Would a game like this be a sin?

[Lost_Wanderer]

Ummm…first off, regardless of rating, if something is inappropriate or immoral it shouldnt be condoned. PERIOD. In my state abortions are legalized at 16. So…once one hits 16 should they jump up and be like, ‘oh I’ve reached the age abortion is ok, so now its ok! The states says, after all, at 16 I’m mature enough to handle it’

No. wrong is wrong.

Secondly, playing a game of YO-YO doesnt have aspect of KILLING people in it.

First of all, you’re comparing apples to oranges. Playing a video game is nowhere near as immoral as abortion. Secondly, your analysis of my post is flawed. I’m only pointing out that the T-Rating label is an indication that it’s not something you would have kids playing, which means the only people who would be allowed to play a game like that are people who are mature enough to tell fantasy from reality.

Finally, I would just like to say that you don’t kill people in video games. It’s all just a game. Period. You’re just blasting stuff on a 2D monitor/TV screen. Nothing more. Do you seriously think those walking portraits of polygons and pixels are… ‘people’? :ehh:

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

ok…so like…i’m just jumping in on this conversation so imma give my two cents…

i think that, playing this game may not be in and of itself a sin, but what are you really doing here??

your playing a game, in which people go to war with other religions??? killing popes?? These are things that we pray DO NOT happen everyday…and your playing it out…for ‘entertainment’??? i mean…it just doesnt sound like it adds up…

how can you can pray at night, assuming your a catholic and desire everyone to be in communion with God and live in peace, for wars to end…people to unite…etc etc…

but then wake up in the morning and delight in doing so? even if it is vicariously through a video game?

Easy, add three words to the equation: “It’s. Not. Real”. Why is that so difficult? :ehh:
And it’s not really the killing that’s entertaining, Chess and Checkers both possess the same type of gameplay as games like this. RTS (a.k.a. Real Time Strategy) games are called such because it involves playing with strategies. Clearly, you have never tried a game like that yourself.

are we not to lead by example? or our words are shallow and meaningless?? I know its just a game…but…what is its context?? I dont think theres anything entertaining about killing popes…

I’ll leave it to bacon man to explain that cuz he plays the game. Just take note that just because I enjoy blowing other people up in online mecha games, it doesn’t mean I would do that in real life.

Good hypothetical situation…the obamacare health reform that everyones talking about…we, as catholics, should know that it masks mandated abortions etc. and that as a politician, obama is pushing it thru as fast as possible, not neccessarily because this is an ‘dire emergency’ and people are dying on the streets without healthcare (even someone without healthcare would still be treated at a hospital, i believe its called ‘open door policy’) but because his administration knows that the more time people have to discover what the true intentions are of the policy, they may be opposed to it and the policy will be harder to push thru.

Some might argue that the forces behind such tactics, especially since the obama administration is the most radical pro abortion campaign ever, are finding a way to reek havoc on humanity thru lies and deception- and we all know who the king of lies and deception is.

I voted for obama. I had no way of foretelling any of this would happen. Is it a sin to vote? No…

But am I morally obligated, now that I know what his campaign is really about, to oppose it?? I think so…even though the sin is not directly made by me, by promoting the immoral material I am indirectly contributing to it…see what I’m getting at??

No I don’t. This has got to be the worse hypothetical situation, nay the worst example/analogy I have ever heard. You wanna talk Obamacare (which me and many other of my online gamer buddies also oppose btw)? Go argue about it in the Social Justice section or something. I don’t see how any of this has even anything to do about video games.

Your not physically getting up, going out and killing a pope…but you know its wrong, even the thought of it, in your heart…so how could you just play along? What if theres a kid playing who doesnt take it as lighthearted as you? What if he actually does decide to attempt it?? would you then, as a fellow player, have contributed to his motivation?? idk…

critical thinking bacon boy…critical thinking

That’s what the T-Rating is for. That’s what the ESRB exists for. It’s so that kids who are still not smart enough to use ‘critical’ thinking (as many older gamers such as myself already have) won’t play it and be influenced.

 

[bacon_man]

To be fair, almost noone follows those ratings, the worst offenders are parents who buy there kids stuff like Grand Theft Auto, espeshally from III on up. Those games are terrible, stay away from them. Unlike some games, These are rated M for a very good reason.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

To be fair, almost noone follows those ratings, the worst offenders are parents who buy there kids stuff like Grand Theft Auto, espeshally from III on up. Those games are terrible, stay away from them. Unlike some games, These are rated M for a very good reason.

Yeah I know and in fact that’s something that really ticks… me… off. I actually hate GTA with a passion but it really is stupid that parents go jump on the Jack Thompson band wagon when it’s their friggin’ fault for not paying attention to the bloody rating in the first place.

 

[Charlotte408]

Ok…so the obamacare analogy was iffy…lol…i know …it was a reach… and im glad were in agreement on our stance on it…but that wasnt the point i was tryin to make…

1. rating has nothing to do with it. nothing. period. parents, kids…they dont neccessarily follow them…they are not ‘laws’ so no one has to…its just another couple of letters on the cover of the case…and lets say that T= must be a teenager…whats that exactly?? 13 and and up?? so at 13 your mature enough to play around with ‘killing people’?? no offense but i’ve met 18 year olds who werent mature AT ALL…heck my ex was 32 and I wont even get into his immaturity…maturity is on an individual basis…its not something thats just ‘granted’ once you get to a certain age…
2. context has EVERYTHING to do with it…if you play a game that ‘kills popes’ your putting the pope on the same level with,

ok lets say 2 pokemon battleing it out…theyre just pixel little puff ball things…they dont really exist…they dont have any meaning…like you said its a game…so what? whos getting hurt…

but the pope…hes a REAL person…and not only a real person, someone we hold sacred…with the highest authority, respect, honor…admiration…the pope means a lot to us as catholics…he should to you too…would it be appropriate to minimalize his importance, by reducing him to the state of thinking of him as ‘just another pixel pawn in a strategy game’??? because when it comes to him, or any person portrayed in a game, its not a game anymore…like i said…what if someone takes it a step farther?? that person could get hurt…

The pope is pretty specific…I would think that anyone who has respect and love for our pope would consider any disrespect towards him, i.e someone killing him, a personal affront to our religion…

But like in grand theft auto same thing applies…a hooker walking down the street…you beat her up and rob her…that hooker isnt a ‘specific person’ but there are hookers…someone might grow up playing this game…become desensitized to the thought of it…maybe enjoy it…maybe try it…who gets hurt…a hooker somewhere…

i know i know…i sound like some kinda grandma or something…but im not…im 27…got gamer brothers…i know what you thinking…but oh well…im right

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Ok…so the obamacare analogy was iffy…lol…i know …it was a reach… and im glad were in agreement on our stance on it…but that wasnt the point i was tryin to make…

1. rating has nothing to do with it. nothing. period. parents, kids…they dont neccessarily follow them…they are not ‘laws’ so no one has to…its just another couple of letters on the cover of the case…and lets say that T= must be a teenager…whats that exactly?? 13 and and up?? so at 13 your mature enough to play around with ‘killing people’?? no offense but i’ve met 18 year olds who werent mature AT ALL…heck my ex was 32 and I wont even get into his immaturity…maturity is on an individual basis…its not something thats just ‘granted’ once you get to a certain age…

An issue like that has always been an issue with the gamer community and frankly, we’re just as pissed off about it as you are. They are there to indicate which age is appropriate. It’s the same with movies. The only thing missing is more reinforcement. In fact, I’ve seen some PC games that have already been imposed with the same restriction as an R-18 film.

Furthermore, when I speak of maturity, I’m mainly talking about their intellectual capability to tell fantasy from reality. Only a very small minority of gamers are truly obsessed in their games to the point of disturbing.

1. context has EVERYTHING to do with it…if you play a game that ‘kills popes’ your putting the pope on the same level with,

ok lets say 2 pokemon battleing it out…theyre just pixel little puff ball things…they dont really exist…they dont have any meaning…like you said its a game…so what? whos getting hurt…

but the pope…hes a REAL person…and not only a real person, someone we hold sacred…with the highest authority, respect, honor…admiration…the pope means a lot to us as catholics…he should to you too…would it be appropriate to minimalize his importance, by reducing him to the state of thinking of him as ‘just another pixel pawn in a strategy game’??? because when it comes to him, or any person portrayed in a game, its not a game anymore…like i said…what if someone takes it a step farther?? that person could get hurt…

The pope is pretty specific…I would think that anyone who has respect and love for our pope would consider any disrespect towards him, i.e someone killing him, a personal affront to our religion…

For one, Chess makes use of Bishops. They may not be as significant as the pope but they’re significant nonetheless. However, people still have no qualms about sacrificing them or taking them out in a game.

Another problem is you overestimate a person’s tendency to confuse fantasy and reality. You’d have to be absolutely mental to even think of trying any of the stuff I’ve seen in video games. A pixel in a strategy game is not the real thing. That’s my point. Only an idiot would equate playing games like Call of Duty with actual military combat.

But like in grand theft auto same thing applies…a hooker walking down the street…you beat her up and rob her…that hooker isnt a ‘specific person’ but there are hookers…someone might grow up playing this game…become desensitized to the thought of it…maybe enjoy it…maybe try it…who gets hurt…a hooker somewhere…

i know i know…i sound like some kinda grandma or something…but im not…im 27…got gamer brothers…i know what you thinking…but oh well…im right

No, actually you sound just like another Jack Thompson parrot. Why don’t you ask your brothers about him? You’re just looking at the whole gaming experience from the outside and your misconceptions of it are so typical, it’s sad.

 

[Church_Militant]

Stick to CoD 4 (& Modern Warfare 2 when it comes out) on XBox 360 live and if you want to play something like this play Civilization & Revolution.

Remember that all of these are just games and inherently neutral. Only the mentally incompetent will take such things that seriously.

Now if one wants to get a taste of real war…I hear the military is looking for recruits.

(*Walks out singin’
"Now come on alla you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He’s got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Afghanistan.
Put down your books and pick up a gun
We’re gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it’s 1…2…3…
What are we fightin’ for?"

[Apologies to Country Joe & the Fish for messin’ with the lyrics to their song, “The Fish Cheer”]. Yeah, I was a hippie…)

 

[Charlotte408]

lmbo…i will ask them…lol…and they’ll probably know…

but whatever…‘im just looking at it from an outsiders opinion and how sad’ you dont have to get ugly or offended … i could just as easily say your ‘looking from an insiders opinion and dont see the bigger picture’ were just giving out p.o.v’s so kick back…

and as far as your ‘only a small percent are that disturbed’ theory goes…tell that to the parents of all those virginia tech kids that got shot…im sure even that ‘small percent’ is enough to do some major damage…

but im jus’ sayin’

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

lmbo…i will ask them…lol…and they’ll probably know…

but whatever…‘im just looking at it from an outsiders opinion and how sad’ you dont have to get ugly or offended … i could just as easily say your ‘looking from an insiders opinion and dont see the bigger picture’ were just giving out p.o.v’s so kick back…

and as far as your ‘only a small percent are that disturbed’ theory goes…tell that to the parents of all those virginia tech kids that got shot…im sure even that ‘small percent’ is enough to do some major damage…

but im jus’ sayin’

LOL!!!
Thank you, you’ve just proven my point.
You know what? Forget asking your brothers.
I’ll enlighten you myself.

Start with this article.

 

[Charlotte408]

-thats hecka funny… lol…

but…still…on that site they’re saying that he said all these lies…that he said the FBI said something, which was wrong…then he goes on about columbine…they prove hes wrong…i read all the commentary…but…that jerk aside…

were the cause of the ‘virgina tech shootings’ violent video games?

 

[Eucharisted]

Funny how you keep saying that even though you constantly back down each time I challenge you to find quotes from the Catechism that states playing violent video games is sinful.

Since you’re young, I can understand the mistake of “playing video games is a sin” with “committing evil for entertainment value is a sin”. The former is not true, but the latter is - regardless of the media.

As for how you spend your time - and I should really be following my own advice here - time belongs to God. It is a gift of His Love and Mercy, a grace from Him to you. How you spend it will affect how you spend eternity. A man who lives in sin, will die in sin, and be punished eternally for sin. A man who lives in God, will die in God, and be happy eternally for God.

“What a man is in the sight of God, so much he is and no more.”
– Saint Francis of Assisi;

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

were the cause of the ‘virgina tech shootings’ violent video games?

Forgive me but was that not what you were implying?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Since you’re young, I can understand the mistake of “playing video games is a sin” with “committing evil for entertainment value is a sin”. The former is not true, but the latter is - regardless of the media.

Yeah but the thing is, I’m not committing evil. Savvy? Gamers like me just blast pixel dummies using a complex, gameplay program. We just move digitally generated pieces across a really fancy gameboard that was made using virtual paintbrushes and chisels.

 

[Charlotte408]

ok were going in circles…

yes, i implied that the virginia tech shootings stemmed from violent video games…

you countered with a guy, who spouted off all kinds of non sense just after the virginia tech, referring to columbine, the fbi etc…

yes, he was wrong, or lied, or whatever about those instances, but when it came to ‘virginia tech’ the REASON the guy shooting up virginia tech, regardless of what the jack dude said, did it stem from violent video games?

simple question…doesnt have anything to do with jack and what he said…

because if the answer is yes, than it directly pertains to this thread…because your saying that violent video games shouldnt matter because only a small percent are actually derrranged enough to act it out…

and im saying … tell that to those virginia tech parents whose kids got shot…

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

ok were going in circles…

yes, i implied that the virginia tech shootings stemmed from violent video games…

you countered with a guy, who spouted off all kinds of non sense just after the virginia tech, referring to columbine, the fbi etc…

yes, he was wrong, or lied, or whatever about those instances, but when it came to ‘virginia tech’ the REASON the guy shooting up virginia tech, regardless of what the jack dude said, did it stem from violent video games?

simple question…doesnt have anything to do with jack and what he said…

You really can’t read thoroughly now can you? Jack Thompson is known by all gamers as the guy who’s always trying to tie violent shootings with video games. You’re using the very logic that he’s notorious for. The answer is right in your face.

No. The Virginia Tech shootings were not the result of video games.

because if the answer is yes, than it directly pertains to this thread…because your saying that violent video games shouldnt matter because only a small percent are actually derrranged enough to act it out…

and im saying … tell that to those virginia tech parents whose kids got shot…

The truth is you will never find any solid evidence that violent video games are what cause people to go on shooting sprees. The fact that the minority I speak of is even being disputed is pretty much proof of that.

 

[Charlotte408]

:yawn: no wonder your lost and wandering…good luck to you on your journey, may God bless you with some wisdom and insight~

 

[Angel7]

Yeah but the thing is, I’m not committing evil. Savvy? Gamers like me just blast pixel dummies using a complex, gameplay program. We just move digitally generated pieces across a really fancy gameboard that was made using virtual paintbrushes and chisels.

We are going in circles i agree. Anyway, those pixels are a representation of the ingame “Enemy”, Just like the target dummies, although not real, represent a “Person”, If some body shot a dummy of the President, even though it was just a dummy, it was a Representation of the Pres. So your actions would be questionable.

Forget where, but Jesus in the bible said, “Where a man’s treasure is so is his Heart”
If you treasure video games, you will put Video games first. Untill you detatch yourself from the Games, and view the outside, only then will you understand.
Also, we are responsible for our time, we are stewards of every oppurtunity God has given us. We are responsible of how we use our time. Which you must agree with me, the more productive the better, yes?

Its not that the Church is Anti-gamer, (Only those that Glorify Lust/Violence) there are Games that are OK for a pass time. But overtime when you start putting God first, Video games just don’t Click anymore, ya know? I was an avid gamer, played WoW, Warcraft, Total war: Rome, and Empires. But it gets uninteresting. Because my Treasure and my heart are elsewhere.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

:yawn: no wonder your lost and wandering…good luck to you on your journey, may God bless you with some wisdom and insight~

I’m very flattered but like all people incapable of giving me a decent counter, you resort to making ad hominem remarks about my username. I’m sure I have many things to learn. I highly doubt it’s from people like you though.

 

[Angel7]

I’m very flattered but like all people incapable of giving me a decent counter, you resort to making ad hominem remarks about my username. I’m sure I have many things to learn. I highly doubt it’s from people like you though.

You shouldn’t be content with mediocracy when it comes to Faith, always seek to improve, what is it that is keeping you from coming closer to god, even if just for a little?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

We are going in circles i agree. Anyway, those pixels are a representation of the ingame “Enemy”, Just like the target dummies, although not real, represent a “Person”, If some body shot a dummy of the President, even though it was just a dummy, it was a Representation of the Pres. So your actions would be questionable.

If someone drew a picture of me throwing darts at Obama’s face, people would just think it was just an editorial showing your typical Republican loser.

Forget where, but Jesus in the bible said, “Where a man’s treasure is so is his Heart”
If you treasure video games, you will put Video games first. Untill you detatch yourself from the Games, and view the outside, only then will you understand.
Also, we are responsible for our time, we are stewards of every oppurtunity God has given us. We are responsible of how we use our time. Which you must agree with me, the more productive the better, yes?

bangs head on desk Where did I say I value video games over religion? Nowhere. I in fact, try to fulfill every religious obligation I have (e.g. going first to Mass on Sundays) first before doing anything else.

Its not that the Church is Anti-gamer, (Only those that Glorify Lust/Violence) there are Games that are OK for a pass time. But overtime when you start putting God first, Video games just don’t Click anymore, ya know? I was an avid gamer, played WoW, Warcraft, Total war: Rome, and Empires. But it gets uninteresting. Because my Treasure and my heart are elsewhere.

That’s funny, when I started getting serious about religion, I still played as much as I have before (the same with my other hobbies). The only difference is that I’m more firm and resolute about my moral convictions thanks to the guidance of Christ and His Church. Don’t you see? One does not need to an extreme change in lifestyle to show that he values God (so as long as said lifestyle never had anything against God to begin with).