susceptible and some of us are not.

In the other thread, you asked me if perhaps my nephew is more susceptible to addiction to video games because of his Asberger’s Syndrome. I’m sure that’s a factor.

But addiction is not just something that happens to people with mental and emotional syndromes. There is a scientific reason behind addiction–when the pleasure centers of our brain are stimulated, we seek more of the same stimulus. Those with addictive personalities have something that is not quite right with these pleasure centers–we are unable to walk away from those things that give us pleasure and we become enslaved by them.

So while one person is enjoying a glass of wine or a beer or even refusing because they would rather just have a glass of water with dinner, the addicted person is thinking about the next drink and the next one and…they are powerless to stop themselves from desiring or seeking out or taking a drink.

I do this with certain foods. I can’t stop at three Oreos. I can eat the entire package. It doesn’t make me sick. It just makes me feel really good! (I wish it would make me sick.) And there are so many other foods that are “triggers” for me to just drop everything, go find that food, and consume it. Other people (normal people) just eat because they need to stay alive, and sometimes they even forget to eat. I can’t imagine being this way.

**And video games are especially addictive because the rate at which they deliver pleasure to the pleasure centers in the brain is faster than many other things. A person playing a video game gets a “pleasure hit” to the brain every few seconds! This is faster then drugs! **
This is why I think that children should never ever be allowed to play video games–it’s just too much pleasure for them to deal with and walk away from. In the old days, kids under 18 weren’t allowed to play pinball in the arcades and bowling alleys. I think there was great wisdom in this, and I personally wish that parents would make the same rule in their family–no electronic or video games until 18 years of age. I think it would help a lot of kids have a chance of experiencing more “real” activities while growing up. It would also give them a chance to mature and develop their “impulse-control” centers.

So my feeling about this is just what I said in the other thread–if you have an addictive personality, then it’s probably best to stay away from video games, or you risk ending up being one of those people who plays them every waking moment that you aren’t at work. That’s fine if you are alone and have no one else that you need to communicate with. But if you are married or have children or other family–it’s really bad. It’s one thing to take a ten-minute break from your wife and kids, or from your other family members. Even a one-hour break is fine (a lot of people use that hour to work out or go for walk or to go to the Adoration Chapel at their parish).

But to absent yourself for several hours and allow the wife and kids to do without you all that time–that’s just wrong.

But if you’re alone and plan to remain alone, then why not retreat from the real world and play them?

I certainly agree with you that it’s wrong for a man to recuse himself from family responsibilities for hours at a time to play video games.

I know that video game addiction is a real phenomenon, but I’m still skeptical that the addictiveness is intrinsic to the medium of video games itself rather than just a symptom of a more prevalent tendency in our culture to be addicted to distraction.

Maybe there have been studies done that I am simply not familiar with.

I didn’t know that pinball used to be for adults only! My how things have changed!

 

[gam197]

Gaming is relatively young - 30 years, so initially I think parent thought - "Just a short term interest and let the kids play. Now that more material comes forth, they see that it can be a problem so many pull back.

This is also true with TV watching, many kids just like to sit and watch.

Often it is the parent who starts the kids on this. They need a rest so they put the TV on or they want the children to learn so they buy educational games. We are talking 3 year olds.

As time goes on, parents question the value and try to retrain their own kids but it very difficult in a world where kids go to school and common ground is either TV or video games.(Pin ball machine were not as easily to access, in your own home. Interesting that initially, they were not allowed in bowling alleys or arcades.That changed quicly.)

No one is saying either of these things is bad but that moderation is needed. Video games are a real problem in that they are intense and you want to “beat them”. That mike take a whole week of your time. That is OK as long as you don’t buy video game after video game. Plus as you get older, online, there are many who can’t even play some games because they are not good enough. There is this heirarchy of gamers and the best like to play with the best.

I think we will continue to hear more on this.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

**And video games are especially addictive because the rate at which they deliver pleasure to the pleasure centers in the brain is faster than many other things. A person playing a video game gets a “pleasure hit” to the brain every few seconds! This is faster then drugs! **

So drugs are better? C’mon Cat, I know you don’t meant that. I think this whole opposition to the instant gratification movement is wholly misunderstanding the tree they’re barking up at. Yes, video games have the power of today’s high-speed technology to deliver. The same logic went for moving pictures.

On the other hand, I think with all the insta-opposition, they’re glorifying an evil that technology has often remedied: Delays.

I’ve lost faith in the virtue of patience (or at least knocked it down an ideological peg or two). Too often, it’s been levied at me as an excuse to waste my time. Take note, I say my time because what constitutes a ‘waste of time’ on the topic is already proven to be subjective.

Rather odd that video games are being accused of this crime when the amount of time to an old-fashioned hobby consumes just as much and with fewer results. Sure, perhaps it’s not just about the results. I can see how my Dad enjoys the time he spends tending a small dragon fruit plant for months.

I just take more pride in seeing my personal collection of digital monsters, which only took me weeks to grow.

 

[C794]

I just want to give some quick thoughts on this.

Video games aren’t inherently sinful; it depends on the individual and what leads one to sin (providing temptations or taking up too much time). In some senses I think games are safer than movies. In the games I play a lot of the more objectionable material is completely optional, due an emphasis on player choice. This could still present a near occasion of sin, if you’re not careful, but I’d argue that it’s far less than the average PG-13 movie.

I’m currently a college student and have been playing a lot of video games since I was in elementary school. Like any hobby these can get in the way of fulfilling personal obligations and your relationship with God – this would be sinful and indicate a need to move away from video games. The thing is time management. I set certain nights aside for video games – or fiction reading – and may play them on other nights if I happen to get all of my homework done and have nothing to do at church. Since I prioritize my time, they haven’t had an adverse effect on my life and I have been successful when it comes to my obligations. For example, I’d never touch a video game when I have a big test coming up. As a note the video games I play (Role Playing Games) are very addictive and time consuming. I think with this approach none of the objections to video games apply. Yes, they can take up too much time, but so can books, TV, sports, or any other hobby someone may take up. It’s about balance.

Not all video games are like Call of Duty. I actually think those games are worst thing to ever happen to the shooter genre. They have made it fairly mindless and devoid of creativity. Honestly, there are games in this genre that have gripping stories, with fascinating settings. Then there’s the role playing genre that’s all about story; they emphasize good characters, and most of the effort goes into the plotline. When people buy these games the primary interest is their story and they have some very good ones. I have seen better stories in video games than in most modern movies.

I do want to say that most traditionalists aren’t angry nor do all view modern forms of entertainment sinful.

 

[Cat]

Back to this topic again (I’m home from work sick. )

One of my biggest problems with video games is that they take time away from other worthwhile activities, especially for children, but also for adults.

We only have 24 hours in day. Around 16 of those hours is taken up with work and sleep, along with various hygiene and health duties (going to the bathroom, showering/bathing, doing some kind of physical workout). Another hour or so is used up by preparing and eating food; even if you eat while you play the games (or watch TV or read or whatever), you still have to do something to obtain that food (if the food just comes to you already prepared, please PM me and let me know the Secret!).

So that leaves 7 hours of free time.

I would say that at least a half-hour of that should be spent in intimate communication with God, whether in Mass, private or public prayer, singing/playing/listening to spiritual songs and hymns, sitting outdoors and meditating on God’s creation, spending time on CAF and other online religious sites, etc. That’s very little time, but I think it’s realistic. (And yes, I agree that going online is really “pushing it” when it comes to spending time with God!)

So we have 6.5 hours of free time.

If you have a family, especially a spouse, you really should spend a few hours of that 6.5 hours with them in work and play, or with the spouse, making love or at least being loving. If you don’t spend real time with your family members, especially your spouse, and also your beloved children, then you are living badly. I know that might offend some of you but c’mon, why did you get married if you never want to spend time with your spouse and why did you have children if you never want to spend even an hour with them.

So you spend 2 hours with your family (and that’s just your close family). That leaves you with 4.5 hours.

And let’s say that you truly are free to spend that time any way you choose, no strings attached.

You could spend the time playing video games.

But why?! There are so many other things to do that will bring so much pleasure not only to you but to others.

One suggestion is to spend the time doing chores to improve the place where you live. Obviously if you live with your parents and they hire someone to do all this work, you’re off the hook. But most of us don’t live with our parents. Even if we live in a one-room apartment, we can (and should) clean it at the very least. And those of us who live in houses can testify that they are a never-ending sinkhole for our money and time, but the work we put into our dwellings is paid back in our own personal pleasure and comfort. Also, those who visit our home or drive by it can take pleasure in seeing some pretty flowers or shrubs, or a cute yard ornament that you bought or made.

So that’s one hour gone of the 4.5. Down to 3.5 hours.

Another suggestion is to listen to or even better, MAKE music! There are a lot of free or cheap concert and recital opportunities (if you live in a university town, there are all kinds of free Senior recitals!).

But why not learn to play an instrument yourself? It will take practice. An hour a day will do it.

So we’re down to 2.5 hours.

Remember the family? Not just your spouse and kids, but all those OTHER family members–your parents who are getting older everyday, your aunts and uncles and cousins and all the “Greats”–all of whom are marching to the grave along with you. Why not get together with them on a regular basis? Invite Mom and Dad over or out for a meal. Have a family party. Get the family together at a baseball game or a picnic or BBQ or even a family game night.

Don’t wait on this one–they die too soon.

Down to 1.5 hours (really short family dinner or party).

Get a pet and care for it.

Sit out on your deck and smell things.

Try a new recipe and learn to cook something really different.

Build something–how about a birdfeeder (or go buy one and fill it up and watch).

Get interested in a TV show and faithfully watch it every week (just one show).

Learn to dance if you have the physical chops.

VOLUNTEER! So many organizations, including your church, need help.

Write that novel you’ve been meaning to write.

Become a fan of a sport, preferably an obscure sport without a lot of fans (synchronized skating! Then you can meet Cat and we can chat about your new favorite sport!).

Get involved with politics and make a difference. Be in a protest march and wave signs.

Paint something (a picture or a house).

Learn to sew (and then get frustrated and throw the whole sewing machine into the trash!).

Really LEARN computers–take Computing 101 in the local junior college, and move on from there.)

Become a triathlete–or even better, learn to ice skate and join my husband at competition!

Start a campaign to get on a TV game show (it took a local man 18 years to make it onto Jeopardy, but then he won $56,000 dollars and took a year sabbatical from his job to get his doctoral degree, using the money to pay for it.)

Sit around the local coffee shop–not the hip one, but the REAL one where all the old guys hang out, and spend an hour solving the problems of the world with them.

Become a friend to one of your neighbors.

Just sit and enjoy being alive.

There’s so much to do and so little time. If video games are your choice, that’s OK. But children especially should be encouraged to live life BIG and do as much as they can while they have time. If they grow up and decide that they would rather stare at a screen and push buttons, well…sigh.

 

[SquallLeonheart]

“On the con side, and everyone, practically most of the church believes this; Games don’t do anything for you. They lead to violence, well that’s because they’re realistic, people no longer want an unrealistic game, they want something that resembles reality, something they can relate to. And I can understand the whole addiction to pleasure thing now.”

Not true at all. Violent video games, movies, and music are the scapegoat for so many things and DO NOT lead to violence.

I love games of all sorts, Grand Theft Auto, super Mario bros, Demon’s Souls, Wii bowling, and if anything some of the most violent games can help Relieve stress/blow off steam, just like listening to some early Metallica/Slayer.

 

[Robyn_p]

Back to this topic again (I’m home from work sick. )

One of my biggest problems with video games is that they take time away from other worthwhile activities, especially for children, but also for adults.

We only have 24 hours in day. Around 16 of those hours is taken up with work and sleep, along with various hygiene and health duties (going to the bathroom, showering/bathing, doing some kind of physical workout). Another hour or so is used up by preparing and eating food; even if you eat while you play the games (or watch TV or read or whatever), you still have to do something to obtain that food (if the food just comes to you already prepared, please PM me and let me know the Secret!).

So that leaves 7 hours of free time.

I would say that at least a half-hour of that should be spent in intimate communication with God, whether in Mass, private or public prayer, singing/playing/listening to spiritual songs and hymns, sitting outdoors and meditating on God’s creation, spending time on CAF and other online religious sites, etc. That’s very little time, but I think it’s realistic. (And yes, I agree that going online is really “pushing it” when it comes to spending time with God!)

So we have 6.5 hours of free time.

If you have a family, especially a spouse, you really should spend a few hours of that 6.5 hours with them in work and play, or with the spouse, making love or at least being loving. If you don’t spend real time with your family members, especially your spouse, and also your beloved children, then you are living badly. I know that might offend some of you but c’mon, why did you get married if you never want to spend time with your spouse and why did you have children if you never want to spend even an hour with them.

So you spend 2 hours with your family (and that’s just your close family). That leaves you with 4.5 hours.

And let’s say that you truly are free to spend that time any way you choose, no strings attached.

You could spend the time playing video games.

But why?! There are so many other things to do that will bring so much pleasure not only to you but to others.

Get interested in a TV show and faithfully watch it every week (just one show).

I have to ask, but why is getting hooked on a TV show a better use of time than video games? For me, video games are more mentally stimulating than 95% of what’s on TV. And they can involve interacting with others unlike TV shows. So honestly, what’s the difference?

I understand what you’re trying to say, we shouldn’t get obsessed and miss living our lives. (And I completely agree.) But I still don’t see why we have to single out video games like this. Everything you just said could easily be said about books. I spent WAY too much time reading as a kid. I grew up with video games, but they weren’t as addicting to me as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Narnia was. I used those as an escape. I would seclude myself in my room and not talk to anyone for hours. Not healthy. I actually legitimately hurt my eyes from it. Not from video games, from books. Can’t see anything without glasses.

But nobody told me to stop because “reading is good for you”. Eventually I grew out of it and learned self-control, but it took a while.

On the flip side, playing video games actually helped me come out of my shell and interact MORE with people. My family had fun game nights with them even, when we all played together (and got pretty competitive.) but it made for fun times. I don’t see how that’s any different or inherently worse than playing monopoly together.

It’s just about balance. Getting obsessed with sports until that consumes you, or with music or with reading or video games is all unhealthy. But that’s no reason to single out one over the others.

 

[Cat]

I have to ask, but why is getting hooked on a TV show a better use of time than video games? For me, video games are more mentally stimulating than 95% of what’s on TV. And they can involve interacting with others unlike TV shows. So honestly, what’s the difference?

I understand what you’re trying to say, we shouldn’t get obsessed and miss living our lives. (And I completely agree.) But I still don’t see why we have to single out video games like this. Everything you just said could easily be said about books. I spent WAY too much time reading as a kid. I grew up with video games, but they weren’t as addicting to me as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Narnia was. I used those as an escape. I would seclude myself in my room and not talk to anyone for hours. Not healthy. I actually legitimately hurt my eyes from it. Not from video games, from books. Can’t see anything without glasses.

But nobody told me to stop because “reading is good for you”. Eventually I grew out of it and learned self-control, but it took a while.

On the flip side, playing video games actually helped me come out of my shell and interact MORE with people. My family had fun game nights with them even, when we all played together (and got pretty competitive.) but it made for fun times. I don’t see how that’s any different or inherently worse than playing monopoly together.

It’s just about balance. Getting obsessed with sports until that consumes you, or with music or with reading or video games is all unhealthy. But that’s no reason to single out one over the others.

I agree that video games probably aren’t any worse than any other activity. I mentioned in either this thread or the other thread about video games that it’s the addiction that’s bad in most activities, not the activity itself. I agree with others who’ve said that even religious activities can be less-than-good if a person becomes addicted to them.

When it comes to a TV show, I think that whether or not it’s a social activity depends on the show. I watch “Biggest Loser,” and we all talk about it at work the next day.

I think that most shows have a following of fans, if not in real life, then online. It’s fun to interact with other fans and chat.

The “somnambulant” aspect of TV can certainly be bad, but it can also be good for those of us who need desperately to slow our brains down and take some “time out” from a too-hectic life.

The harmful aspect of video games comes with the rapid fire to the pleasure centers of the brain. They deliver so many good “hits” that it’s very difficult for a susceptible person to walk away from them. Highly addictive, and those who have addictive personalities need to be aware and beware. So far, no one has admitted to playing video games for 24 straight hours, but I’m guessing that you all know people who do it regularly. That’s not healthy for anyone. We have to face our own flaws and act in such a way that they don’t overcome us.

I also think that there is a certain degree of futility to playing video games that doesn’t happen with reading books or other activities. Many of us can recall many of the books that we read and enjoyed even when we were very small. (I still have the first book that I ever “read”–a very old copy of Little Black Sambo.) Many of us have learned life lessons from the characters and situations that we read about.

But video games?–honestly where are the life lessons? Where is the beauty and scope? Where is the appreciation for the human condition, for the grandeur of nature, for the mysteries of spirituality?

Yes, you learn to make quick decisions from playing video games. But do you truly learn the enduring family values that you can learn from the Little House books? Or can you truly appreciate the splendor of the English language that you read in Shakespearean plays and sonnets? Or the history that you experience first-hand when you read Mildred Taylor’s marvelous books (history that you can’t possibly experience as a white person)?
Or the humor and whimsical world-view that you read in a Dr. Seuss book?

If you read non-fiction, too, you learn many truths and practical skills that you can never learn in a video game. I remember reading a book about how the telephone works–for years, I could explain the telephone to people. (Now it’s all changed and I have no clue–I think it’s magic.)

I’m not saying to stop playing video games. I watch figure skating and love it and spend a lot of time writing novels about it (three published in a print-on-demand format). Many people consider that an utter waste of time, too.

I just can’t see a lot of good in video games. No real harm, but no real good, either, other than stress relief and relaxation.

 

[mikekle]

I dont know about anyone else, but I still think its odd so many adults today play video games…I had game systems when I was younger, also had one when I was in my early 20s, but this is around the time that I outgrew it and lost interest, Today at 39, I have no interest in them anymore.

But when I was younger and played them, I do recall my parents and other adults sometimes watching and being in the room at the time, but they were never really interested in playing, they thought of it more as a kids game, or a toy, Im not sure the year it happened, but it seems the video game companies somehow changed alot of peoples views on this, so its fairly common for older adults to even buy games and game systems today.

So, these companies succeeded at keeping people buying their products, but the strange thing is, it seems like the companies are catering to the players more, for example, when I played games like this, it was common for the game companies to come out with a new system every so often, and of course, you could not use the games from old systems with the new systems, forcing everyone to buy new games all the time…this has apparently stopped, which doesnt make sense to me, I would think game companies would want to keep creating new systems and make them non-interchangeable so people must keep buying the new version…strange that they dont do this anymore…??

 

[C794]

I agree that video games probably aren’t any worse than any other activity. I mentioned in either this thread or the other thread about video games that it’s the addiction that’s bad in most activities, not the activity itself. I agree with others who’ve said that even religious activities can be less-than-good if a person becomes addicted to them.

When it comes to a TV show, I think that whether or not it’s a social activity depends on the show. I watch “Biggest Loser,” and we all talk about it at work the next day.

I think that most shows have a following of fans, if not in real life, then online. It’s fun to interact with other fans and chat.

The “somnambulant” aspect of TV can certainly be bad, but it can also be good for those of us who need desperately to slow our brains down and take some “time out” from a too-hectic life.

The harmful aspect of video games comes with the rapid fire to the pleasure centers of the brain. They deliver so many good “hits” that it’s very difficult for a susceptible person to walk away from them. Highly addictive, and those who have addictive personalities need to be aware and beware. So far, no one has admitted to playing video games for 24 straight hours, but I’m guessing that you all know people who do it regularly. That’s not healthy for anyone. We have to face our own flaws and act in such a way that they don’t overcome us.

I also think that there is a certain degree of futility to playing video games that doesn’t happen with reading books or other activities. Many of us can recall many of the books that we read and enjoyed even when we were very small. (I still have the first book that I ever “read”–a very old copy of Little Black Sambo.) Many of us have learned life lessons from the characters and situations that we read about.

But video games?–honestly where are the life lessons? Where is the beauty and scope? Where is the appreciation for the human condition, for the grandeur of nature, for the mysteries of spirituality?

Yes, you learn to make quick decisions from playing video games. But do you truly learn the enduring family values that you can learn from the Little House books? Or can you truly appreciate the splendor of the English language that you read in Shakespearean plays and sonnets? Or the history that you experience first-hand when you read Mildred Taylor’s marvelous books (history that you can’t possibly experience as a white person)?
Or the humor and whimsical world-view that you read in a Dr. Seuss book?

If you read non-fiction, too, you learn many truths and practical skills that you can never learn in a video game. I remember reading a book about how the telephone works–for years, I could explain the telephone to people. (Now it’s all changed and I have no clue–I think it’s magic.)

I’m not saying to stop playing video games. I watch figure skating and love it and spend a lot of time writing novels about it (three published in a print-on-demand format). Many people consider that an utter waste of time, too.

I just can’t see a lot of good in video games. No real harm, but no real good, either, other than stress relief and relaxation.

I think you’re forgetting about video games whose primary focus is on an engaging story and character development. Like I mentioned before, some of these are even thematically complex. I think these aren’t well know outside of gamers because story played a small rolde in early video games and the massive popularity of games like Call of Duty, which have absolutely no substance to them

I’m regards to the social aspect: while story driven games are most often single player, they have generated great conversations between my friends and I. These involve plot progression, are emotional reaction to specific scenes, why we made certain moral choices, the themes within the game, and the characters. Video games can generate great discussion/debate on all of these topics; they’re aren’t all just mindless fun.