I think we're getting the award for the post that's strayed furthest from the original topic.

Hands-down.

At least it's a victory...of some sort...winning is good.

~Zoo

Amen, brother,Amen!!

However, I hope I didnt' offend the original poster.

Jythier, if Urban II was more like you, I'm sure that we would never have had to worry about that crusades business...

First of all, I thank you for your post. However, I disagree. Most of today's youth are into video games. If your ministry is geared toward youth, how will you ever minister to them if you do not understand things from their view?
Jesus got down on our level, became one of the people, a simple carpenter, a commoner, and ministered to people from the inside out. He called for us to be like Him in that we do the same, or we try to do the same.
Please, do not misunderstand my words, I am simply voicing my opinion. Yes, I am a Christian, and yes, I play video games.

I love video games. I have a talent for computers. I plan to use this talent for God, for Jesus, and for others. If it is not my place in life, then God will correct me. Until then, I do what I do, for God. I only wish to serve God to the best of my abilities, and in spite of the mistakes I make, I know God loves me.

I think that the title for this blog article was more for shock value than anything; I didn't really find any good reasons as to why games are addicting and anti-social.

Perhaps for you, they may be. But for many people, gaming is an apex of social activity. And while some people are addicted to games (I'm not going to even try to argue that they aren't), there are some people addicted to the internet, to reading, to bubbles or balloons or tobacco. Addiction is the problem here, not the game.

For the love of...whoops, almost stepped on a hypocrisy landmine there.

What does religion have to do with video games? Firstly, the "Left Behind" video game was by all accounts TERRIBLE, and the books were worse (As it turns out, the Rapture does not EVER appear in the book of revelations...doesn't that make it blasphemy, technically?). There is NO reason why religion should be in this thread (let alone species' general culture, but that's another debate) at all. Can we please be relevent here?

Okay. Done ranting. Post-editorial apoloties if I offended anyone.

Let me try to put this more eloquently: religion is too often used as a cover to hide otherwise unjustifiable beliefs behind. Video games are one of those cases. Please do not jeapordize your argument by assuming a simplistic mantle; there are far to many who would not appreciate your school of thought and will simply take your arguments as boons to their cause.

Whoops, there are some torches, pitchforks, and inquisitors outside my door that i need to go see to...

Did somebody spill Worcestershire sauce on the server again?

... yeah, that game was pretty terrible. I only played the demo, and thought... this sucks. They're shooting at me and I can only evangelize them. Yes, like that works in the real world. If they've gone so far to shoot at you repeatedly, it's not the time to convert! Wait for the shooting to stop. Or maybe that's the way they do it nowadays? Who knows?

Regardless, the books were great. Regardless of whether they are true to the Bible or not, a lot of effort went in to TRYING to make it follow what the Bible says. A pre-tribulation rapture is a very popular theory. Doesn't make it right, but makes it a fine basis for a fiction book. And no, that's not blasphemy.



173 replies later, I think it worked.



Disagreement is good, because it makes us think a little bit more about the topic, especially from a Christian standpoint.

Is there something inherently wrong with video games? Well, as others have said, it's not really more addicting than any other thing. But the difference is that with the video game, you feel like you've accomplished something at the end, when really you haven't done anything of value to anyone.

As for getting into the shoes of the youth, why not show them what they can accomplish in the real world? I think a lot of gamers are really more interested in the accomplishments than the games themselves. The games are just the effortless, easy way to get it done. They are falling for the old switcheroo - the joy they get from it is fleeting, and shallow, when really doing something out there matters so much more, and feels so much better. They'll complain, of course. Going from an effortless pursuit to hard work is always tough. But the reward is worth it... it really is. Better than any video game.



What feels better - finishing a game, or sucessfully modding the game into something else? I bet the modding does. I know it does, because it's actually productive - you're creating something someone else can use. Even if nobody else ever uses it, you've still created. You were the creative mind, the skill behind the mod. You weren't just going through some pre-scripted game.



I actually agree with this. Someone who says, "I must kill all the homosexuals because the Bible says they're bad" is trying to justify something that not even the Bible justifies. If the Bible said, "Don't kill except for the sinners," we'd all have to kill ourselves first.



I actually have gotten into board gaming a bit since last year, and it is much more social than video gaming was for me. They're just as addicting though, heh.

The point of the article wasn't 'video games are bad' or 'never play video games' but just that, there's probably something more rewarding to do with your time. Trade in the 'not bad' for the 'good', trade in the 'good' for the 'great', etc.

Oh yeah, both games and TV sucks up our times! It is good fun and sometimes enlightening! Plus my son would give me all the arguments as to why and how useful being a gamer is!LOL! And I would get into it about how TV helps me to unwind!lol!


Great article Jythier!

The internet is the best time-suction device I have ever experienced.

As a life-long gamer, and now someone who gets to work on video games as part of my job, I have to disagree with a key point to your argument: That an activity in which you do not accomplish anything real is a waste of time, that even your leisure time must somehow be productive.

In this regard, reading fiction is as poor a use of time as playing video games.  You spend hours and hours at it, and when you're finished you have not accomplished anything real.  Spend 8 hours reading a good book.  Those 8 hours are gone and you have nothing to show for it.

But really, you're not so much arguing that video games are a waste of time, you're arguing that when life's priorities become reshuffled, video games should be the first to go in favor of family, job, religious calling etc.  If there is time in your life to fulfill your responsibilities AND game, then great.  If you're ignoring important work to play games though, that's a problem.  And the same can be said for any hobby.

Substitute "video games" with "watching football", "playing poker", "mountain climbing" etc and it all works out the same.  Targeting video games specifically is a bit unfair.

To be honest, there's few activities you can do which would give the brain such a thorough workout as a modern videogame. You're dealing with 3D space, abstractions, pattern recognition and a host of other things generally unavailable without casting yourself into a deep ocean or space.

Well, it's my article, and I was particularly into video games when I wrote it - therefore, it was perfectly fair. Why would I focus on things that have little to do with me? If this were a scientific journal, I would say, you're right! But since it's my blog, I would say, it's perfectly fair!



Why do you dispute this? Why do you feel reading fiction is not a waste of time? Reading fiction might even be worse!

I do that too... all that time wasted...

Technically, in terms of serving God and being saved and all, even work is ultimately pointless, since everything on Earth is destined to fall by the wayside and not matter. All that matters is one's relationship with God, so why work? Work is a waste of time and a dangerous distraction - the Bible clearly says that listening to the word of God is more important than petty industry.

So why even bother working, right? Ultimately, it's all pointless.

Of course, it's not that simple.

I wouldn't presume to preach about the word of God, but as human activities go, playing video games serves a good deal of purposes, especially in my life. I've made friends using video games as a focus activity, I've used it to de-stress or to try to ignore my pains and illnesses, and I've learned a fair bit of things about the world from video games. Well, not directly, but the games inspired me to look for more credible sources.

Guitar Hero 3 has inspired more than one kid to actually take up the guitar, so if playing an instrument is at all worthwhile, then playing the game is at least worthwhile as an introduction to it, and it isn't as if one cannot "play" music on Guitar Hero with about as much facility as other people do videoke songs.

And it's not as hard on the ears, too.

Playing strategy games early on in life has taught me that persistence pays off, that details matter if you want to succeed, and that you need to learn from mistakes - yours and others'. It also gives me a morale boost when I think that everything I'm doing is turning to ash and that everything I touch will be doomed to failure.

Of course, one calls upon faith in God as well, but there's really nothing like a "fake" victory to get you going. Yes, I know it's a game, but success in games makes me feel good and improves my mood. It doesn't have to be a video game, either, but video games are more convenient and accessible.