:up: I don't know which games are what but I would not play games that are as you described. I do play zombie shooting games and I would have no problem with a game where you are only rewarded for killing the "bad guy".
Should Christians Play "Call of Duty"
- Thread starter ARMcCarley
- Start date
:up: I don't know which games are what but I would not play games that are as you described. I do play zombie shooting games and I would have no problem with a game where you are only rewarded for killing the "bad guy".
Thanks for the clarity!
Me either!
I get your concern over it. I really do.
You should avoid the games.
vfirestormv
Member
Well playing Call of duty should be a sin because the game is lame... LOL j/k But really I don't care for it, but I do sometimes play Arma3 which is an awesome military sim. I also like games like Tomb Raider, adventure games. I think as long as you don't let the game play you you are fine. In my opinion anyway. But that can go for anything, whenever we let anything take the place of our time for prayer and study and worship, then we have problems.
But I do see a problem in where do we draw the line. Which games go too far? But the games I play usually have a bad guy.
PureX
Well-known member
I didn't say that, so you're puzzled over nothing.
And yet your avatar is toting a pistol, and your political bias is in favor of maximum penalties for all crimes all the time (no tolerance, no mercy).
Don't you think your affinity for the use of violence and death as a solution to the "bad guys" of the world may be influenced by games that reward you as a player for it? And make it 'fun' and exciting for you to "pretend"?
And if you have not been influenced by these violent retribution games to be more accepting of violent retribution, then why would you feel any differently about a game that makes "raping the sluts", or, "robbing your neighbors", or "torturing pedophiles" fun and acceptable?
It's not just the games. I think that as a culture we have glorified violent retribution for so long that it has become an acceptable solution to a lot of problems, in many of our minds. And these games exacerbate that acceptance. We claim we are not being influenced, but I think the games themselves are proof that we have already been influenced by the abundance and glorification of violence in our culture. That's why the games are fun to us, instead of creepy, as would be a game that glorifies rape, or robbery, or torture.
Good question.
How about a real game with real people?
Is a football game acceptable to watch, with all that violence?
PureX
Well-known member
I agree that there seems to be a matter of degrees, here. When the "bad guys" are abstract cartoons, it's hard to imagine a game that involved destroying them to be a moral issue. Yet other games use very realistic characters and violent imagery. And the fact that they "take some getting used to" in that way should tell us that they are not morally inert.
It seems to me that just the fact that they make the idea of violence and destruction, 'fun', is probably not a good thing for us, morally speaking.
You play online with total strangers two teams 6-12 each, run around maps and blast people down with your choice of weapons.
The fun part is when people rage and get mad
Hilarious
Yes
Quincy
New member
I think it depends on the person and their mental stability, whether or not they become desensitized from media violence. Witnessing violent material in games is no different than seeing it in movies, tv or reading about it in books. Some people realize it's just entertainment and some people get really sucked into it. I don't think everyone gets desensitized.
I agree with you though, when it comes to fantasy. If you think it's wrong to have a fantasy about immoral behavior then some games, like Grand Theft Auto, are probably not for you.
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Just a couple thoughts. Some of which is a repeat of what Spitfire mentioned.
First, games like COD put you in the place of a military person. Most Christians have no problem with war, provided it is one they feel is just. Most Christians do not feel that all violence is wrong. Which is why there is a difference between games like GTA and ones like COD.
Second, you still seem to be missing what I'm saying (unless we're just talking past each other), which is that the imaginary killing can almost be incidental to the fun being had. I don't know how much that would be the case though, it's speculative to some degree. An interesting experiment could be to present two games to a group of people, COD and then a game just like COD except it's paintball guns or you're just tagging people. Then see how many people prefer the the traditional warfare game. I do suspect that more people would still prefer COD, but that may tie back into my first point which is that most feel there's nothing wrong with going after bad guys and may even get some enjoyment out of the thought of being one of the the good guys who are doing it. Which is still different than the sexual gaming situations you are presenting.
Now, what if there was a game in which you got married and had sexual relations with your spouse? :think:
No, it probably isn't edifying to Christ or yourself.
Nope.
PureX
Well-known member
I think there is a problem, however, with the fact that "most Christians have no problem with war, provided it is one they feel is just". Because Jesus did clearly teach us to love our enemies, and refrain from returning violence with violence. It's one thing to very reluctantly engage in violence as a matter of a last resort defense. It's another thing entirely to revel in the presumed righteousness of it, and even play at it as a game. And I think our culture has reveled in the presumed righteousness of reciprocal violence for so long that many Christians have succumbed to this sin, to the degree that they don't even see it as a sin, anymore. And I think that's why a game that involves reciprocal violence doesn't elicit the least bit of moral discomfort in most modern Christians, whereas a game involving sexual violence clearly would.Just a couple thoughts. Some of which is a repeat of what Spitfire mentioned.
First, games like COD put you in the place of a military person. Most Christians have no problem with war, provided it is one they feel is just. Most Christians do not feel that all violence is wrong. Which is why there is a difference between games like GTA and ones like COD.
Second, you still seem to be missing what I'm saying (unless we're just talking past each other), which is that the imaginary killing can almost be incidental to the fun being had. I don't know how much that would be the case though, it's speculative to some degree. An interesting experiment could be to present two games to a group of people, COD and then a game just like COD except it's paintball guns or you're just tagging people. Then see how many people prefer the the traditional warfare game. I do suspect that more people would still prefer COD, but that may tie back into my first point which is that most feel there's nothing wrong with going after bad guys and may even get some enjoyment out of the thought of being one of the the good guys who are doing it. Which is still different than the sexual gaming situations you are presenting.
Now, what if there was a game in which you got married and had sexual relations with your spouse? :think:
I'm not passing any judgments one way or the other. But I think this is a discrepancy that Christians ought to be addressing within themselves.
Quincy
New member
I wish we all really played Dark Souls or Diablo instead. We should all be able to agree that the extermination of demons is a worthwhile pursuit, imaginary or not.
Every gamer I know in person is playing DS or Diablo 3 yet for some reason there are 20+ million people out there buying Call of Duty every year, yet I'm the only person here that I know of who does it, or will admit it at least, lol.
Now, what if there was a game in which you got married and had sexual relations with your spouse? :think:
I'm sure it exist....... in Japan at least. A game called Hatoful Boyfriend came out this year that's from Japan. You play as a female pigeon who's at college and you date other pigeons...... a pigeon dating sim. So I'm sure a marriage sim exist, it's got to :chuckle: .
One Ugly Christian
New member
Nobody over 8 should play any of those games.