In this post I want to address an issue in entertainment scarcely tackled in conversation or legitimately contemplated by Christians. It seems many people have an inaccurate understanding of the popular entertainment platform called video games. First, I must refute the position that Christianity or Christian principles oppose gaming. Occasionally in my life I have heard that video games represent some special type of laziness, inactivity, sin, and spiritual hindrance. But no one can appeal to the Bible to condemn them. No one can claim they hurt people. Without a logical way to prohibit them from appealing to either divine revelation of moral reasoning, no one can claim that video games are objectively morally wrong. Despite emphasis to the contrary by some renowned Christian figures (I'm looking at you Pat Robertson), the Bible's only relevant teachings to gaming indicate that if someone finds benefits in playing games or can play it without experiencing spiritual or moral problems in his or her life, they can feel free to participate. And people can't object to violence and profanity as universal reasons why someone shouldn't play a game because there is no objective line that marks when something has become too violent or too riddled with profanity.
Some people will watch a movie or play a game with mild, infrequent profanity or with a few bloodless killings. Doing so does not at all mean they will begin practicing these things. But their neighbor might be fine with slightly more profanity and deaths involving more brutality. Then someone else may watch movies with strong profanity and more intense violence but think that entertainment with constant profanity and extreme torture is wrong. Where can we draw the line [1]? While the Bible prohibits the actions of murder and assault and kidnapping and robbery, we cannot claim there is some way to know if visual depictions of such things go "too far." God has revealed no special knowledge on this matter. And no one can propose a universal standard here without committing at least one of several logical fallacies, most likely an emotional appeal. People can't agree on where the line is, and even if they did agree their consensus does not prove they are right. If one feels uneasy about playing a game (or anything else that is not morally obligatory), they do not have to continue. Paul is clear in Romans 14 that some disputable matters must be resigned to individual discretion, with the principle that as long as one does not have a troubled conscience on the matter there is no sin.
It is futile to try to identify an objective line where the simple depiction of a sin like murder is sinful to view, but the intent of depicting an action does matter. For instance, a movie involving sexual themes or scenes is not automatically sinful or dangerous despite the likely insistence of evangelicals to the contrary. But if the movie presents sexual themes in a way intended to portray infidelity or objectification as acceptable or good, an objective line has been crossed. The worldview presented is what is important, not the specific sins portrayed. A game must not feature evil with the purpose of making people accept or enjoy it. A video game, like a movie, is not immoral just because it depicts or involves depravity, but instead becomes immoral (on the level of the creator's intent) when it portrays evil as good or desirable for the sake of attempting to cause the audience to feel or think the same (not that it CAN cause anyone to do or think anything sinful); at the point at which entertainment becomes depraved in this way it ceases to be good art and has become an obscenity instead. The gaming equivalent of a movie specifically intended to celebrate evil would be a moral abomination, but Call of Duty is not one.
Video games cannot cause anyone to do anything. Christians sometimes seem to orient their lives around simply claiming that anything, ranging from some inanimate object to some person's innocent behavior, can actually cause someone to sin. No one's gaming habit forces them to do or think anything, just like no one's clothing choices can make anyone sin (oh, I cannot wait to post on this topic; consistent rationalism is long overdue in the modesty discussion). Just as the human body cannot cause lust and watching someone murder another human in a movie cannot cause anyone to murder and reading the Bible or any other book cannot make one act out the sins contained in it, video games cannot cause any negative or anti-social behavior. Any such behavior in those who play games is incidental and because of their own volitional choices and nothing else. No form of entertainment holds responsibility for the immoral behavior of its participants. Every human has free will and control to choose their own actions, and their behavior cannot be blamed on things that have no causal relation to their actions or thoughts.
I want readers to note that I am not saying there are no moral boundaries pertaining to the creation of entertainment. See my comment above about how "the gaming equivalent of a movie specifically intended to celebrate evil" would not be art but a moral and aesthetic disgrace. All I am proving here is that people must take responsibility for their behavior instead of shifting blame to their recreational activities. Instead of shunning them, Christians could utilize and artistically wield all forms of entertainment as enlightened, redeemed people should--to promote truth and reason--but not by being cliche, superficial, cheap, or by intentionally resorting to laughable efforts like they often do in Christian movies. Yes, I'm thinking of some films concocted by a certain Sherwood Pictures. Christians rightfully do not have a positive reputation when it comes to crafting entertainment, and if they wish for that to change they need to actually apply artistic excellence, and that includes every area we expect it in: character development, immersion, philosophical depth, plot construction, visual style, emotional impact. Christians could eventually choose to design games that contain the same level of depth and immersion that secular games have while providing a highly thought-provoking spiritual, philosophical, intellectual, or moral experience. Why shouldn't they attempt this?
Another objection to gaming I've encountered is that it promotes laziness. But gaming is not any more lazy or useless than playing board games is. People commonly assume gamers are lazy, intellectually sluggish, or socially apathetic, but nobody condemns board gaming or reading books, which may use the same amount (or a smaller one) of mental energy but which also requires far less intellectual awareness, legitimate skill, and constant control input. If a child in an average family always wants to play board games with his or her siblings or parents, parents might encourage the board game usage. But if a child wants to regularly play video games with his or her family (or alone), that is somehow looked down upon by some parents for no logical reason whatsoever [2]. In fact, video games have actual stories and progressions and achievements and the player can save his or her progress, unlike board games, so the former contains incomparably more depth and a much greater overarching narrative than the latter. Gamers can also be highly intellectually active. Not all gamers intentionally seek to extract deep themes from a game or try to produce philosophical reflections as they play, but, then again, many people read books or watch films or socialize for mere escapism or to evade the demands of thoughts about other matters. Most people I have met in modern America don't want to think deeply at all and probably couldn't even produce the accurate definitions of words like philosophy, and gaming is not to blame for this unfortunate condition.
Several possible benefits or admirable aspects of gaming should be appropriately recognized in this post. For starters, video games can hone skills of various kinds, like reflexes and reaction time, attention to detail, exploration (Metroid Prime), puzzle-solving abilities (Legend of Zelda), hand-eye coordination, memory, etc. Gaming can be a highly social endeavor that connects people together, allowing them to use teamwork to accomplish goals and to bond with other people. Gaming is not itself anti-social; on the contrary, many games encourage social interaction with friends and strangers [3]. Moral choices in games where such choices have severe ramifications to later gameplay or story development can lead to thoughts about the nature and impact of right and wrong; gaming, even more so than movies or books, can truly bring someone to wonder what they would do in a particular morally ambiguous situation (Saw: The Video Game, Until Dawn).
Gaming can also provoke thought about prominent philosophical concepts. It can bring up questions about whether or not we inhabit a virtual world similar to that in a game, the ramifications of not being able to "respawn" after death like in a game and how life is something to be lived well only once, the role of entertainment in shaping and guiding a society, and more. Many games can cultivate patience and concentration, like RPGs, and some unlockable achievements require immense dedication. Games can provide relaxation, leisure, and escape in the same way many other recreational or social activities do.
Video games, along with the portable or traditional consoles that run them, can be very creative, utilizing gyroscopes, touch screens, microphones, cameras, and vibrations to enhance gameplay and provide a deep level of immersion, where players must perform unique gestures such as holding the system to a source of bright light to reveal a message (Uncharted: The Golden Abyss), closing a dual-screened system to transfer a map from the top to the bottom screen (Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass), or aiming with various kinds of motion controls (Resident Evil: Revelations [4], Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D). Also, in the same way that an insightful book or movie can be an emotional, nostalgic, or cathartic experience, video games can release or form deep emotions. People are accustomed to hearing this about films and literature, but the same is true about gaming. Video games are a legitimate form of art that can capture the best elements of cinema, can boast plot arcs that rival those in the best movies and novels, can showcase scores that meet the soundtracks of movies in quality, can introduce players to characters that are more renowned than those in cinema or literature, can display set pieces that inspire incredible awe, and can generate feelings that will remain with the player long after he or she finishes. They express genuine creativity and have impacted the lives of many people in a positive way.
Gaming is also not a gender-specific pastime. Although people commonly generalize it as some teenage male obsession, many females engage in and seriously enjoy gaming--I've even found a widespread online claim in multiple websites that 52% of gamers are actually female. This is just one of numerous and ridiculous gender myths our society has adopted without critical examination. It is unfortunate that within the virtual worlds of games themselves most women are usually relegated to secondary character or love interest status much like they commonly are in films. Thankfully, at least the film industry seems to have recognized the need for more female primary and lead characters, and I welcome the overdue change. However, games such as Assassins Creed III: Liberation, Tomb Raider (2013), Mirror's Edge, Beyond: Two Souls, and every Metroid game have strong female protagonists--some of them wonderful and iconic characters.
From the thought invested into this post people may assume I devote large portions of time to playing video games. They would be making a false assumption, as I actually play very infrequently. While I once was a very dedicated gamer in the past, before this summer several years had elapsed since I had last privately played a game. I just wanted to release my conclusions on the subject. I hope they were clear and that people are inspired to critically think about all mediums of art and entertainment.
[1]. I am NOT arguing for moral relativism, but am demonstrating there is no objective line in this particular area we can know about, even if one did exist (and on the Christian worldview there is no line (Deuteronomy 4:2, 1 John 3:4, Romans 7:7). Biblical theology would instead submit that the line is personal and no one should view violence or listen to profanity they do not feel comfortable with. Finding an objective moral line concerning physical actions or internal motivations themselves is a completely different matter.
[2]. I am not advocating constant play but am merely making a point.
[3]. Just look at what multiplayer used to look like on older systems to notice this. Prior to the online multiplayer revolution, people had to physically meet in one house to play together. Even today games can greatly focus on multiplayer.
[4]. I am referring to the original Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS, not the port to consoles one year later.
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