“Video Game Violence”

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

My brother-in-law spends much of his free time playing video games in which he controls a character that commits violent, hateful, and deplorable acts.  How do I communicate to him (with patience and grace) that what he's doing in this 'fantasy' world is still wrong?

Sincerely,
Digital Age

Dear Digital Age,

Video games are not necessarily sinful, but anything – including some video games – that causes us to dwell and meditate on sin should be avoided.  We here at AYP agree that video games focusing on murder, theft, fornication, etc. are a very, VERY bad idea… especially considering the potentially addictive nature of many of these games.  God wants us to dwell upon positive things (Php 4:8), not immorality.  As a man thinks in his heart, so he is (Pr 23:7).  If our worldview is guided by our visions of being a drug-dealing pimp (a vision which some video games portray), then that view will effect our lifestyle and attitude.

As for how to address your brother-in-law… that is a trickier issue.  The first thing to do is pray.  Pray for him (1 Jn 5:16).  Pray for wisdom (Jas 1:5).  Only by the grace of God and His Word can we affect the lives of others.  Feel free to show your disdain for these types of games, but make sure to point out why.  Make it clear that you don’t disdain him – but the content of the games.  Otherwise, let the purity of your own example pave the way to making a difference (Matt 5:16).  There is no easy one-size-fits-all answer for how to approach others.  All we can do is make sure to remove sin from our own lives first (Matt 7:3-4), and be prepared to give a defense for the hope that is in us (1 Pet 3:15).

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