This is a story I have heard more than once, both online and off. Someone approaches someone else and tells them their opinion and how the other person is wrong. Instead of just sharing their thoughts, it turns into a who is right or wrong scenario. This happens a lot in churches or Christian gatherings, from a faith perspective. There’s always someone that wants to give an opinion on how you are living your life or something you said. It’s not always incorrect, and there are times it’s needed, but it’s often not delivered appropriately. It also happens with video games, when someone asks if this or that game is alright to play as a Christian.
As a gamer, this mostly irks me when someone says one game is OK to play and someone else says it’s not. Who is right? Are they both hearing from God about what entertainment to enjoy or not? How do I decide, especially as a blogger and voice in the whole Christian geek sphere, which video game to recommend to others? It’s a tricky situation.
It is difficult for me to create a list of games that I feel are clear for Christians to enjoy without having to deal with certain material that may be offensive. One person may say that Doom is a fun game, but myself I would never touch that game. I played Bloodborne for 15 minutes (I got it free with PS Plus) and I turned it off and deleted it right after that. I do know of Christian gamers who have played that game all the way through, but I would not jump online and start criticizing them for it. I refuse to fully immerse myself in a game that is full of demonic imagery, blasphemy, or focusing on worship to idol gods which all of the above were present in Bloodborne.
Who is right though? One person plays Grand Theft Auto and says it’s fun, then someone else says it’s adding violence to our society, along with Fortnite. My opinion, whether some disagree or not is the following. We all need to seek God and His wisdom for what we are doing. My relationship with God is more important than what someone else thinks. I have heard of Christians who do things that God considers sinful, but they do it and believe everything is perfectly fine. That’s between them and Christ, though if we do see a fellow believer living in sin we are to call them out on it. One thing is sin, and another thing is something like playing a video game. (Romans 14:1-13, especially verses 1-3)
If I feel that I shouldn’t be playing something, then so be it. I turn it off, and play a different game. If someone asks me, “hey, should Christians play (insert video game title)?”, I will give them my personal opinion. What I say might not be something they want to hear, or maybe it is. I don’t know how God is dealing with that person, so it’s up to them. For example, I don’t drink at all. Not beer, liquor, nothing. I do have a cup of wine every now and then because it’s good for health, but I have never been drunk nor do I want to be! Yet, I know people who are Christians, they love God, and they have a beer or two. Am I going to go off on them because they do that? Nope, because it’s not up to me to judge them like that.
Matthew 7:3-5
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I am more concerned about my own walk with God, than to be going around pointing out everyone else’s garbage. If I see someone that needs help, counsel or guidance than by all means, I want to help the best I can. There is a difference though, when people want to be right just to put others down and feel superior.
I am working on a guide for Christians or those that want to know what games are fun, exciting, great stories, amazing graphics and do not contain a lot of violence, sexual content, occult/demonic imagery, etc. There are so many games on so many consoles, that as believers in Christ we should be able to enjoy the world of video games.
What are some games that you have felt to avoid, or would not recommend to others? At the same time, which would you recommend to believers in Christ in any console, even Steam (PC Master Race!).