CHAPTER 30

Should I Play Electronic Games?

 “COMPUTER games are exciting and cool,” says a boy named Brian. “You get to do things in the game that you would never actually do in real life​—not without getting into serious trouble, that is.” Deborah says that she too enjoys playing computer games. However, she adds a word of caution: “They can be very time-consuming, almost addictive.”

Without a doubt, electronic games are more than just high-tech entertainment. Sure, they challenge your skill and help keep boredom at bay. But they do more. Electronic games can sharpen your reflexes. Some of them may even enhance your math and reading skills. Besides, the latest electronic game is likely to be the basis for school-yard conversation. If you’ve played the game, you have something to talk about with your peers.

Certainly, if you choose carefully, you should be able to find a game that is both exciting and acceptable. Why, though, do you need to be cautious?

Their Dark Side

Unfortunately, not all electronic games are harmless fun. A lot of today’s entertainment software enthusiastically promotes what the Bible calls “works of the flesh”​—unclean practices that God condemns.​—Galatians 5:19-21.

Adrian, 18, describes one best-selling game as featuring “gang wars, drug use, explicit sexual content, foul language, intense violence, blood, and gore.” Some games glorify occult practices. And each new  release seems to make previous games look tame in comparison. Many of these violent games can be played live on the Internet. That ability takes gaming to a whole new level. “From your home computer,” says 19-year-old James, “you can challenge people who live on the other side of the world.”

Internet role-playing games have become hugely popular. In these, participants create online characters​—whether human, animal, or a blend of both—​that inhabit a computer-generated world populated by thousands of other players. This online world contains shops, cars, homes, dance clubs, brothels​—in many ways, it is a replica of the real world. The players in these games are able to instant message each other as their computer-generated characters, called avatars, interact.

Mafia men, pimps, prostitutes, extortionists, counterfeiters, and assassins are just a few of the sordid characters that inhabit these online worlds. Players can indulge in activities they would never carry out in real life. Just by pressing a few buttons, avatars can engage in sex while the real-world participants talk about sex via instant messaging. Some games enable players’ avatars to have sex with avatars that resemble children. Critics are understandably concerned that people would make a game out of such perverse acts.

Why Your Choice Matters

Those who play these violent or sexually graphic games may say:  “No harm done. It’s not real. It’s just a game.” But don’t be fooled by such false reasoning!

The Bible says: “Even by his practices a boy makes himself recognized as to whether his activity is pure and upright.” (Proverbs 20:11) If you play violent, immoral games, could you be described as being pure and upright? Studies repeatedly show that watching violent entertainment increases aggression in those who view it. In fact, some experts say that because of the interactive nature of electronic games, they can have a stronger effect than TV.

Choosing to play violent or immoral electronic games is like choosing to play with radioactive waste​—the damaging effects may not be immediately obvious, but they’re inevitable. In what way? Exposure to high doses of radiation can destroy the lining of the stomach and allow bacteria from the intestines to invade the bloodstream, resulting in sickness. Similarly, exposure to high doses of graphic sex and hideous violence can damage your “moral sense” and allow fleshly  desires to invade and dominate your thinking and actions.​—Ephesians 4:19; Galatians 6:7, 8.

What Game Should I Choose?

If your parents allow you to play electronic games, how can you know which to choose and how much time to devote to them? Ask yourself the following questions:

How will my choice affect the way Jehovah feels about me? “Jehovah himself examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one, and anyone loving violence His soul certainly hates,” states Psalm 11:5. Regarding those who engage in occult practices, God’s Word says: “Everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) If you want to be a friend of God, you need to follow the advice recorded at Psalm 97:10: “Hate what is bad.”

 How will the game affect my thinking? Ask yourself, ‘Will playing this game make it easier or harder for me to “flee from fornication”?’ (1 Corinthians 6:18) Games that expose you to sexually arousing images or conversations won’t help you to keep your mind on things that are righteous, chaste, and virtuous.​—Philippians 4:8.

How much time will I spend playing the game? Even the most innocent of games can consume a lot of time. So keep a log of how much time you spend gaming. Is it crowding out time you need for more important activities? Keeping track of where your time is going will help you get your priorities straight.​—Ephesians 5:16.

Of course, the Bible doesn’t require that you spend your whole life studying or doing chores. On the contrary, it reminds all of us that there is “a time to laugh . . . and a time to skip about.” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) It’s worth noting,  though, that the expression “to skip about” implies not only play but also physical activity. So why not use some of your free time to play games that involve physical activity instead of limiting yourself to sitting in front of a video screen?

Choose Wisely

Without a doubt, playing electronic games can be fun, especially if you get good at it. And herein lies the very reason for you to choose your games wisely. Ask yourself, ‘What subjects do I do best in at school?’ Aren’t they usually the ones that you enjoy? In fact, it often follows that the more you enjoy a subject, the greater the impression it makes on you. Now ask yourself: ‘What game do I enjoy the most? What moral lessons is this game teaching me?’

Rather than playing a game just because your peers enjoy it, have the strength to make your own informed choice. Most important of all, apply the Bible’s advice: “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.”​—Ephesians 5:10.

IN OUR NEXT CHAPTER

You love music, and that’s normal. But are you a slave to it?

KEY SCRIPTURE

“You lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad.”​—Psalm 97:10.

TIP

Write a brief review of each of the games you want to play, outlining the goal of the game and the methods used to achieve that goal. Compare your review with the Bible principles mentioned in this chapter, and then determine if the game is suitable.

DID YOU KNOW . . . ?

The world’s first rehabilitation clinic caring exclusively for addicts of online games was opened in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2006.

ACTION PLAN!

If a friend asks me to play a violent or immoral electronic game, I will say ․․․․․

I will limit my time playing electronic games to ․․․․․ a week, and I can keep to this limit if I ․․․․․

What I would like to ask my parent(s) about this subject is ․․․․․

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

● What effect can electronic games have on a person’s thinking and emotions?

● Why is it important to consider Jehovah’s moral standards when choosing a game?

● How would you help a younger sibling who is hooked on playing a game that you know is bad?

[Blurb on page 249]

“Many games desensitize you to things like violence, foul language, and immorality and can cause you to let down your guard in other aspects of life. You have to be very careful what you choose to play.”​—Amy

[Picture on page 250]

Playing violent or immoral games is like playing with radioactive waste​—the effects may not be immediately obvious, but they’re inevitable