Is video game violence sinful?

[Gabe7]

Some of my friends play video games where they go around shooting people. They want me to join them sometimes but I always beg off. I'm concerned about how Jesus said 'What we do in our minds can get us in trouble as if we actually did it'. I think he was talking about lust but I suppose killing people might be covered under that idea too. What do you think?

 

[NvxiaLee]

I don't think there's anything sinful about most violent video games. Some of the more extreme I haven't played, and so can't speak for them. But, I find the average movie any weakly Top Ten to be far more offensive than a bloody video game. The video games I play don't teach me to kill (even if the game is about killing), lower my morality, cuss, etc. Movies do most of those things.

 

[The Nihilist]

Jesus said 'What we do in our minds can get us in trouble as if we actually did it'

Jesus never said that.

 

[Gabe7]

Jesus never said that.

Lots of Christians have told me he said that about lust. They have told me it applies to other sins too.

 

[FaithLikeARock]

What Jesus said, that they're getting that from, is "if you look at a woman with lust in your eyes, you have committed adultery with your heart". Whether or not that can be interpreted any other way depends on how much you want to tyrannically control what people do.

That said, no one who plays video games is actively wishing violence on people - they're playing a game and unless you have pre-existing mental problems, it's easy to differentiate. There's no motivation of actual contempt. Just to sit back and play a video game.

 

[chris4243]

That said, no one who plays video games is actively wishing violence on people - they're playing a game and unless you have pre-existing mental problems, it's easy to differentiate. There's no motivation of actual contempt. Just to sit back and play a video game.

That.

It's like refusing to play chess because it advocates regicide.

 

[FaithLikeARock]

Mentally speaking, non-violent racing games are probably worse in how they effect a persons behavior - the controls are more intuitively compared to the actual action than "violent" video games (I can't tell you how many times I've had a sudden desire to throw turtle shells at other cars in heavy traffic after long marathons of Mario Kart).

 

[JustMeSee]

In my opinion, it is kind of difficult to say for sure since video game and similar things were not around when The Bible was written. I guess it would come down to interpretation of it with not so similar things.

 

[The Nihilist]

Lots of Christians have told me he said that about lust. They have told me it applies to other sins too.

Lots of christians told you that? Don't you have your own bible you can read?

 

[selfinflikted]

Video games are not sinful because they are not real.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Some of my friends play video games where they go around shooting people. They want me to join them sometimes but I always beg off. I'm concerned about how Jesus said 'What we do in our minds can get us in trouble as if we actually did it'. I think he was talking about lust but I suppose killing people might be covered under that idea too. What do you think?

There's no correlation between playing violent video games and being violent oneself, either in thought or deed. Playing video games, you don't actually think you're killing someone. You perform actions that ostensibly look like you're (say) killing someone, but the actual act of killing a person is far different. People come back from Iraq with severe trauma, but no one comes back from Call of Duty with shell-shock.

In my opinion, a Christian can play video games till his heart's content. The violence depicted therein is in no way analogous to the real thing, even in the mind.

Perhaps what Jesus meant was that you shouldn't imagine the actual death of an actual person - such as fantasising about killing one's boss - rather than merely playing a game.

 

[MoonLancer]

the equivalent to the lust thing would be fantasizing about killing a specific person.

Video games are not an equivalent.

 

[Fenny the Fox]

I think the idea that video games/video game violence can be inherently sinful is much the same extreme as saying that people can't tell that life and games are different.

I admit, I enjoy the occasional violent game (GTA, first person shooters, or such). Mostly it is just good stress relief to me. But usually I stick to older series or games...Sonic is a favorite of mine, along with Mario and Star Fox. Not that I play many video games anyway.

 

[No Swansong]

I have never read of any correlation between video games and teenagers or children committing violent acts.

Just like most things in life, moderation is the best policy. I see nothing wrong with kids playing video games so long as that is not their only form of entertainment or recreation.

 

[JadeTigress]

Typically when I'm shooting stuff in a video game, it's zombies. And there is NOTHING sinful about that.

 

[Gabe7]

It seems like many people are dismissing violent games as being okay. Didn't the Columbine shooters use skills taught in violent games to shoot the kids at their school? I recall a news story where such a claim was made.

 

[selfinflikted]

It seems like many people are dismissing violent games as being okay. Didn't the Columbine shooters use skills taught in violent games to shoot the kids at their school? I recall a news story where such a claim was made.

Yea. But you have to remember the news seeks out scapegoats. SEVERAL news reports also blamed Marilyn Manson's music on Columbine. The kids hated MM music, in reality.

 

[FaithLikeARock]

That's because the news media will find any excuse to paint video games in such a light - most of these articles will come off at first glance as they intentionally got the idea from video games, but typically at that happens is a video game is found in the house of the murderer. It's never a simple case of "lots of people play video games".

Besides, if they used it for "training", that means they already had the motivation to do. I believe it's been made clear that if a person has pre-existing mental problems, they can't differentiate between reality and the game. But for the many millions of people who buy violent video games every day? Maybe only one in every 10 million is a serial killer waiting to be inspired by a video game.

 

[Fenny the Fox]

Yea. But you have to remember the news seeks out scapegoats. SEVERAL news reports also blamed Marilyn Manson's music on Columbine. The kids hated MM music, in reality.

Speaking of MM and Columbine...[warning!: some crude language and content]
YouTube - ‪interview with Marilyn Manson - Bowling for Columbine‬‏

As it is, I don't think we should or even can actually blame the games or the music or the movies.
In the end, it was bad choices, lack of communication in society (parents, friends, teachers, etc), and bad examples abounding that led to such things happening. Just as in all cases - it isn't some simple solution or cause, it is a combination of circumstances.

 

[selfinflikted]

You know, most people don't realize that MM is really a genius. Some people and fans think that he lives what he preaches on stage, but it's all an act. It's showbiz. He was big in the 90's, probably made millions, and probably had a good laugh over it all.