Probably all of us who have played video games before know how incredibly interesting and fun video games may sometimes be. There are all kinds of video games available on the market. Strategy games, shooter games, racing games, survival games, Sports games, Rpg games, MMORPG games, etc. There are so many categories nowadays available. But even though there are many games and categories available to us how can we know as Christians which games are appropriate for us? We know that many Christians probably are asking questions such as: “Can Christians play video games?”, “Should Christians give their time to play video games?”, “Are video games beneficial for us as Christians?”, “Are playing video games a sin?”, etc.
These are all important questions we should think and pray about before deciding whether should we play video games or not. When I was younger I used to play video games a lot. I especially loved strategy and survival games but nowadays I have decided that video games like this are not good for me anymore and I should not really play them at all. In this article, I want to talk about why I have been feeling that way and I want to share my experiences with what I have had during these years when playing video games.
To be honest I can already say that I regret I wasted so many years playing video games when I could have done something way more productive. But are video games actually bad for us or can some video games even be beneficial to us if played in moderation?
Can Christians Play Video Games – Some Things To Consider
Some video games may actually be ok for Christians to play but we have to be very careful what we entertain ourselves with. Some games may be extremely bad for us and cause us to stumble in our Christian walk. Also, I can say this from my experience, video games are extremely addictive. When we play video games we can easily lose the track of time. Personally, this has been one of my weaknesses. I am not very good at my time management so when I play I will easily lose the track of time.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
The Bible says that we should redeem our time. I know that many of us are probably struggling with this one as in today’s world there are so many distractions that may distract us when we should be doing Lord’s work. This is why we have to be careful and constantly pray for strength and wisdom for the Lord so we can overcome all of these distractions. Video games may also become our idols if we spend too much of our time playing them.
Next, we want to talk about each video game genre one by one. There are a lot of different video game genres/categories and some of them are more appropriate for Christians than others.
Strategy Games Genre
Can Christians play strategy games? I would say it probably depends but I would be careful with this genre as strategy games most of the time can be wargames. Personally, when I used to play strategy games I played games where my character would be king or emperor and the task would be to conquer the world using domination, diplomacy, or culture. So strategy games that contain violence and world domination through war should usually be avoided. I always recommend praying for the guidance from Holy Spirit before we make our decision but generally, games like this should be avoided and are not good games for Christians. Even though these games are certainly not from the worst end but we still should be very careful.
Why do I take a such strict approach to this? Because I know the dangers of playing games like this. It will consume most of our free time and may cause us to stumble in our faith. Don’t get me wrong there are probably strategy games that are suitable for Christians. For example, games, where we manage our own farm or land, would be appropriate for Christians to play if played moderately. But if we feel convicted we should still pray for guidance in matters like these and not go against our own conviction.
Shooter Games Genre
What about shooter games or fps (first-person shooter) games? Honestly, these are definitely games we should avoid. These games usually are very violent and bloody games where our mission is to kill (shoot) another player and kill all remaining players on the enemy team. As explained before these games are very violent and what does the Bible say about violence?
5 The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Psalm 11:5 KJV
When we play shooter games we are entertaining ourselves with violence. Even though games are virtual they still may affect us and our spiritual life. Many Christians try to justify playing these games by saying that these games are only virtual and not real life. I am ashamed to say that I too have thought like this before. However, recently I really felt in my Spirit that I need to quit games like these because these games do not really glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we should really avoid games like these. These games certainly can be very dangerous for our faith. We should really ask guidance from Holy Spirit in matters like these. He will convict us if something is bad for us. I myself can’t play games like that these days without feeling convicted.
Sports Games Genre
These games usually are a completely different matter than shooter games or violent strategy games. Some sports video games are quite fun and I will enjoy playing some of them. If the game is about football, ice hockey, volleyball, or something like that then it is definitely okay for Christians to play. However, in situations like these, we have to remember that we should not make video games our idols. Even though the game itself may be innocent it may easily become our idol if we are not careful.
So can Christians play sports video games? Probably yes. But it should not become an idol in our life. We have to remember that anything can become an idol in our life if we are not careful. Some online sports video games may contain people that harass others in chat if a teammate makes mistake. This behavior is definitely not acceptable and as Christians, we should avoid behaving like that. God wants us to build each other up. We should not harass or be angry at each other.
Another thing in sports games is that games usually are very competitive. This is not necessarily a bad thing if it is healthy competition between teams but sometimes we can take it too far and then it may become a sin. If we are angry or blame others that kind of behavior is definitely not acceptable. We have to show Christ-like love to every person. This is not always that easy but if we lack in this area we should pray for more wisdom and love. I understand that sometimes if competitiveness gets too high we may be tempted to say something bad to our teammate or opponent. In situations like this we should think about this Bible verse:
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29 KJV
The Bible says that we should only use language that is edifying to others. Is blaming others or we being angry at others edifying? I don’t think so.
Horror Games Genre
This one may be the darkest genre in games. EVERY CHRISTIAN should stay away from games like these. I believe that horror games may be a direct door for the devil to enter in our life. Horror games usually are very graphic and contain many demonic characteristics. Horror game characters many times may be zombies, demons, witches, or something like that. Most of these games if not all are from the depths of hell and we certainly should avoid them.
27 Neither give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:27 KJV
As explained before horror games usually contain many twisted and sick things. There is a reason why people may sleep the lights on after they have watched a horror movie or played a horror game. We should understand that what we let our eyes to see will affect our spiritual life and it has consequences. Many horror games and movies literally are about demons so it definitely should concern us. So can Christians play horror video games? NO! STAY AWAY FROM THEM!
MMORPG Games Genre
MMORPG games are online multiplayer role-playing games. When I was younger I played a lot of MMORPG games and although I enjoyed these games, they didn’t bring anything good to my life. I wasted a lot of hours playing these games. Don’t get me wrong we can definitely play CLEAN video games sometimes if these games are appropriate for Christians. But still, it would have been better if I would have used my time for something more beneficial. The problem with MMORPG games is that these games usually are quite violent and may contain magic and witchcraft. Yes, I know these are only games but still why should we entertain ourselves with something that the Lord hates?
31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:31 KJV
In many places, the Bible is clear that witchcraft and occultism are great sins against God. We have to be extremely careful with video games that contain stuff like this. And we usually should avoid games like this and if we are not sure what to do then we should pray for confirmation from the Lord. But if we are convicted then it is always better to follow our conviction.
Should Christians Play Games – My Personal Experiences & Thoughts
Next, I want to share my personal experiences related to this topic. I have always been a gamer and I loved playing video games when I was younger. But now that I am in faith and born again Christian I don’t really feel good anymore while playing video games. (Don’t get me wrong sometimes I may still play sports games). Holy Spirit definitely changes our hearts when we become born again in the Spirit. It is always not instant progress but during these years I have learned to let go of these video games that may cause me to stumble in my faith.
I used to play all kinds of games. I used to play strategy games, shooter games, horror games, etc. All of these were a bad influence for me. These games robbed me of time that I would have used for something much more beneficial. When I became born again in 2018 it was not very fast progress for me to start feeling convicted while playing these games but eventually I started to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
If you are in a situation where you are thinking should you play games like this and you may feel a little bit convicted then I recommend listening to your conviction and giving up games like these. Trust me, it will be a good choice.
Final Thoughts
Can Christians play video games? Some games may be ok for us but I can certainly say that most video games today are not ok or beneficial for Christians to play. As explained before so many video games today contain too much violence or graphic scenes, witchcraft and occultism, horror, killing and murdering people, etc. games that contain things like these should definitely be avoided. We as Christians are to be light in this world. How can we be the light if are purposely doing dark stuff that we know we are not supposed to do? I know it is not always easy and probably all of us have to improve in this area but we should be examples to unbelievers.
When deciding what games we should pray actually the best thing is to make sure that we pray about it to God and we need to make sure that we are not convicted while playing. Also, even though the Bible directly does not address video games we can still use it as a guideline in video games as well. We have to be careful what kind of entertainment (music, video games, movies, etc) we are consuming.
We hope that this article was useful to you. If you have any questions or prayer requests you can contact us or share your thoughts in the comments section.
Hi! My name is Rasmus. I am a 23-year-old born-again Christian. Recently I felt called to blogging and now I want to serve the Lord by using my writing skills for His glory. I came to faith in the summer of 2018. I have walked a pretty bumpy Christian walk during these years and learned a lot from the Lord. Now I want to share my thoughts & experiences in this blog and do what Lord calls me to do.