VideoGamingIsEvil!?!

My last post was centered on one out of two of my beloved hobbies. Anime being the first of the two. The second being somewhat notorious: Video games. Before you put on your bias cape (I mean cape! Hat is used too much so I thought I would be original, yeah?) try to read this without your preconceptions. Thanks!

VIDEO GAMMMMEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahahahahaha, being a gamer I have heard it all. Especially being a Christian gamer. 

"Oh dem video games are so bad! Violence, killing, and murder!"

"Ohhhh, I can understand violence, but KILLING?!?!? On top of murder? Sacrilegious."

                                                                                                      ~Unknown Scary People

So video games have a pretty bad reputation. I mean, when you tell people you play video games most of the time they give you "the look." That kind of look that tells you that video games are the biggest waste of time in history. Now now now. You have a point. Video games are a waste of time, but what else is? Watching TV, surfing the internet, reading a book, going to the beach, etc etc etc. Every hobby is a waste of time (unless your hobby is picking up litter)! I tend to play video games and watch anime. Call me weird and nerdy? Fine. But I still wont deny that both of my hobbies are very enjoyable, and isn't that all that matters? 

Okay, back to my point! I play video games for the same reasons I watch anime: Story and characters. If I play through a game and I didn't experience any emotions or feelings then it failed. So popular games like Call of Duty and Super Smash Bros are not on my top favorite games list. I tend to go for games that involve strategy and skill. For example, Fire Emblem: Awakening! I just completed my first play through of that game and found it very well done. It had an amazing story and a great cast of characters. The narrative was done very well. Overall it was a superb game. For me games are like extended, in-depth movies. I want games that require me to think, that tug on the heart, and present to me ideologies and world issues that we face.

All of that sounds great and all, but the reason why most people dislike gaming is because it is all about killing! True, I cannot deny that accusation. In 95% of the games I play I find myself shooting, hacking, slashing, cutting, gutting, and slicing my way through countless enemies. But what is your motive for doing these things? Isn't being a war hero being a mass murderer? Well, yes, but you are doing the wrong things for the right reasons. So there you have my "excuse." It wasn't really an excuse. Video games these days are pretty violent. I try to distance myself from the extreme games that push it too far, but it is difficult when the good games incorporate bad things. But the cool thing is that games these days allow you to make the choice of being a good guy or the bad guy. Me being a Christian who wants to do the right thing usually ends up going down the path of being the good guy. It is actually very enjoyable. 

So I close by saying that video games are violent, but violent for what reasons? Usually those reasons are left to the player. When I play a game I want to play it as though I am that person that I am controlling. If I was in a situation were I had to make a tough choice what would I do? Usually the games that I play raise questions about morality, religion, and world views; very serious subjects that beg for your answers. As Christians we have to filter entertainment through the Word of God. By using Truth we can filter the falsehoods and evil we find in entertainment today. So the next time you hear someone who plays video games or watched that certain R rated movie don't hate! Talk to them about it. You would be surprised as to what they might say.