Games we should not play?

[Uzi_4_U]

Max Payne is not a game I would recommend playing. It was horrible!

 

[Kelly]

Ya, a bad influence. I might go out and shoot someone as a result of playing the game.

We are not talking only of media's effect on what you do, but how you think, what you consider "fun" and what you indirectly glorify. No, I don't think a normal person will act out what they see in video games they play. We do need to consider what other effects it may have on us, the greatest of which is wasted time.

 

[Durelen]

We do need to consider what other effects it may have on us, the greatest of which is wasted time.

Well yes there are other ways to waste our time but it all depends on your point of view towards what wasting time is. I could waste my time and take up organized drag racing or take flight lessons. For many, this could be a complete waste of time. I don’t see how video games are much different really.

Video games actually have many very positive aspects just as drag racing and flying does. First thing off hand is that it has been proven that people who spend time playing video games increase their eye hand coordination. Many games are actually simulations so one could actually learn something like flying (very popular). Of course I’m referring to computer games and not consol games, which really are a waste of time… j/k lol.

I really think that having fun is very important for people and video games are a great way to have fun. If we get rid of most everything that is fun in our lives then we become drab. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Some even go beyond just playing these games and start to take them apart to figure out how they work. It’s even possible to read books and take classes that focus on the development of video games. What would be cool right now is to see more “Christian” based games being developed.

 

[paulewog]

EVERYTHING influences you.

We never said you will go out and kill someone because you played this or that game. You can't blame it on anything, it's your fault that you killed someone, heh.

But games, and everything else, deifnitely influence you, slowly but surely.

If nothing else, you acn get addicted to them and up a lazy hermit!

 

[Damien Nightbane]

Shaq-fu, Superman 64, Castlevania 64, and the new Aquaman game are not fit to be played by anyone.

 

[DJPaul]

Thanks for all reply's.

I think it is very important for us to have knowledge what are some of the games are all about. And with current technolodgy where you can buy it and copy it, not always you can get your money back simply with a reason that we didn't like it.
And it's getting really hard to find games where braking law, violance, language are not present. And if once in a while we all gonna share thoughts on diferent games to give some ideas about diferent games and what to be aware off - than I think a lot of parents and guys would be happier than ever. ( I don't want to go thru hussle of returning something and spending hour and a half in the line and then another 30 minutes trying to explaine the reason why I want to return it.)
Knowledge is very important here and I thank you all for sharing your thoughts on this topic.

 

[Durelen]

Well, treading through the quagmire of games to present a list of offensive games is a great undertaking. I can’t really tell you if certain games are offensive from my first hand experience because I don’t often buy such games. Most games I buy I know the content of, many months before they are released. Hehe I have a list of games I want to buy over the next two years as they are released. It would be far easier making a list of the great games out there right now compared to making a black list

 

[DJPaul]

Couple weeks ago I read somewhere that our oppinion is based on the opinions of others. DO you think that games could influence on our opinion too?

 

[Argon88]

Hmm, I've been thinking on this issue lately. Is it wrong to play, say Half-Life? I'll elaborate, your shooting things, okay, what are you shooting? Aliens, who had a problem with that? What about the people that are trying to kill you? Is it wrong since you have no choice? Shouldn't you have the choice, like in Dues Ex and Splinter Cell? Is it wrong to play a game where you kill things and the whole point of the game is to kill things, especially people? Especially games like Max Payne that glorify it so? Or what about GTA 3 that will allow you to commit senseless acts of violence? Or what about Soldier of Fortune? Do you say realism is good or bad? Is violence always bad? Is being able to run over people allay bad? I think we have to evaluate each game whether it condones the bad parts or whether it's used in an artistic way to make you see something. But then how far can they go with out glorifying what they're critizing? Your thoughts?


Anyone have any thoughts on Mafia?

 

[cube66]

GTA is a sleezy game I think, not really because of the violence it itself (I love violent games), but because of the mere cheapness of the sales success. Any game that has prostitutes, massive blood, and killing cops and innocent people, kijacking cars, planes, motorcycles, helicopters, and boats will sell if it works somewhat decently.

I mean just look at all the bugs the game has and storyline flaws, not to mention graphics issues, but due to what I theorized earlier, this is why I think the GTA series is so good, yet so bad at the same time.

 

[Divvy]

I think it's easier to just endorse games that are "good" than to make a "bad" games list, cause generally speaking all games are bad.

I think these are good

Total Annihilation
-RTS (Real Time Strategy)
-Just robots and tanks so not one drop of blood, just lots of explosions

Civilization 3
-well everyone ought to know what civilization is

The Settlers series 1,2,3 and 4
-RTS when soldiers kill each other they turn just "turn into" angels, no blood.

Really can't think of any good FPS, the best FPS you can get if you really must have one I guess is games where there is no occult, no sex... just guns and killing... like there ain't any FPS shooters where you don't kill people.

I'd play UT2K? and HL2 over Quake any day, the aim of ID software seems to make the most horrific looking games they possibly can packed with demonic creatures.

I can't think of a single RPG game that doesn't have magic so uh... I haven't played many perhaps there are some ok ones out there.

 

[Susan]

Hey, I like RPGs.

If you're heavily convicted that "magic" in these games is somehow sinful, here are two suggestions. One has games on several platforms, the other is, sadly enough, only for the Playstation.

The first is Harvest Moon. This series, available for several platforms, is a combination of a sim and an RPG. Not only is there no "magic" at all, there is no fighting (if you keep your character's cows and sheep in the barn so the wild dogs don't attack them), there is no fanservice, and it's basically a very safe and innocent series. There *are* mild implications of drinking and animal death (if you don't take care of your character's animals, they die) but there is nothing really bad at all.

(In Harvest Moon: Back To Nature (the Playstation One edition), there IS a side storyline about a "goddess," but it can be ignored-and even if it isn't, it corresponds to nothing real or and no one could possibly worship it unless they're really having a problem. She's more along the lines of the Fairies in Legend of Zelda. . .)

My other suggestion is called Front Mission 3. It's a strategy RPG where the fights are between mechs, hence, no magic involved, just weaponry. The general content is more geared toward an older audience than Harvest Moon (FM3's rating is 13 and up) and there is violence (and maybe other stuff, unlike Harvest Moon, I haven't personally played FM3 yet, only seen reviews)

 

[Mr.Cheese]

I think it would be interesting if someone made an online GTA world. I don't know if it would work out though.
Like, you could be a store owner, a policeman or some other law enforcement personality.
This is in addition to jacking cars and everything else.

Well, it was just a thought anyway.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Just look at the ratings and content box and decide as you would for any movie you watch.

 

[Speshull Edd]

I think it would be interesting if someone made an online GTA world. I don't know if it would work out though.
Like, you could be a store owner, a policeman or some other law enforcement personality.
This is in addition to jacking cars and everything else.

Well, it was just a thought anyway.

That is a great idea... but you would need a pc, i think, and you would need to download the mod. They have it already though. The only issue is Rockstar will ban you from online play if you have mods installed and are online. You can dress up as one though.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Games we should not play depends on the person. Saying "Would you play it in front of Jesus" is like cherry picking something. I mean if that is the case we shouldn't play games, watch movies, watch tv shows, read books, go online or even go outside. Why? Well all these things have bad in them. And by spending any money you are likely giving money to a company thats supporting bad things. Or as I used to say "Might as well live in a cave naked with just a bible so you avoid anything that is bad!".

Am I saying we should play anything? Well sort of, yes. The bible makes it clear that you run from those things that are affecting you. For example if you find yourself swearing all the time because of what you watch/play, then run away from those things. But if those things aren't affecting you then you are ok. One person who feels one thing is bad, cannot tell another its bad too. Everyone has their own pitfalls. We can't expect everyone to be like us. The bible also says... (I'll say more after this quote)

Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong
14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live," says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’"

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

So as you can see everyone is different. And we all have to answer for what we think. Though I don't think playing a game is going make God say "Well since you played games, your going to hell!". Although if a game is affected you badly and you walk far from God. You should probably turn back to Him and away from a game(s). I will say I do tend to avoid horror games since they are about pointless killing or evil stuff. Where as games like Skyrim, Star Wars....etc I don't mind playing if you have powers because its just a game. I'm not changed in any way in real life.

 

[TheFriendlyVillager]

Hmm, I've been thinking on this issue lately. Is it wrong to play, say Half-Life? I'll elaborate, your shooting things, okay, what are you shooting? Aliens, who had a problem with that? What about the people that are trying to kill you? Is it wrong since you have no choice? Shouldn't you have the choice, like in Dues Ex and Splinter Cell? Is it wrong to play a game where you kill things and the whole point of the game is to kill things, especially people? Especially games like Max Payne that glorify it so? Or what about GTA 3 that will allow you to commit senseless acts of violence? Or what about Soldier of Fortune? Do you say realism is good or bad? Is violence always bad? Is being able to run over people allay bad? I think we have to evaluate each game whether it condones the bad parts or whether it's used in an artistic way to make you see something. But then how far can they go with out glorifying what they're critizing? Your thoughts?


Anyone have any thoughts on Mafia?

I haven't played Mafia yet. It's been sitting on my shelf for a while, I'm just too lazy to go and grab it. I personally think that it's fine to play violent games in which one is shooting the ever-living crap out of people. Think of it this way. In Battlefield:Hardline, your character is busting a drug ring that is destroying people's lives. You have to kill some of these drug dealers. Would you rather these criminals walk free? While killing is ugly and brutal, it is sometimes necessary. So to answer your Half-Life question, it's fine to shoot up the aliens who, as evidenced from the environment, massacred the research facility. (I never got any farther than that. I normally don't complain about graphics, but those graphics were ugly)

 

[AGODBELIEVERlove1stfaith2]

I would like to know people's ideas on games which Christians shouldn't play. I've got 9 year old brother in-law, who beged me for a copy of GTA III, but after seeing the topic on the TV what you can do with that game (raping!!!), I will get rid of mine in the next couple days, as soon as I can get home and turn on that computer.
But, anyway. May be there are some other games I should think twice before giving my credit card to cashier. I really would like to know your oppinion.

Thanks everybody for particepation.

league of legends
world of warcraft
H1 Z1
http://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/World of Warcraft
http://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/League of Legends

 

[EvietheTurtle]

Hexen also got a little warped.

I love that game.

But I really enjoy strategy games like Age of Empires

Age of Empires 2 is my favouite game of all time! I played it for 6 years online daily for like 8-12 hours a day

 

[Mikemc]

I'd like to see a re-imagining of Catecheuman. Raters say bad graphics, glitches and the premise doesn't make sense but I don't know of anything else like it. I have only played the demo, but it's really the same as any other shooter, just the core components swapped out. And done in the Quake engine
Human Death = Soul cleansed of negativity
Health packs = Scriptures to restore faith
Health and dying = Loss of faith and direction in life

Another cool-sounding game I've heard of is "Left Behind". It's a real-time strategy where the end is upon us, and you pick a primary belief system:
Military fight with strength
Religion fights with faith
and one other but I don't recall.
Anyways you fight for the NWO or something, but it's so different.