I have been a gamer since I was a child. As I have grown up, I have played every genre and rating, and have found that as a believer in Christ there are games that I choose not to play. I want you to visit ragezone.com, they have games that can be played by Christians like me.
Does God approve?
Again, I chose not to support certain games, led by Holy Spirit in my choices. There are times where the game is a mature rating because of language or violence, but its part of the story, not explicit (like in a war movie for example, you expect blood, violence and death because that is war). As an adult, you need to make the right choices before you purchase, or if you’re a parent you need to choose wisely for your kids. If your young, be careful with what you watch and play because it will influence you, so give God glory in how you game.
I am not suggesting to get religious or legalistic when you buy a game, but if you are a Christian you want to worship God in all you do (1 Corinthians 10:31) so pick the games that you enjoy but won’t fill your mind with foul language, lust, violence and the demonic.
Lets go over some examples of two games that are very popular, are in the same genre but one is safe for Christians and the other would not be the best choice for a Christian (that’s my opinion, click “comment” to debate below).
A Tale Of Two Games
Here we have Mario Kart and Twisted Metal. Both are games that have to do with racing or cars, (I have played both) yet one is about winning a race and the other is about getting the devil to grant you a wish. Think I am kidding?
Why should I buy LoL account? There are many reasons that someone would want to buy a lol account. unrankedsmurfs.com will detail some of the most common reasons to buy a lol account here https://www.unrankedsmurfs.com/.
Mario Kart 8
Twisted Metal Black
Another is the popular fps (first person shooter) genre. There’s Destiny which is a game about light versus darkness and saving the galaxy (only played the beta as of this writing), and then we have games like Left 4 Dead 2, Bulletstorm, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and more. These games use weapons but Destiny uses the light versus dark concept, while the others are full of violence and blood. This excessive amount of gore and bloodshed isn’t needed to support the graphics or gameplay, it’s just not necessary. Like I stated above, if it’s a game that can show it tastefully then I have no issue with it as long as you are at the right age and maturity (see game ratings).
Destiny during Multiplayer Mode
Call of Duty Black Ops 2
What Video Games Should Christians Play?
I will list some practical tips you can use to find out if the game you want to play is safe as a Christian or just for children. This is useful for any gamer, believer in Christ or not.
- Check the ESRB rating. It tells you what’s in the game in regards to explicit content. Some games can be as explicit as pornography, so don’t let the cover fool you. If your old enough to play the higher rated games, then be sure your being guided by Holy Spirit when you play. If you feel uncomfortable in your spirit, then just stop playing and get a refund (I’ve done this with movies that I “thought” were ok, but after watching them decided they weren’t for me).
- Flip to the back of the games case and read what it’s about. The ESRB won’t talk about spiritual content, so a teen game could be filled with demonic game play, so make sure your comfortable with it.
- Go on YouTube, type the game title + trailer or + game play. You can watch the game instantly and see how it really is, compared to just looking at a rating.
- Download a demo of it on the PlayStation, Xbox or Wii networks and try it free! This has helped me many times discover some great gems that don’t affect my spiritual life negatively (again, if you are sensitive to this which most Christians should be not out of legalistic reasons but out of their honor to God).
I’m not bashing games in general here, but use this as a guide to purchasing games as believers in Christ. The game can be amazing, but could be one that will poison your mind with negative thoughts and actions.
Did these tips help you? How do you find games that you feel please God? Should Christians play explicit games, or avoid them completely? Let me know, I would like to discuss this with you! God bless.
Hi Amanda, thanks for checking out my post and the comment. I saw that game and I personally won’t be playing it myself, I prefer to avoid games that focus so much on witchcraft especially Harry Potter since it’s extremely explicit about it.
There are games that are similar but won’t be exactly like Hogwarts since the gameplay is pretty unique and the graphics are very top notch.
I will list a few and you can ask him or just check on Youtube if you like any of these. You may disagree with some of them so just pick the ones you feel right about 🙂 Always ask God to guide you, and avoid content you don’t want to see.
Genshin Impact
kingdom hearts the story so far
Tales Of Arise
Spider Man
God Of War (this one is pretty violent so I hesistate to recommend it but check it anyways)
Tomb Raider
Uncharted
My son is interested in playing Hogwarts Legacy for PS5. I do not really want him playing this (he is 14) as I don’t like the witches and wizardry aspect of it. Do you have any suggestions for something that has more Christian values but that he would still be interested in? Thank you for any suggestions!
I would stick to Isaiah 33:15:
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil.
So I do not play any games anymore that contain any violence at all.
Also a good test for movies and games is to ask yourself whether the particular world would still work if God would be known there. For example I was a huge Star Trek and Star Wars fan in the past, but i dumped both because actually both worlds would completely collapse if you would try to integrate Jesus. And I don’t want to dream myself into a world where I have to put Jesus aside to be a hero there or so that it works at all.
One question are you evangelizing others because that is what Jesus called us to do. Mark 16:15 if you aren’t evangelizing others but instead only play games and watch anime then you need to take a look at yourself and see if your in the faith.
Hi there Julian, I would suggest you check out my ministry/blog at http://www.GamingandGod.com where I do share the gospel with gamers and geeks, which was the main reason I even started it over 5 years ago. Check out my mission and values page so you can see what it’s about 😊
Secondly, yes, I do evangelize when possible online or offline. Playing videogames or watching anime is not bad in of itself, it’s like saying you shouldn’t be watching TV, playing sports, or doing anything recreational because that’s time wasted and you should sharing the gospel with the entire world instead. Nobody can do everything, but like Paul said:
1 Corinthians 3:6-9
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Lastly, before accusing someone online of not being in the faith, you should look at scripture and see that it’s not about our works (evangelizing for example) but our faith in Christ, His resurrection, forgiveness of our sins, repenting from our sins and allowing Holy Spirit to work in our lives that’s essential to being in the faith, not evangelism. Read God’s word before writing some random comment to someone you don’t know that’s accusing them of something you have no way of proving, instead try being more edifying of your fellow family in Christ and pray for gamers, geeks, otaku/anime fans so they will come to know Christ through sites like this one and others.
The Bible also says faith without works is dead in James. So check that pls. I don’t think all video games and entertainment as far as electronics go is bad btw. I just don’t want you to say it’s not about works at all because works are a natural reaction as part of your relationship with Christ. Not saying works save you.
Hi there JoAnn, thank you for the comment and checking out the blog post!
Ok, so Genshin Impact is a fun game and very well done, but I can understand what you mean about the interactions with false gods, religious symoblism and rituals that are not honoring Christ, and some other content. It’s a Japanese game and this type of content is pretty common in anime-styled games since that’s what they are pulling their influence from.
So I looked around and found one that is very similar called Tower of Fantasy which seems identical to Genshin Impact. I have NOT played it nor am I sure what kind of religious content there is, though I don’t see much of it in watching some gameplay.
As I mentioned in this very blog psot, check out the game and see what it’s about. If you arent’ comfortable, close it and try another one for her. It’s a tricky landscape, the gaming genre, but there are so many games out there that I’m she will find some that are enjoyable and not full of content that you won’t agree with.
Another one she can try is Xenoblade Chronicles which is a JRPG and for Nintendo Switch.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2064650/Tower_of_Fantasy/
Hello, I’m a grandmother trying to find safe games for my 14 year old granddaughter. She recently told me and my daughter (her mom) she found a new game, Genshin Impact, and was playing it for 3 weeks. We researched it and it’s about demons, false gods, archons and Satan. We talked to my granddaughter and showed her Biblically why she shouldn’t be playing this game and then we all prayed together. Afterwards my granddaughter chose toto delete the game from her phone. She really liked the graphics in this game, she’s very artistic. Do you have any suggestions for games for her that don’t include demons, magic or witchcraft?
Hi there Austin thanks for the comment! Ok, so remember a game is a game it’s not reality, it’s fiction but it is a form of influence on you. For example, I don’t watch certain shows/anime or play certain games because I don’t like the content that it has. So for Call of Duty, if you felt to even post a comment here then you must be feeling at least some conviction from playing it. So yeah, I would stop playing it and see how you feel after. You can also try other shooters that aren’t so violent, like Destiny 2, Overwatch, and several others to replace it.
Skyrim, I haven’t played much of it but I know it’s a great game. The necromancy is concerning so if you can skip that in the game or not play those missions then I would do that if that makes you more comfortable, but it’s just part of the game and there’s no way around it….then yeah, if you don’t want to play it then skip it and try a different one. It’s all about making those choices that you feel God is leading you to make. Pray about it, ask Holy Spirit to guide you and He is the one you need to be listening to more than anyone else, including me 🙂
So I myself have a question I really enjoy call of duty but I’ve been trying to better myself, if I think Jesus wouldn’t really want to play/ me to should I try to avoid it? Or do you think I can still enjoy playing call of duty ever since I was a kid it was my favourite game, but I also know it’s not an actual form of killing but acting! But in my opinion I still have thoughts of it being bad. Do you think it’s best to avoid it or do you think it would be fine if I still dibby dabbled in call of duty on my Xbox. Also do you think it would be fine if I played Skyrim it has forms of bringing back the undead and all that kind of stuff, etc.
P.S -from Austin
Also the reason why I’m asking is because I’m worried it will affect my relationship with him/jesus Christ.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback. It is just difficult because I have trouble knowing what is and what isn’t from the Holy Spirit. I want to obey God in everything, it’s just difficult because I grew up with a lot of games that have perceived magic like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, and I don’t know what is considered truly evil.
Lust is a sin. Symbols and things that are not of God is against God!
I suggest you look at simpler games that simply don’t have demon/sorcery or theories or thought provoking things that contradict your faith.
Also – Remember this: There isn’t alot of free time for a true Christian at all.
If I could, I’d go live in the forest like the Y.T channel Primitive Technology But, Jesus needs me here in society where I need to Work day and night to lead people to him. – Remember, The Devil is literally everywhere – even scrolling through tiktok is a huge gamble, you’ll find Homosexual garbage, Lustful poison and Evil theories and lies and deciet around every corner. – We are living in the very last part of the end times – the beasts in revelation have long risen, actually! -The beast of the sea is the Catholic church. – The wound that heals is what happened to it when Napoleon Bonaparte Defeated and imprisoned a pope or something, and the beast from the land is literally AMERICA. The Image (Statue) That the Beast of the land will give life to is either the Pope, or Mary.
Friend – let Righteousness Rule your soul, Make Jesus lord over your spirit!
Then – make him happy!
Trust me, He cries when you bring heathen things, sinful things into your life – he also understands literally everything – even the video games which you might think is past his time! – He would probably absolutely Crush the whole game like an absolute God, because (really??? Do I have to explain?) -Anyway, just ask yourself – would what you are doing now, If Jesus were doing it with you…. Would Jesus Do It With You?
Or would Doing that make Jesus a sinner? – because he literally is perfect.
Sinless – and he expects you to be like him (not possible) but he will love you for trying, doing your best, and repenting when you sin willingly.
I’m giving up everything that makes me want to sin, so good luck… no wait, Wishing luck is kind of sin, too.
Our TRUST must be in God, in Jesus.
So, I’ll pray for you – my brother in Christ!
Hi there Sarah thanks for the comment! Personally I am a big fan of the series, I’ve even written a couple articles on the game 🙂 https://beneaththetangles.com/2015/06/23/gaming-with-god-the-kingdom-of-hearts/
Remember, it is a videogame, not real life. You are not actually practicing magic, so no it’s not sinful. Also, KH is not an occult game where magic is used in an evil/demonic fashion. It’s just an ability like a skill. It could have been called “special moves” and it would be the same thing. It’s just called magic because those attacks are based off of Final Fantasy (Fira, Blizzaga, Cura, etc). I would say you have nothing to worry about.
Also, if someone else considers it sinful, that is their own personal conviction. Everything is not sin, but some things may make people uncomfortable and that doesn’t make it a sin. For example, some people don’t like certain genres of music, even if it’s performed by a Christian with biblical lyrics. and they might say “God told me that music is from the devil!!!”. The reality is, it’s not from the devil, they just don’t like the music for whatever reason. Same thing with games. It’s just a game, if someone doesn’t like it or feels uncomfortable, don’t play the game 🙂 Just trust Holy Spirit to guide you and He will, and use discernment when playing.
What do you think about Kingdom Hearts? I have had trouble with knowing whether it’s acceptable or not because of the Magic feature. Are games that use things like magical abilities sinful? What if I dont consider it magic but someone else does? I’m just really confused.
Hi there, thanks for the comment Jida. I have not heard of that game, but looking it up it sure has a lot of reviews on steam! Over 100,000 which is a ton. Like I mentioned in my article, a game is a game, it’s not something serious, it’s not a sin, but if you don’t feel comfortable with a game just skip it and try another one. There are literally thousands of games you can play, if one has content you don’t want your kids playing then ask them to pick a different one.
Also, it mentioning a sun god or temple is probably just part of the game. It’s like mentioning the false gods of Roman or Greek mythology, it’s all fake and pagan gods. In fact, it might be a good way to start a conversation with your kids about knowing how to discern false gods from God the Father, Christ the Son and Holy Spirit. Don’t why away from the topics, instead use them as a teachable moment. Just a suggestion 🙂 God bless.
Would like to ask Bloon TD 6, my kids want to play it, when I checked it I found two character ( or towers) names uncomfortable for me ( true Sun God and Sun temple) also I am not sure if there is more, I want your opinion about it. They keep on asking saying that it has nothing to do with humans, it’s all about monkeys. I tried to look for reviews but couldn’t find any.
Hey there Joel, just google “games like ark survival evolved” and I saw an article there that has a bunch. I’ve not played Ark but I hear it’s pretty fun. Dig a little in those articles and I’m sure you will find one.
Thanks A. The Holy Spirit is able to minister to me and stuff like that when sad or praying. So when my spirit feels discomfort my stomach tends to show that as well. Even my heart does that too. That is due to how a connect with Holy Spirit. That is as far as I know anyways.
Samuru. What is a good game you would suggest that is similar to Ark: Survival Evolved? It has to be free and on iPhone 8 Plus.
Hi Joel,
I had a similar question with Genshin Impact and did further research on it as well. Aside from having to worship the statues to gain stamina/lvl up, the temptation of gacha to “summon rare characters”, the 7 gods in the game are all named after demons. I’ve asked other Christians too, some say “it’s just a game”, but others like me are more concerned and I’d just rather not risk it by continuing to play. In the end, you can pray about it and see where the Holy Spirit leads you.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact/comments/la0rii/genshin_references_quite_a_lot_of_oddly_satanic/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact/comments/jsf8s7/is_there_any_particular_reason_as_to_why_major/
Hi there Joel, thanks for the comment. Genshin Impact is a great game, I’ve only played a little bit of it so I can’t give my honest recommendation on it. Anyways, if the quest is an issue for you then don’t do it. It is only a game, and you are not worshipping any other false god, so your OK in that regard.
If the game is causing you to lust then you can always just stop playing the game. Like I’ve mentioned in other comments and I believe in this post as well, there are so many games to play that you can just switch it for another one. Yes, I’m sure you really enjoy playing it, but if it is causing you issues then just skip it and try another one. For example, I prefer not to play violent shooter games, so I like playing instead Destiny 2 or Overwatch. Both are shooters, but it’s not full of blood or cussing, etc. I don’t play the Call of Duty series, even though I know they are great games.
Sorry. I meant samuru.
Hi Dylan. I would like to know if Genshin Impact will take my focus off God. I used to play the game in the around it’s second year it came out. But it tends to make lust after the characters. I don’t mean to. But it just happens. And I get so much engrossed in very engrossing video games. I also feel like I have to complete every quest since I like to be a bit of a completionist. But when it comes to this one quest that has you worship a certain deity that isn’t Jesus to get a certain item to unlock a certain door, it tends to make me feel like I am betraying God. It doesn’t do it in a way that is spiritual though. But it does affect my spirit cuz the Bible says don’t worship any other gods before me. And what not. So I try to get that quest done and quick usually. But I feel like what ever is behind the door may be some extremely epic loot or something. I just don’t know how to deal with this quest other than to get it done. Should I consider it as worship, or should I consider it as gaining the fake deities trust? In order to complete the quest that is. I know what to do on the lust part. But I don’t know what to do on the quest part. Are you able to help me with figuring this out? Cuz I could use some help figuring this out. Cuz I don’t want to just leave the quest be. I want to finish it. I know it’s an adventure type rpg. But I am still having trouble processing this/ figuring this out.
Hi Dylan, so just as I mentioned in the article, it’s up to you. If you aren’t comfortable playing those games then skip them and try another one. I’m playing through the Batman Telltale game. It does have violence and cussing, blood in some parts, but overall it’s an interesting story! Again, it’s up to you 🙂
What do you think of the walking dead from telltale and the telltale games in general.
Hi there Pax Humana, super late (over a year) in replying, but thanks for the comment. I’m not sure on the last part of your comment how it relates to the post, but in regards to the “why hasn’t this type of game been made by Christians yet?” question is a good one.
Actually, there are quite a few games that have been Kickstarted but have not been fully funded because not enough people are backing them. There WOULD be more Christian games, just not enough people putting money behind it or they don’t like the product that’s made. At the end of the day, videogames cost a lot of money, take a LONG time to make, and often have to be made with little to no help in the beginning because it’s just one person or a small team with an idea. Often they don’t work out and the idea gets scrapped, until someone else tries.
Check out Kickstarter to see if there are games you can fund and support to help the Chrsitian gaming community. Check out @ChristianGDC they are the group that deals with making these faith-filled games 🙂 God bless.
Very good advice. While I don’t mind dark themes in video games, we should moderate ourselves as our relationship with God comes first.
I recently played Bloodstained: ROTN and it was my fave game of 2019 for a while. While did enjoy the characters of Miriam and Zangetsu, the gothic setting and designs and the OST, looking back there were some themes in that game that didn’t sit well with me (not even the original Castlevania SOTN game went that far to blame the Church from what I remember- I mean the Bible was even a weapon against evil in that game and I think there is a healing area that’s a Church (I think there?)) Prior to this game, the only game I’ve played with a ‘dark’ theme was Medievil- but that to me felt more ‘Tim Burton but with a somewhat dark dry RPG edge’ (in a good way) than full on Castlevania/Bloodstained.
I’m ok with games like Okami (one of my all time favourites) despite it rooted in Shinto religion (then again most media from Japan is and Spirited Away is one of my favourite films) and some ‘adult’ moments/jokes from Issun or Sakuya (the art and gameplay was unique and its based on several Japanese fairytales of good vs evil) and I definitely adore the original Spyro trilogy (a big childhood favourite- I feel that it was like a not so gross ‘Shrek’ before Shrek even was released aka a lighthearted take on the cute fairytale genre with some modern humour and stuff thrown in).
I feel that Child of Light would be up my ally (a traditional medival good vs evil fairytale style story? awesome) and I would definitely want to take on the Digimon Cyber Sleuth games (aka as someone mentioned above Persona minus the demonic possession thing (never played Persona though I’ve heard about the questionable stuff that goes in it)- though Digimon does have angel and demon characters- and the angel digimon were some of my favourites from the anime. Also not planning on doing the whole ‘completionist thing with it, but just playing through with mons I like, just like what I did with the pokemon games (felt that sword and shield was a letdown though).
Your welcome! I’m on PS4 as Samuru1 feel free to add me 🙂
Thanks you so much for your response brother, can’t return the game since it’s digital it is part of a monthly membership sale from EA.
I actually liked the game, it has mild Violence, no blood, no vulgar language, nothing like that, the game is about visiting planets and exploring them, but there’s one planet called Dathomir where you encounter witchcraft and stuff like that, I didn’t like that part of the game for the aforementioned reasons, I think the rest of the game is fine
I was confortable playing the game until I visited that planet.
I might skip all cutscenes in that area, and play the rest of the game normally.
If you play on ps4, it would be cool if could add you, Thanks again for your reply Michael really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot for your reply, I actually went ahead and bought the game before reading your reply, I kinda regret it now, the game is good and fun but ironically I went to Dathomir without knowing anything yesterday and you are right is full of witchcraft and stuff like that.
I really don’t feel like playing it anymore, wish I could skip that part, I didn’t not like it at all
Two thirds of the game is fine, but the last third is based on the planet Dathomir and is full of the occult. Would not recommend.
Hello Michael you think is it OK to play Star Wars the fallen order? I’m really in the fence on buying it since it’s on sale for 1 dollar, it is rated teen, has some mild violence, you can’t cut humans with your lightsabers but you can do it with animals, I’d really appreciate your opinion.
Thanks in advance.
Can you return the game, since you didn’t like it? If it was a digital order….I’m not sure how to do that….but try it out. Remember it’s just a game, so don’t feel too bad about it. God is with you, and He knows your heart and intention. So if it’s not for you, that’s OK and just return it if possible and move on to other games 🙂
I don’t think it has to do with courage. Games are a business and are about making profits. Sure, lots of fun and that gamers will enjoy the game, but the game has to be profitable. You can always pitch the idea to Koei Tecmo and ask them 🙂 If you are a paying customer of their games, and you want to see that, then go for it and suggest it to them. You got nothing to lose.
Hi there, I haven’t played a lot of the Persona series, though I know a bit about 5. I think the game is amazing, in the sense of graphics/music/characters etc. BUT I do not like the themes that it presents. It focuses a lot on the “demons” that people carry in them, and that is basically the entire foundation of the game. You can always watch some gameplay on Youtube and check it out, see if you are comfortable with the content. I personally don’t play it.
If you are feeling uneasy then just play a different game. There are so many other games that you can try that are similar. There’s a few others I can recommend, though I haven’t played them but they don’t have that heavy focus on the whole demon possessions that Persona has:
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth & Hacker’s Memory
The World Ends With You
Hi there, I haven’t played a lot of the Persona series, though I know a bit about 5. I think the game is amazing, in the sense of graphics/music/characters etc. BUT I do not like the themes that it presents. It focuses a lot on the “demons” that people carry in them, and that is basically the entire foundation of the game. You can always watch some gameplay on Youtube and check it out, see if you are comfortable with the content. I personally don’t play it.
If you are feeling uneasy then just play a different game. There are so many other games that you can try that are similar. There’s a few others I can recommend, though I haven’t played them but they don’t have that heavy focus on the whole demon possessions that Persona has:
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth & Hacker’s Memory
The World Ends With You
Hi, I was wondering if playing Persona 3,4 and 5 is ok?
I love these games so much, but I will do anything for God if necessary. I have a bit of an uneasy feeling about it, do you think that’s a sign from the Holy Spirit?
We have reviews of most of those. Check out the Content Guide sections to determine what is appropriate for you.
https://geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-persona-5/
https://geeksundergrace.com/gaming/review-persona-5-royal/
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Play it on Phones/Tablets/Computer (IOS, Android, Windows/UWP)
Question, why does not any REAL Christian or Messianic Jew have the courage to go to a company like, say Koei Tecmo, and make something like their Dynasty Warriors/Shin Sengokumusou series, but, instead of taking place during, and after, the Han Dynasty era in ancient China, in feudal Japan, before, and during the early Tokugawa Shogunate Era, as is the case with the Samurai Warriors/Shin Sengokumugen series, or in The Hundred Years War, as was the case with Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War, why not begin a new series that takes place in ancient Israel and surrounding areas? There were plenty of Christians in the real life events that made the Samurai Warriors/Shin Sengokumugen and Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War video games (that is, if you are willing to do some actual historical research, as well as utilize some spiritual discernment in your life) possible, so why are so many Christians and Jews so anti-Christ with being honest with not only YAHWEH EL ELOHIM, but also with His Word and human history? You have such a massive decline with people that identify themselves as Christians and Jews and something like this could actually serve as a catalyst to get new converts in the door, as classic literature made people rethink their secular thinking in their lives. If even YAHASHUA HA’MASIACH can reach people with parables, then why can we not do the same thing with video games? They should not be elitist, predictable, by the numbers, faker than a spray tan, preaching to the choir type video games, nor should they sell out to the world, rather, they should be honest about our faith. Christianity and Judaism were never about censorship, rather, they were always about showing people what happens when you do stupid, and/or evil things in your life. Besides, how can people know what is right, what is wrong, what is good, and what is evil if they have no idea on how to spot the signs of each thing? Also, there is too much religious ritualism, denominational doctrines, human made traditions, and societal superstitions that make up laws instead of letting the Holy Scriptures, and the Author of the Holy Word, interpret things properly.
I agree. I would like a Christian war based game. For example. David and Goliath. Or. Israel with God battling the philistines.
Hello!
I was wondering what your opinion on Bloodborne is?
Hi there, honestly I’m not a fan of the game because of all the focus on gore and occult themes…so I would pass on that one. There are plenty of great action games you can try, like Horizon Zero Dawn, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, and lots more. There’s also Hollow Knight which I found really fun .
Hi there, so I’m not a fan of that game since it has a lot of occult themes and is extremely gory. Those types of games I personally avoid.
You can try something that’s much less violent like Hollow Knight, or even the new Ghost of Tsukishima. There’s other action games like Uncharted, Tomb Raider or Horizon Zero Dawn that are not gory/violent like that one.
Hi Michael Lorejon, this is a great article. I was wondering what your
opinion is for games like the New Super Mario Bros U where there are
cartoon witches that you fight against sometimes. If a person had a
background prior to coming to God of reading about/engaging in witchcraft
or pagan beliefs do you think it would be wise for that person to avoid a
game like Mario where there are cartoon witches? I am concerned that even though it is cartoon it might open doors in my mind to let other things slip in gaming. I ended up getting rid of Zelda Wind Waker because of the pagan elements in the game since it didn’t sit right but I can’t seem to figure out if Mario is OK for
someone in my situation.
Hi there Kame. I literally just saw this today so I apologize…I’m a YEAR late in replying 🙁 I never get notified of messages which sucks.
Ok, so games with witches….It depends. For me personally, I am very open to the supernatural realm, and before I was Christian I messed around with witchcraft/astrology stuff too so I understand where you are coming from, somewhat. If you feel that it will tempt you to mess around with witchcraft again, then drop any game that makes you feel that way. I just wouldn’t go around telling everyone “New Super Mario Bros. U is from the devil!!!” For me for example, it’s just a cartoon and it doesn’t bother me, but it does for you.
Just like Apostle Paul taught that for some people eating meat will make them stumble in their walk with God, we don’t eat meat around those people. It’s just a matter of preference, but there are some things that I don’t see how people can justify playing or doing. Holy Spirit is our guide, so if you feel Him telling you to stop doing something, whether it’s a game or a relationship or anything, listen to His voice, not your emotions.
There are PLENTY of fun video games out there, so in case you feel “oh no, now I can’t play this or that game” find another one. I’m sure you have a backlog of games you can get into 🙂
I used to be really aversive to gory games (Shooters, Darksiders), but I decided not to be disturbed by them or let it get to my head how ‘disgusting and uninspired’ the games were and just enjoy them while tuning the gore out. I don’t know whether I just lowered my standards or matured a little in that regard, but I do think half the battle is learning to not let stuff get to you.
But there are lots of anime games I simply don’t touch because of the fanservice they provide, and I don’t think I’ll ever be interested in SMT/Persona.
I personally think each person has a different selection of games they shouldn’t play since everyone has their own issues.
Thanks for the comment. I don’t know if it’s so much everyone’s issues, but we just have to be careful what influences us and what doesn’t. To me, I refuse to play gory and disgusting games as you put it, but whether we chose for these games to not “get to us”, they will because whatever you consume that’s who you are. Games, music, TV, any form of media influences us whether we believe it or not. We just have to be careful of our testimony before God, and what are we spending our time with.
Hello, I would first like to say that I recently discovered this website and I absolutely love the fact that there are other people out there “like me” 🙂 also thank you for this article I found it very encouraging!
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
When I am attempting to judge on whether something is appropriate or not I try to apply Philippians 4:8 to see how it measures up. 🙂 What kind of messages and/or attitudes does the game promote?
Thanks and God bless!
Thanks for finding us Sarah! Yes, there are a whole lot of us Christian geeks out there 🙂 What games do you enjoy playing? I’m more of the gamer/anime geek of the GUG staff, so looking at that verse to compare what media to consume is very important. Glad Holy Spirit has been leading you to make the correct decisions in what’s appropriate or not, it can be tricky sometimes. God bless ya.
Oh, and be sure to check out our FB group which can be found under “Geeks Under Grace Community” on facebook. We are about to hit 4,000 members 🙂
Hi. I feel the same way about this. I try to find how it will help me with my spiritual walk with God. But I also have to except that sometimes it might not be so spiritual too.
I’m a Christian and an avid gamer as well. I’m also an adult and I don’t think about ratings anymore. There’s not much difference to me between Destiny which is rated T and Halo that is rated M. I have no problem at all with gore. Like you already stated to another commenter, the bible is full of gore.
For me, what it comes down to is intent. Why am I playing this game? What do I want to get out of it? Take fighting games as an example. Mechanically most fighting games are similar. So I’d probably stay away from Dead or Alive which features many of the female fighters wearing skimpy outfits and large bouncing breasts and choose instead a game like Tekken or Street Fighter. Because knowing myself, I’d really only be playing Dead or Alive to look at the female characters and not for the actual experience of playing a fighting game.
It’s less about censoring the games I play. Many games now deal with mature themes and I’d be missing out on some awesome experiences if I strayed away from every game with a Mature rating. But I always have a gut feeling going into a game that checks my intentions of playing it.
Hey there Marcus, thanks for the comment. I agree with what you said, its about intent. I personally do not look at ratings either anymore, because as you said I am an adult and there are certain things that do not bother me, nor do I feel a prompting from Holy Spirit to stay away from it. For example, I refuse to play games that are heavily into the demonic (for example, Shinsei Megami Tensei or Devil Mary Cry, Bloodborne, etc). Someone may disagree, but those are my convictions from God, and I will not cross that line.
What you said about Dead or Alive is the same reason I will never buy a game in that series haha. I LOVE fighting games, Tekken and SF like you mentioned are my favorites, but they are not focused on nudity and sexuality as DOA is.
Keep doing what your doing Marcus, God bless you and hope you keep on coming back to GUG!
Would Middle Earth, Shadow of Mordor be considered an OK game to play? It has gore but it’s orcs, not people, and it is light VS dark.
Hey Joshua, thanks for the comment. Honestly, I’ve never played the game but I know a bit about it. I have heard it’s pretty gory, so it goes back again to your convictions. Gore, to me, depends. For example, the bible is FULL of gore and pretty graphic descriptions (Jezebel being eaten by dogs, lions devouring the people who tried to get Prophet Daniel in trouble, etc.) so it depends on what Holy Spirit leads you. If you don’t feel comfortable playing that game then don’t. Find a game that scratches the itch, but doesn’t have to be as graphic, that can be another choice. With so many games out there, you can find one that will be similar and just as good (as I compared Destiny to Call of Duty in my article).
God bless!
I don’t particularly think a game that has cussing or other material that makes you feel uncomfortable is wrong. The only time you should avoid playing a certain game is if it causes you or your brother to stumble into sin.
I play ARMA with a Christians only group and cussing happens infrequently with the NPCs. We ignore it.
That depends on the individual. What you or I think is “wrong” or sin etc. could not be wrong to someone else. I love the example Apostle Paul gives about food (1 Corinthians 8:13), where he won’t eat a certain food or drink a certain drink if it causes another to stumble.
Like you mentioned, if it’s a problem with someone else you would have to speak to them about it before you game, and they would have to be honest with you. If it makes you feel uncomfortable though, then there is a reason for you feeling that and you should follow that feeling.
I agree. Thanks for the response and insight.
I really like playing this game called League Of Legends and there’s a few demons.It has swords and magic in it.I don’t know if playing it would be a sin.
Hi. I’m not sure if it’s right for me to answer this, as I’m neither a forum administrator, a counselor, or even someone who plays League (though I did play Dota 2, its direct competition). But, I’ve had problems with these games; specifically the following: the characters, and the people who play as them. The violence is relatively minimal for the most part as there is a greater focus on strategy than carnage. I do have problems with the characters, generally for one of two reasons: they are occultists (only some, but some of them really disturb me) and they are porn stars in disguise (count how many characters are wearing only underwear or swimsuits (or less) the next time you play. My big problem is not the content from the game, but what comes out of it: the players are notorious for swearing, trolling and just an overall negative attitude.
SO…. is it a sin to play the game? … Well, I’d say it depends. If you play the game respectfully and responsibly, showing God’s love to players and reaching a somewhat dark area of the world- go right ahead. If you play with friends who don’t intentionally abuse content- then no big deal. The game is bad when it turns you or others off Christ’s desired path for your life- which unfortunately is quite common. I hope I helped.
Sorry about the wall of text.
wow. Reakly greag article. Sharing an experience, I was playing FarCry 4 these days, and even though I finished it, I always felt uncomftorable by the Holy Spirit. Dont know why, m ybe foul language and the lust it haves. I’m playing a tough gore game now, Dead Space, and even though the creatures are ugly as hell and its a horror game, I’m glad I’m not serving evil (gta v), but beating it!
Thanks for the encouragement Caleb. Yeah, Far Cry 4 cusses and other things a LOT. I watched a friend of mine play it and it’s a BEAUTIFUL game, absolutely amazing, but that language though….
If you feel convicted from Holy Spirit, listen to God’s warnings and ask Him to show you games that you would enjoy and that keep your convictions you know what I mean?
Yo thanks for responding man! I saw the comment now haha. It’s what you say, same goes to Tv series. Thanks brother! Glad to see you guys are in the gaming community guiding us gamers for these type of things. Blessings bro
Thank you so much for your article! I know absolutely nothing about video games! Our 11 year old son has been talking about the video game Destiny. What is YOUR opinion on this game. We want our son to have his hobby, but not at the expense of his soul. Any insight you could offer would be appreciated. In Christ, Steve and Ellie.
Hi Steve and Ellie. Destiny is relatively a tame game, we did review it. You can do a search on the site for Destiny and it should give you a good idea of what it’s about.
I agree that we as Christians should be careful or God fearing with what we play, watch, and hear. If we as Christians don’t stand up for our values and keep purchasing games such as GTA, demons souls, diablo, bayonetta and such like, then will see the gaming industry be flooded with more demonic, blasphemous, ultra violent and over the top immoral games. I’m not legalistic, I like FPS, fighting games, RPG’s and adventure games, but too many games are crossing the line these days and they just keep getting worse. Our values and principles should be applied to very aspect of our lives.
Amen, exactly. Thanks for sharing! I agree 100%
I really like this. This has really helped. I did this with Brutal Legend. I once went through a heavy metal phase. Only listening to Ozzy Osbourne and such. The game was about metal, but the hipsters invaded. It had really demonic things involved and was just weird looking back at it. Eventually while I was playing it, my bro stupidly flipped the console over and scratched the disk (I had it on the 360.) When that happened, I raged. I was really mad. I loved that game and stuff. Now, getting stronger in my belief (Have been a Christian all my life) and doing this like leading a youth ministry at 14 years old and bringing people to Christ. I have come to realize that the stuff I listened to and some of the games I played weren’t right. I wanted to re-buy Brutal Legend, but now every time I see it, I stay away from it. I listen to Gospel more and read the Bible more, especially for my lessons. Talking about Call of Duty. I was once a kid that only played HALO to fight against those stupid Call of Duty fan boys. Now, I only get HALO for the story. I might play it with a buddy on multiplayer, maybe go back to re-play a mission. I rarely go online, but that’s if I’m in a XBOX LIVE chat, and I have nothing to do. This article is amazing and I think every believer in Christ (Or not) should take a look at this and read it.
Thanks a lot! I appreciate the comments, yeah, I know I bashed COD a little but I was just talking about the violence as an example, it’s still a great game. Yeah, Halo is great, very fun! Yeah, we have to be careful what media we consume, even though other Christians or non-believers don’t understand or see what’s the big deal. Like Paul said in this verse:
1 Corinthians 6:12New Living Translation (NLT)
Avoiding Sexual Sin
12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.
It’s focus is sexual sin, but it can be used for any example in life, even the next verse talks about food for the stomach.
Thanks for your comment, hope you keep on checking us out.
Quick note, you used “your” instead of “you’re” in the article. Good read, just need a quick edit on the grammar. 😉
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Regards,
Shane
I think it’s up to each Christian to figure out what games he/she shouldn’t play. Personally, I know that very violent games will not have adverse effects on me. They do not make me enjoy real-life violence, they do not affect the way I treat others, and they do not affect my relationship with God. Therefore, I believe it’s okay for me to play them. However, not everyone is like me in that regard, so it’s not okay for every Christian to play those types of games. The tips at the end of the the article provide some good advice!
Thanks Sam, God bless you. Glad you liked the tips, and hope you keep checking us out.
For me personally violence has never been an issue in videogames, it’s never bothered me as I have understood the difference between fiction and reality as far back as I can remember. For that reason I’ll play a game thats a complete gorefest(mortal kombat, Left 4 Dead, etc) and not even think about the intense violence on display. However I am bothered by foul language in games(I quit playing Far Cry 3 after the 500th F bomb) and sexual content. While these can be used narratively to a certain degree many games use it just to throw in shock value or get a higher ESRB rating. It’s really between you and God whatever you want to play becasue while violence does not bother me, someone else may feel like they shouldn’t partake in a violent game. and just as playing a game with excessive language convicts me it may not someone else. Very good article
Hey Blake, thanks for that comment and I appreciate the compliment. Yeah, I’m not into the blood but I can bear it, but not so much to the extend of the new Mortal Kombat games. Old ones were bad enough lol. The cuss words I can deal with to an extend, like when I played inFamous or KillZone, but I haven’t played FarCry but I do know its pretty vulgar. The shock value I think, is what many companies want to do nowadays, even Shigeru Miyamoto said it in the last E3 that there wasn’t much creativity but lots of violence.
It’s like Hollywood, they just push the bar and show more and more sex/drugs/violence etc. just….to push the bar.
I have played many games over my career as a video gamer, some of which I feel bad for playing, such as Hotline Miami, I agree with this article though. I am part of a Christian Gaming group, and we reach out when we play video games, however with video games becoming more and more violent its hard to choose a good one to play. I mainly play racing games as of late, with an occasional FPS game, such as ARMA 2 and ARMA 3. You can make a good game without making it severely bloody. Also by the way Great article to the publisher
Good article, I agree it’s good not to be too legalistic when choosing games. These tips can also be helpful when choosing out other media such as anime and manga. It’s most important to be led by the Holy Spirit indeed.
Thanks Keiko 🙂 Good to hear from you again. Yeah, same with me. I’m rather sensitive to Holy Spirit because that’s just how I have grown as a Christian personally, but everyone’s experience is different. I might come across as a little “picky” but I have struggled with it for years as a believer, so I know that sometimes Christians can go through wanting to play the “new hot game” yet it’s full of violence, lust and gore/horror which doesn’t edify nor please God at all. That’s just been my personal experience :)j
Same goes for anime. There’s plenty of great ones, but wow, sometimes you go through them and it’s half hentai than anime in the end 🙁
I completely agree with the connection you can make in choosing the right game and the right anime/manga. Admittedly, I’ve found that a Christian will have a much easier time picking out a decent game than a decent manga.
Yeah, I agree. Manga can be tricky, you have to flip through the manga to see what’s “really” in there. I can usually tell just by the cover. If I see something sexual or violent in the cover, I can be sure that’s what’s coming.
No kidding! I feel that video games are more popular anyway, so it’s easier for me to do research on those. I was horrified to find that the latest manga I picked up had sex in it, and another one I’d gotten into had incest in the eighth book. Yuck.
Yeah….there’s a great article here on incest in manga in Japan and what they are doing about it. It’s a serious issue, that is EVERYWHERE in manga (I mean everywhere).
http://beneaththetangles.com/2014/06/18/banning-child-pornography-in-japan-and-the-slippery-slope-otaku-walk/
Hey hey, kinda off-topic but you got any opinions on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang? I really want to follow Christ’s path but i love this game! If i can’t be a christian and play it at the same time, i guess there is no problem, if it’s what it takes for salvation i’ll do it. ?