Video Games

[SoulFoodEater]

Are video games bad for your soul? I have been raised on the consoles and the gameboy since childhood and always loved them. I am thinking about getting the new gameboy for myself just as a way to occupy myself with something in my free time.


maybe I should speak with a priest about it. But have you seen the new video games??!!!! they're simply AMAZING! lol



Maybe there is a temptation to make them into an idol of some sort, that is my main fear.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Video games as a whole are neither good nor bad. Stay away from the dark stuff and the sexually explicit ones and don't let them run your life. Other than that, have fun.

 

[MariaRegina]

Although Internet (Facebook) and messaging can be very addictive, gaming is also addictive. Any addictive behaviors distract us from the reality of God Who is every where present.

It is much better to engage in a hobby such as gardening, spiritual reading, etc., where one can pray the Jesus Prayer so as to keep one's mind in the Presence of God.

 

[MariaRegina]

Video games as a whole are neither good nor bad. Stay away from the dark stuff and the sexually explicit ones and don't let them run your life. Other than that, have fun.

If you are addicted to playing video games, then please follow this advice offered by InnerPhyre, but try to wean yourself gradually from such addictive behaviors.

Ultimately, follow the advice of your priest.

 

[ArmyMatt]

it depends. we can make an idol out of anything. in small amounts, video games have been shown to improve hand eye coordination and brain function. for many however, they make one idle and more interested in abstract fantasy than dealing with reality which is not good. and then, as pointed out, there is a lot of occult, violence, and sex in modern gaming.

so I would say go for it, but just be wary when you do.

 

[buzuxi02]

There is an old thread entitled "Hellbound". I didnt comment on it because I found it to be ludicrous. Society tries to find blame for violent behavior even though there's not much evidence. Horror movies and videogames have been blamed for aggressive behavior. The most I've ever noticed is a young kid may want to mimic a wrestling move or play out a fight scene from star wars,

I wouldn't worry about videogames, my concern wouldn't be about the soul but that it can keep you locked up and not experience life and hinder you from being active.

 

[127.0.0.1]

Video games are virtual worlds. The application for virtual worlds is continuing to grow.

To get at the heart of your post, if you just want to talk about video games in TAW... yes, I play them, you play them... plenty of people here play them. It's escapism.

To anyone who would like to take an anti-video game stance... all I can ask is, Have you ever watched a movie?


If you're worried about something like addiction or idolization, see a therapist.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Video games, like many other things, have the capacity to draw addictive behavior but I don't believe they themselves are inherently bad. I'm an avid 360 gamer, my wife and I love to play Halo 4 together, I also love playing Battlefield 3 and hope to get Medal of Honor 2 and Black Ops 2 in the near future.

My enjoyment of video games is tempered by my intentionally prioritizing of other things, whether it be relationships with family and friends, time spent on schoolwork, going to my favorite coffee shop, etc. If you're able to break away from it without much of an issue then there's no need for concern.

 

[Dorothea]

Video games as a whole are neither good nor bad. Stay away from the dark stuff and the sexually explicit ones and don't let them run your life. Other than that, have fun.

I agree with this. ^^^

 

[ArmyMatt]

Video games are virtual worlds. The application for virtual worlds is continuing to grow.

To get at the heart of your post, if you just want to talk about video games in TAW... yes, I play them, you play them... plenty of people here play them. It's escapism.

To anyone who would like to take an anti-video game stance... all I can ask is, Have you ever watched a movie?


If you're worried about something like addiction or idolization, see a therapist.

no one has taken an anti-video game stance at all. just when they become an idol like movies, books, other people, etc can. no one posted anything against video games, just the darker stuff.

 

[Dorothea]

There is an old thread entitled "Hellbound". I didnt comment on it because I found it to be ludicrous. Society tries to find blame for violent behavior even though there's not much evidence. Horror movies and videogames have been blamed for aggressive behavior. The most I've ever noticed is a young kid may want to mimic a wrestling move or play out a fight scene from star wars,

I wouldn't worry about videogames, my concern wouldn't be about the soul but that it can keep you locked up and not experience life and hinder you from being active.

I don't think you can just dismiss the impact of video games or movies or whatever media with such a broad brush. People who are sensitive to violent content and sexual scenes would do best not to expose their eyes, minds, hearts, and souls to it because they do indeed, darken the soul. I know this because I am one of those sensitive people, and it's taken me anywhere from a couple years to a decade to get images out of my mind and thoughts. So, therefore, I avoid such stuff. And I doubt I'm the only person on the planet that struggles with this.

 

[Trying_to_be_Orthodox]

Can add playing in computer games takes a lot of time. I am addticted to this thing and can control my weakness by only one way for today - just do not play.

ps my romance with games started from atari 2600 or similar game system.

 

[SoulFoodEater]

Can add playing in computer games takes a lot of time. I am addticted to this thing and can control my weakness by only one way for today - just do not play.

ps my romance with games started from atari 2600 or similar game system.

yeah that's my fear, I may get totally addicted to them and that the system will enslave me. I guess it all just has to do with self control and knowing when to play and when not to.

I want to play them to take away stress. Plus with all the temptations that are out there in the world, they would keep me from falling into worse things.

In my personal experience in the past, I found that it was when I stopped being a dedicated gamer that I got into drugs and other bad things. So they can keep certain people out of trouble.

 

[buzuxi02]

I don't think you can just dismiss the impact of video games or movies or whatever media with such a broad brush. People who are sensitive to violent content and sexual scenes would do best not to expose their eyes, minds, hearts, and souls to it because they do indeed, darken the soul. I know this because I am one of those sensitive people, and it's taken me anywhere from a couple years to a decade to get images out of my mind and thoughts. So, therefore, I avoid such stuff. And I doubt I'm the only person on the planet that struggles with this.

Dorotheos,

I agree with you. My point is that theorizing that such things consumed enmass can eventually lead many ordinary people into criminals or even murderers is based on non-facts. I mentioned the hellbound thread because i felt it attempted to create a new (and very weak) theory on why people behave aggressively- displacing the horror movie/ video game theory. There is no reliable metric which can measure the impact to draw a conclusion.

No matter how you slice it there have always been wars and atrocities across a wide spectrum of cultures and ages and simple demographic groups. In modern times agression to our neighbors is usually a result of stress. Its unlikely that roadrage is a result of believing in hell or because you watched a horror movie earlier in the day.

Kids from broken homes are more likely to be on the streets and more aggressive simply because their in 'survival mode'. An adrenaline can make more aggressive but it subsides. It comes in spurts. It can indeed result in violent behavior depending on the circumstance, like when someone rouses up a mob mentality in public. Basically theres no need for flimsy theories when we already have logical answers that suffice.

I would say perhaps the best evidence I ever came across that a movie can have an affect was in a late 70's film called 'Warriors'. It was about youth gangs of NYC. After the movie came out it became a cult hit among NYC high school kids. A friend who is a product of NYC high school when that film was released said how everyone wanted and tried to form gangs. Some tried to form them based on nationality, or neighborhood or borough etc. But it wasnt very successful and the buzz died out quickly.

 

[Dorothea]

Dorotheos,

I agree with you. My point is that theorizing that such things consumed enmass can eventually lead many ordinary people into criminals or even murderers is based on non-facts. I mentioned the hellbound thread because i felt it attempted to create a new (and very weak) theory on why people behave aggressively- displacing the horror movie/ video game theory. There is no reliable metric which can measure the impact to draw a conclusion.

No matter how you slice it there have always been wars and atrocities across a wide spectrum of cultures and ages and simple demographic groups. In modern times agression to our neighbors is usually a result of stress. Its unlikely that roadrage is a result of believing in hell or because you watched a horror movie earlier in the day.

Kids from broken homes are more likely to be on the streets and more aggressive simply because their in 'survival mode'. An adrenaline can make more aggressive but it subsides. It comes in spurts. It can indeed result in violent behavior depending on the circumstance, like when someone rouses up a mob mentality in public. Basically theres no need for flimsy theories when we already have logical answers that suffice.

I would say perhaps the best evidence I ever came across that a movie can have an affect was in a late 70's film called 'Warriors'. It was about youth gangs of NYC. After the movie came out it became a cult hit among NYC high school kids. A friend who is a product of NYC high school when that film was released said how everyone wanted and tried to form gangs. Some tried to form them based on nationality, or neighborhood or borough etc. But it wasnt very successful and the buzz died out quickly.

Thank you. I think you make good points. I would say that generally speaking, yes, people wouldn't go out and do what they saw in games or movies. People not well mentally would, as we've seen.

As far as the Hellbound article, I do think he brought up a good point. If one forms God into whatever they think He is, whether negative and positive, can have an impact on how we perceive ourselves and others, imo.