Supporting questionable video games?

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newktguy

New Member
I joined this forum in late 2011 or early 2012 and asked about video games, and I have been playing WoW and some other video games under the justification that "it is not what comes into a man that makes him unclean, but what comes out". WoW has some questionable elements but I only played it for the PvP. There are some things I felt I should avoid a little more in the game or things I should do differently(like not spend so much time on the game), but altogether I didn't feel like it was hindering my walk with God besides the fact that I play it a little too much..My computer broke in May and I haven't played WoW since and have just been wondering if it is right to support a game or anything that has content that can make others fall and has content that is mostly about ungodly things.. Yes, I can ignore much of it and I just see it as "PvP" but I have been thinking about whether supporting things like this is okay.

I wanted to play GTA too when it comes out and use the justification that I'm only gonna play multiplayer and run around the city and have fun with other players(I don't think GTA multiplayer is bad for the most part) but the thought came to my mind, is supporting a game like GTA really a thing you want to do?

It seems overwhelming because this logic cancels a lot of TV shows and games... I know how they affect me, but what about how it affects other people? If it affects people in a mostly negative way or makes them interested in ungodly things, is it right for you to support it?

What does the bible say about this? I was thinking of when Jesus ate with sinners but I don't think that is the same situation. For now I have stopped all xbox games and netflix until the Lord answers or I have peace in my mind concerning the situation..

I also love anime, Samurai Champloo is a favorite series of mine. It has questionable elements but I like look at the story as a whole, just 3 friends going out in the world on an adventure and I didn't feel like watching it was bad or harmed me.
 
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I'm still a little confused haha.. Does/did anybody else feel the conviction about supporting certain games/TV shows as wrong? And if you feel it is okay, what is your reasoning/understanding behind that decision? I just want to hear something that will shed some light on the subject... maybe I am wrong and just thinking too extremely...

I really do like WoW and haven't played it in forever but will give it up if I have to.

I basically feel like, by playing and purchasing things from that company, I am supporting and contributing to a game/games that depicts/leads people into sinful things... Or I'm supporting/contributing to a product that has a lot of questionable themes that can cause others to fall.. I know the game may not cause me to fall but is it right to support something that will cause others to fall. Are there any bible verses that talk about this topic or something similar? Avoiding something/not showing support of something because of questionable content or something like that? Are there people in the Bible that showed support in some way to something that could be viewed as evil?

I know how WoW and TV shows affect me and I did avoid certain things that I felt would affect me in an overly negative way, but this conviction/confusion is about showing support to things that may not make me fall, but may lead others into sin or has the purpose of leading the viewer/player into sin.

Another example, is it right to buy eggs or even support a grocery store because those brand of eggs came from people that mistreated the hens in a very inhumane way? It sounds extreme but this is the way I think and it is kind of annoying....

Same thing with GTA, playing multiplayer may not affect me in a negative way but is supporting a game that arguable affects millions in a negative way the right thing to do...

I do feel convicted so I have stopped playing/watching everything I feel like I shouldn't but I am just wondering what everyone else's view/understanding is on the specific topic of showing support for TV shows/games that can be viewed negative as a whole so that maybe you can shed some light on my dilemma lol. If you don't feel peace you should just stop but I wanna hear what other peoples understanding of this support/contribution issue is please...
 
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Follow your convictions as the Lord reveals them to you through His Spirit and the Word.
 
Let me try dispel some confusion here.

Yes, many of us DO feel conviction to avoid certain games, shows, books, comics, lifestyles, etc. The Holy Spirit gives you access to the mind of Christ, so you will get revelations of God's thoughts towards you (always good, trust me.) And, sometimes, God's good thoughts towards you provide you with warnings about things you do or contemplate doing.

But let me muddy the waters a little bit. We also have to struggle against something called "the expectations of Man." For me, this has been a huge factor. The expectations of Man boils down to the statement "People think that Christians should act this way and not act that way." So, a lot of us Christian gamers have to struggle with the Expectation that Christians Don't Do That.

It is sometimes a struggle to tell whether you are feeling caution towards, for example, GTA because God is cautioning you about it or because Christians Don't Do GTA.

The Expectations of Man are a trap. The Revelation of the thoughts of God are an oil of victory.


So, the million dollar question: How do you tell the difference. I'd say, ask God. He's not dead. He's not too busy. He does in fact know about video games, and all about video games. The next time you feel "hey, should I quit WoW?" pray and ask God. He will tell you.

If he doesn't answer, don't sweat it. If it would terribly damage you to keep playing, he would let you know. Guaranteed.


Really, when it comes down to it, there is no great code of what is and is not allowable (in fact, Paul says EVERYTHING is allowable.) What is a factor, however, is obedience to the Holy Spirit. Find out from him what is or is not obedience.
 
Paul said everything is permissible, but not everything is profitable. We need to avoid those things that are not profitable for Christ. The expectations of man are a powerful stumbling block to the lost. If they see a Christian not acting like they think a Christian should act, that gives them more reason to not be a Christian. ("Most Christians I know are hypocrites so I'm not gonna be a Christian" is the saying I hear most often.)

Being a follower of Christ means putting aside our wants and desires and thinking of others first as Christ did. Sure I want to do (insert what you want to do), but if someone sees me doing that, will it hinder their walk? Will it put a stumbling block between them and salvation? We often ask, Would you do that if Christ was sitting there beside you? without realizing that Christ actually is there beside you.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will often whisper waiting for us to want to hear him. If we truly want to be more like Christ and less like the old man He redeemed us from, it will be easy to hear Him. However, we often war against the flesh and it's hard to hear sometimes. Only you and he can answer this question you have for you.

There a differing views on salvation and grace in these forums. There are people here who don't agree with my views. There are people here who don't agree with my stand on separation. Be careful you don't keep asking us the question just looking for the answer you want to hear because eventually you will hear it. Be still, prayerful and listen for the Holy Spirit's leadings.
 
I know this thread hasn't had anything posted in about three or four weeks, but I'd like to add something to this.

First of all, I don't think that there is anything inherently evil about "fantasy magic", such as someone shooting fireballs or ice out of their hands (Please Note: I am not condoning actual Witchcraft. I'm just saying that I don't think playing a game such as WOW, Skyrim, Torchlight, or any game of the sort makes one guilty of Witchcraft). I don't play WOW (I used to back in 2008-2009, but God had me lay it down since I was obsessed with it and it was feeding the selfish nature within me with all the competition for gear and other resources), but I would say that, in my experience, most games with "fantasy magic" tend to have less violence, gore, and offensive language than other games such as First Person Shooters.

I myself do play games such as Diablo and Torchlight 2, since they are action packed, have little offensive language (haven't played Diablo 3 yet, so I can't speak for it), and are overall not frustrating to me.

However, even if you are afraid that the Lord will require you to give up something that you don't want to, you still need to go before Him, confess your desire to still play the game, and get His word on the matter, because His opinion is ultimately the only one that matters.

In Luke 14:31-33, Jesus gives a parable about a king with 10,000 soldiers going to war against a king with 20,000. The king with 10,000 can't hope to win against the other king, so he seeks terms of peace with him. Naturally, the other king is the one with all the leverage here, and he therefore gets to set the terms of peace. Jesus then says that if we aren't willing to forsake all we have, we cannot be His disciples.

You see, in our natural, unconverted state, we are enemies to God, but God made a way through Jesus Christ by which we can obtain peace with God. However, the terms are that we have to be willing to unconditionally surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, where He calls all the shots. God will not accept a surrender that has an “if” or “as long as” attached.

Even if you don't want to let go of a certain game, are you at least willing for God to change your heart so that you are willing?

Philippians 2:12-13 says “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

Even though we do have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (this isn't talking about a works-based salvation), ultimately, if you are willing to be made willing, God will give you both the willingness and the ability to give up anything that He requires.

Even if you do give up the game, as Neirai said, it needs to be because you know God is telling you to, and not merely because you're trying to conform to another person's expectations. On one hand, if you know someone in your life will be offended or be caused to stumble, you shouldn't flaunt the game before them, but at the same time trying to live up to someone's expectations (a form of legalism) is burdensome, and two of the things that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for were putting people under a heavy yoke that God never intended for them (Matthew 24:4) and for cleaning themselves up on the outside while still having wickedness on the inside (Matthew 24:28). It takes being led by the Holy Spirit to distinguish between someone that could be truly offended by something versus someone trying to put you back under the law.


A person could throw out their computer, TV, music collection, Xbox, and all other forms of entertainment, and then move to a cave and still be displeasing to God on the inside, and the inside is what really matters to God (1 Samuel 16:7).

The best that living by the Law (legalism) can do is make a person look good on the outside. It's only when you submit to God's Grace, which is His ability to change you from the inside, that you can truly walk in true obedience toward the Lord.
 
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I have discussions like this with my friend quite often as we live together and are both gamers. I find that it is a personal decision, albeit with direction from God through prayer. If I feel that a game is creating a barrier between me and my faith, then I would stop playing. Also, I tend to approach the games in general as far as my playtime and how it affects my family, before I address the content.

I find myself in the realm of not supporting games that are over-sexualized. I feel that there is too much of this already. I will tolerate the skimpy armor models for females but there is a line. For example, I was going to try out Tera when it went F2P. I went to create a character and noted that the outfits for the female avatars were ridiculously over-sexualized. I think this stance pretty much keeps me away from any Korean import lol.

I also have avoided games like Dragon Age, where they take the involvement and relationships of the characters to a whole new level. Those games I would be more inclined to try as that content is optional.

For games like Diablo 3 where the game world has a different take on theology, or like GW2 where there are multiple gods (some of which were once human), I don't find it puts me off. It is a fantasy world. Now if the games lore as an intenional affront to our faith, where it mocked the idea or perverted it into some joke version of it, I might be more put off.

I find that gaming and the media in general need to be taken with a grain of salt. I worry about my kids and their exposure to the internet (which was just in its infant stages in my youth). I feel that I need to just keep an open dialogue with them on what they see and experience and how it makes them feel. There are some shows I do not let my kids watch, but as they get older I let them make that call. I hope that God will speak into their hearts and help them digest what they see in the world.
 
Wolfeman said:
Paul said everything is permissible, but not everything is profitable. We need to avoid those things that are not profitable for Christ. The expectations of man are a powerful stumbling block to the lost. If they see a Christian not acting like they think a Christian should act, that gives them more reason to not be a Christian. ("Most Christians I know are hypocrites so I'm not gonna be a Christian" is the saying I hear most often.)

Being a follower of Christ means putting aside our wants and desires and thinking of others first as Christ did. Sure I want to do (insert what you want to do), but if someone sees me doing that, will it hinder their walk? Will it put a stumbling block between them and salvation? We often ask, Would you do that if Christ was sitting there beside you? without realizing that Christ actually is there beside you.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will often whisper waiting for us to want to hear him. If we truly want to be more like Christ and less like the old man He redeemed us from, it will be easy to hear Him. However, we often war against the flesh and it's hard to hear sometimes. Only you and he can answer this question you have for you.

There a differing views on salvation and grace in these forums. There are people here who don't agree with my views. There are people here who don't agree with my stand on separation. Be careful you don't keep asking us the question just looking for the answer you want to hear because eventually you will hear it. Be still, prayerful and listen for the Holy Spirit's leadings.
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I like what you are saying. It reminds me of the song "Jesus, Friend of Sinners" by Casting Crowns and the one line that resonates so deeply with me...

"The world is on their way to You, But they’re tripping over me"

The church and its members is often the greatest detriment to leading people to Christ.
 
I think that we must let the Holy Spirit be our guide. If you feel uncomfortable about it, or convicted, its time to move on and look for another title. That why there are ratings on games, anything with an "M" for mature more than likely will have a lot of bad language in it.
 
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