Fun Friday: Can Christians Play Video Games

Alongside the topic of anime, video games are commonly discussed within Christian community circles. With the rise of gamers and the many different forms of gaming (mobile, console, PC, VR, etc), there’s a frequent question among many Christians and Christian parents: can Christians play video games?



Similarly to how I handled anime, I want to handle video games the same way. Let’s consider a few points that are important in how Christians judge video games.

1. Don’t overthink it!

Oftentimes as Christians, we see something new or something that we don’t fully understand as something that’s ultimately evil or harmful. Let me be clear, anything and everything can be harmful when abused! Think about it (ironically). Things such as drugs, alcohol, money, power, even sex are not inherently bad. God created sex to be between a man and a woman within the context of marriage but sin entered in and perverted it.
Consider the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:16-19 (CSB): “He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children with painful effort. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”
Notice that sin didn’t stop women from having birth or men from working the land, sin perverted the nature of men and women. Dr. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. describes it this way in his book, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, “Shalom is God’s design for creation and redemption; sin is blamable human vandalism of these great realities and therefore an affront to their Architect and Builder.” The point is that it’s not the object that’s the problem, it’s the vandalism of the object that leads to sin.
Let’s just consider the definition of a game. According to the basic Google definition, a game is “a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck.” The only difference with a ‘video game’ is that it’s done electronically. So whether you’re playing a game of chess or Fortnite, you’re playing a game. Now some people may think I’m straw-manning here and we’ll get to some of the concerns with video games in a moment. However, like anime, I want to demystify video games and understand that the sin comes down to its abuse, not the activity itself.

2. The concerns with gaming

I’m not going to lie, there are some serious and genuine concerns when it comes to gaming as a whole that must be addressed. Some valid concerns are escapism, sinful influences, and high fantasy/paganism/mysticism. Let’s address each.
Escapism is a real issue especially in today’s society when it is full of distractions that are designed to drown out your reality (and drown out God’s voice). To top it all off, one of the most common forms of escapism is famously, you guessed it, video games. Why? Video games, like TV shows and movies, are a frequent way to decompress and relax after a hard day’s work. While one person may turn on Netflix to watch a show, another person may turn on their Xbox to play Madden or 2K. Furthermore, video games can create a dopamine response (again, it’s a chemical in the brain that God created and isn’t inherently bad) which, when it’s not properly addressed or disciplined, can increase into an unhealthy habit or a sinful addiction. As a Christian parent, I understand the concern as well. It’s not unheard of to hear stories about children who come home from school and go straight to their Playstation or PC in order to play Fortnite for the next six hours. Kids are very impressionable and the last thing we want, as parents, is for them to use video games as an immediate escape from reality which could easily carry negative effects into adulthood.
Nevertheless, as stated earlier, it is not the video games itself but the abuse of video games that are an issue. You should always use prayerful wisdom when it comes to all things including discernment concerning video games. If you need to cut out games all together, do what you have to do to stay on the path of holiness. I want to be as clear as possible here that this article and others like it are ‘open-handed’ issues, meaning I am not making dogmatic nor doctrinal arguments stating that you must play video games.
The goal is to show you 3 things: (a) ‘take the boogey out the boogeyman’ when it comes to hot topics concerning Christian entertainment, (b) show you, from a biblical standpoint, that entertainment can be enjoyed by Christians, however they choose, (c) provide a biblical framework for Christians to enjoy entertainment in a way that honors Christ.
Therefore, I don’t want you to think that you’re doing something inherently wrong if you choose to not play video games. However, don’t be an unrealistic extremist either. The Bible tells us that we are allowed to enjoy life. Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (ESV) says, “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes, of all places, tells us multiple times that it’s a good thing to enjoy this life but the Preacher also tells us at the end of His book: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) My point is that we are allowed to enjoy the things of life but it must be done in a righteous and biblical way because God will judge every deed and action.
Another concern about video games are the sinful influences that can be presented in them. A lot of times you hear parents who are concerned that video games are making their kids more prone to violence or sexual promiscuity. In all fairness, I am not suggesting that we go gung ho with games and become unwise with our selections or what our kids are exposed to. However, many times when Christians, namely parents, think of the sinful influences in games, they immediately think of the most famous and debaucherous games like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row. Remember, video games are a category of entertainment and, just like how there are so many genres for all ages in film, the same is applied to gaming. Though sinful influences are certainly a concern, there are many games that are great for all ages and countless others that are good for more mature audiences that can suit the interests of any gamer.
Lastly, there is the concern of high fantasy/mysticism/paganism. Consider the verse from Acts 17:28 (CSB, emphasis added), “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ Paul is quoting Epimenides: the Greek philosopher who said this statement about Zeus, not about the God of the Bible. Paul used what was pagan to give glory to God. The point is that there is still some truth that can be gleaned from video games. It’s no different than any other form of entertainment. People can draw biblical parallels from movies like the Matrix, Star Wars, and Marvel/DC but none of those movies are considered Christian.
We shouldn’t be hypocritical. If we don’t play video games because they have pagan imagery, then we shouldn’t watch films because it falls under the same category. However, what we should do is have godly wisdom like Paul to be able to decipher Gospel truth from pagan philosophy. If we understand that we're playing games to be entertained not to be religiously informed, then there’s no difference from watching John Wick or playing Call of Duty.
On another note, video games are nowhere near being just senseless games. There are many video games that have great stories and teach valuable lessons. A few popular examples are God of War 2018, The Last of Us Part 1, Halo series, It Takes Two, Brother, Telltale: The Walking Dead, A Plague’s Tale, and so much more.

3. Is it helpful?

This objection comes from 1 Corinthians 6:12:  “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” First let’s not take this verse out of the context of 1 Corinthians 6. Earlier verses of this chapter are talking about taking your Christian brother to the worldly court of law and Paul describes those who are unrighteous in the world. The verses immediately after v.12 talk about food and sexual immorality. Even most commentators agree that 1 Corinthians 6:12 is referring to general sinful addiction or habits whether that is food, sex, drinking, etc. For example, it’s technically ‘lawful’ for Christians to drink alcohol but we don’t want to be dominated by it.
Furthermore, it’s also likely that this verse is talking against an abuse of Christian liberty which means that if God doesn’t explicitly say it’s sinful in the Bible, then it’s technically under Christian liberty. Does Christian liberty exist? Yes! That’s part of the basis for my arguments on Fun Fridays. However, when it is abused it can become sinful and not glorify Christ. When taken to its extreme, this argument is oftentimes used by Christians who try to justify pornography or doing drugs which are both biblically sinful. My point is that the verse, 1 Corinthians 6:12 (or its counterpart 1 Corinthians 10:23) is often used by Christians to say, ‘playing video games is lawful but it’s not helpful’ and I understand the sentiment but this verse is being used out of context. Now I do absolutely agree that Christians should not be dominated or addicted to video games. However, when this verse is talking about ‘lawful’ versus ‘helpful’, it’s specifically talking about issues of sin and abuse of liberty, not liberty in itself.

4. The Answer

‘So, what is the answer? Can Christians play video games?’ Biblically and generally speaking, yes. Is this a definite answer for every case? Absolutely not. Though 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:23 are not proper verses against video games, it is a great verse for guidelines on how we should interact with them. As stated earlier, Paul does say that we should not be dominated by anything because we should only be dominated by Christ. Therefore, here are three things that I would consider in how you should interact with video games as a Christian.

1. Use spiritual wisdom to put Christ first. If playing video games causes you to stumble into sin, cut it off just like in Mark 9:43-47 or at the very least, take a long fast from it.
2. Use spiritual discernment in deciding what to play. Use discernment on the games that you play and what you or your children are being exposed to. Is it really wise for your eight year-old to play Grand Theft Auto?
3. Examine your heart. Ask yourself, ‘Am I playing this game to relax or to escape?’ ‘Am I becoming addicted to this video game where I am taking away time from personal devotion, my family, friends, and Christian community?’ ‘Is this game changing my temperance?’

Ultimately, as stated earlier, don’t overthink it. Though there are certainly some inappropriate video games out there, there are countless more that are not. Use prayerful judgment and allow the Spirit to regularly examine your heart so that you are not being dominated by video games. As long as you keep your devotional walk with the Lord front and center and your family, work, and community are well-served (love of God and neighbor), you’re in a good place. Paul gives us the perfect focus for this topic and all that we do as Christians in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

I pray that this was beneficial for you!