mmorpg question?

fearon14 · Jan 6, 2015

Ok I started playing this game called Aion. You might have heard of it. But when I started playing I did research and I think aion is a greek/roman god not sher. And all the symbolism seems strange to. Is it christian to play aion, is it against God? And theres these way point markers called obelisks in the game. Didnt they use obelisks in babylon? Im confused. The game seems fun but I dont know if it is against Christianity to play it.

selfinflikted · Jan 6, 2015

It breaks my heart that some people fear the wrath of god/hell so badly that they have to question every little thing they do in life.

Look. The best advice you can get in a scenario like this from a Christian or non-Christian is this:

If YOU feel that whatever it is you are doing is a stumbling block, sinful, etc - then simply don't do it. It's your own conscience you'll have to deal with, not anyone else's.

Gadarene · Jan 6, 2015

Also, do ask yourself why your deity would be so insecure he'd feel threatened by one of his adherents brushing past an object that one culture used as a symbol in their (obviously) false religion....in a setting that doesn't even exist.

chapmic · Jan 6, 2015

fearon14 said:
Ok I started playing this game called Aion. You might have heard of it. But when I started playing I did research and I think aion is a greek/roman god not sher. And all the symbolism seems strange to. Is it christian to play aion, is it against God? And theres these way point markers called obelisks in the game. Didnt they use obelisks in babylon? Im confused. The game seems fun but I dont know if it is against Christianity to play it.

If in doubt leave it out. There will be other games that are just as fun.

Paradoxum · Jan 6, 2015

If you fear another 'god', wouldn't that be more insulting to God than not caring?

It's not what goes in what matters, it's what comes out.

In my opinion, God would be pretty shallow and superficial to care about such things.

Gene2memE · Jan 6, 2015

fearon14 said:
Ok I started playing this game called Aion. You might have heard of it. But when I started playing I did research and I think aion is a greek/roman god not sher. And all the symbolism seems strange to. Is it christian to play aion, is it against God? And theres these way point markers called obelisks in the game. Didnt they use obelisks in babylon? Im confused. The game seems fun but I dont know if it is against Christianity to play it.

Hmmm, you're worried about whether its 'Christian' - i.e following the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth - to play a South Korean-developed, semi-medieval generic fantasy MMO that happens to borrow Hellenistic religious period symbolism and mix it with Korean/Japanese/Chinese mythology, along with Tolkien-esque high fantasy and Burroughs-style low fantasy.

I'm not sure Christ would have much to say about it.

I'd worry about every other aspect of your life and behaviour before I'd worry that a middling piece of fantasy fluff is "against God".

KitKatMatt · Jan 6, 2015

Are you going to worship any characters of the game or the game itself?

If not, I think you're good.

Like said above, if it makes you uncomfortable just don't do it. But to me, fictional games are just fictional games.

MehGuy · Jan 6, 2015

I don't know..

When I was a Christian I worried about playing Mario games.. came so close to throwing them in the trash.

My father used to go on about how almost everything was evil. If a thing looked too weird, it was evil. I pretty much had no outlet to express myself.

Probably one of the reasons I like my stories and art very violent and dark. Make up for lost time, lol.

DogmaHunter · Jan 7, 2015

Stuff like this is so mind boggling to me...

Please explain to me, how playing ANY video game could ever be a problem in any way?

Ignoring things like being addicted to said game etc, off course.
Let's just assume the casual gamer here.

What gives? What does it even mean to say that playing a game is "christian" or "not christian"?

It's just 1's and 0's controlling some pixels on screen to create fictional entertainment.
Why do you even ask the question? What possible configuration could those pixels take on that would make you a bad person for playing it? How is playing any video game EVER a moral issue in ANY way?

To me, playing ANY videogame has about the same moral implications as going to the toilet.

Inkfingers · Jan 7, 2015

chapmic said:
If in doubt leave it out. There will be other games that are just as fun.

^ this.

Ignore the advice of atheists on this matter - looking to atheists for advice on what is appropriate before God is like looking to vegetarians for advice on cooking steak.

DogmaHunter · Jan 7, 2015

Inkfingers said:
^ this.

Ignore the advice of atheists on this matter - looking to atheists for advice on what is appropriate before God is like looking to vegetarians for advice on cooking steak.

This is very short sighted.
I actually know vegetarians that are more knowledgeable about how to prepare a juicy steak then certain non-vegetarians.

I also know theists who would think on this issue in the exact same way as I do.

Inkfingers · Jan 7, 2015

DogmaHunter said:
This is very short sighted.
I actually know vegetarians that are more knowledgeable about how to prepare a juicy steak then certain non-vegetarians.

I also know theists who would think on this issue in the exact same way as I do.

You are focusing on the analogy (perhaps a better one would be taking advice on chastity from a nymphomaniac) and missing the point...and in so doing illustrating the point that I was making.

DogmaHunter · Jan 7, 2015

Inkfingers said:
You are focusing on the analogy

Well... yes. I responded to what you said.

and missing the point...and in so doing illustrating the point that I was making

The analogy was the only point you made and you just retracted it.
So what point that you didn't mention am I illustrating?

Inkfingers · Jan 7, 2015

DogmaHunter said:
Well... yes. I responded to what you said.

The analogy was the only point you made and you just retracted it.
So what point that you didn't mention am I illustrating?

That you placed greater emphasis on the form than on the content it was seeking to express...and thus fail to understand the issue.

GrowingSmaller · Jan 7, 2015

Christians should be out helping the poor, and living off honey, bread and milk, not playing "video games".

Inkachu · Jan 7, 2015

Fearon, there is a "Christian advice" area that is Christians-only, if you're looking for responses that are exclusively from other Christians.

I see that you're 20 years old. You're still learning who you are, and who you're going to be as a grown man. If this game is causing you to feel guilty or convicted, then give it a break for a while. Pray on it, focus on other things, and revisit the idea of MMORPG's down the line if you want to. You're still a very young person, and your beliefs and convictions are likely to continue developing in the years to come.

I personally play MMORPG's and love them. So does my Christian husband, and my Christian son. So obviously, I believe they're fine. BUT we know that we're not to cause our fellow believers to stumble over their own personal convictions. You need to do what your own spirit tells you is right for you. I just recommend that you pray on it and seek God's voice. What's OK for one person isn't always OK for another. We're all in various stages of maturity and growth, and we need to allow that some Christians are still taking baby steps, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Inkachu · Jan 7, 2015

GrowingSmaller said:
Christians should be out helping the poor, and living off honey, bread and milk, not playing "video games".

You do know that mocking others is against the rules of CF, right?

DogmaHunter · Jan 7, 2015

Inkfingers said:
That you placed greater emphasis on the form than on the content it was seeking to express...and thus fail to understand the issue.

I wonder if you could be more vague if you tried.

Maybe if you stopped talking in riddles and metaphores, people would understand you better.

You used an analogy and I responded to it.

In any case, we are talking about a freaking video game. Pixels on a screen. Strings of 1s and 0s that together, create a fantasy world for your entertainment.

How can such a thing be related to any moral issues at all? Regardless of your (a)theism?

Mystman · Jan 7, 2015

DogmaHunter said:
It's just 1's and 0's controlling some pixels on screen to create fictional entertainment.
Why do you even ask the question? What possible configuration could those pixels take on that would make you a bad person for playing it? How is playing any video game EVER a moral issue in ANY way?

Everything that we consume has the potential to influence how we think. Most of it influences our thoughts and behavior in almost imperceptibly small ways that only give noticeable results over longer periods of time, while some stuff has clear, large influences.

Some things will result in the "obvious" results (e.g. violent games desensitizing people to violence), while those same things may have less obvious results in other people (e.g. violent games teaching kids that real violence is horrible and something to be avoided).

Some of the influences will be "bad" according to your personal definitions for what "good" thought patterns are, and some of the influences will be beneficial. There are interpretations of Christianity that encourage believers to stay away from things that inspire "bad" thoughts/behaviors. So if I'm playing some hyper violent, sexual, frustrating, addictive, racist game, the act of pushing the buttons is not immoral, since I'm not hurting real other people. But I do want to consider what all those ideas and images are doing to my brain. And there have been plenty of games that influenced me in ways that made me go "yeah, I'm not sure Jesus would approve.."

And to answer the opening post: the game is not presenting the greek gods as actually existing. If you think you'll be converted to pantheism by playing the game you should probably avoid it, but since the game will not try to do that I'm pretty sure you're safe. I'd be more wary about the gameplay. Most MMOs use a variety of addictive mechanisms that keep you coming back so you'll keep paying your monthly fee or microtransactions. Voluntarily exposing yourself to such things might be ok, or it might not be, depending on how easily you get addicted, and depending on how strictly you try to avoid temptation.

GrowingSmaller · Jan 7, 2015

Inkachu said:
You do know that mocking others is against the rules of CF, right?

Not intended as mockery at all. I am not serious about the bread and honey, but seriously I beliebve that christianity ought to me less abuot "the world" and more humanitarian.

When I was homeless and down on my luck who do you think I appreciated more, the gamers at home or the charitable soup runs and missionary sandwich hand outs?

Which is why, even thoughth I am not christian, I still donate to my local cathedral, and to food banks...

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