/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

I don't see any meaningful distinction between video games and non-video games. You can overdo both, you can obsess about both, or both can be healthy in moderation.

I agree with the above. Just don't overdo it.

But also, try to look at what games are in the abstract (or how a developer looks at them). It's all pattern recognition.. and that's something that exists everywhere in life. Video games are just another medium for something that's pretty common (not that all pattern recognition entails a game.. but the basic exercise your brain is doing is similar). It's good to keep your mind alert and never become a lazy thinker, just in case you actually need to do more serious problem solving.. and games can aid in that (at least good ones could).

But there's the other aspect of "lifestyle" or culture surrounding games. Probably best to stay away. Make Christ your culture.

[-]

>>759277

?

Videogames are really boring. I don't really understand why would a grown man enjoy it.

>>759277

Really gets the noggin joggin'

I would take a similar stance to them as I would to alcohol. They seem to be particularly addictive to people with attention deficit disorders. Probably due to the multiple angles of sensory stimulation they provide (Sight, Touch, Sound) in addition to mental stimulation. You might find people like >>759299 who don't enjoy them at all, and you also find people who enjoy them so much that they can lose hours and hours of time and be completely and utterly consumed by the game. So I would say that they're fine if you don't go overboard.

It destroys your reward system as much as porn destroys your sex drive.

Some things don't call for moderation.

>I do just a little bit of sodomy and crack, but I restrain myself

>>759222

Hi reddit!

>>759299

I've been getting like that lately, no game can hold my attention for long now.

But I've used to play extensively a lot in the past, even in the past year, though I usually like some game which have a broader aspect of strategy and challenge to them.

Usually they are more interesting only in the beginning learning stage, as something I want to understand about, but once you get through and learn, they usually lose the charm. So puzzles and the like are definitely still interesting.

Another genre I like a lot are sandbox of some way or another, game in which you make the goal and chose the challenge yourself, its interesting until you finally break through and make what you want, these are also generally good time wasters and something to relax into, though after you break through you objectives its pretty hard to continue.

So yeah, game can be fine, and they can have some value every once in a while, but don't overvalue as something more than it actually is, and make sure you're not endlessly waste time in grind game that gets you hooked.

I have had difficulty with video games. When I'm at school or have other work I need to do, I'm usually able to moderate the amount played at least somewhat. When I'm at home, I might play too much sometimes. It's not my only hobby though and I do other things as well, like read a lot. (Don't really care about tv or movies) and sometimes I'll just sit and think.

I'm pretty picky with games. I don't want to waste money on something I'm not going to play much, but I also want to be able to pick up and put down the game as necessary rather than playing nonstop. A lot of games, especially newer ones, are getting more and more boring. I prefer older games; not necessarily as retro as they get, but early 2000s GBA handheld, though I also enjoy some pc strategy games, including some newer ones. I'd rather have a small collection of quality games than accumulate a ton that I barely play and waste all that money. Game consumerism can be a problem. I also want to avoid games with bad themes/messages, as more and more games have narratives.

I have tried to quit video games a few times. The results have not always been helpful. On the one hand, I spend more time either praying, or on this board, or trying to learn more about my faith.

Yet on the other hand, quitting that hobby altogether I find that instead of having something else to do I sit around not knowing what to do. So I get slothful and sit around doing nothing. I'm doing NoFap right now, but in past attempts at quitting I found myself masturbating a lot more because I didn't have an activity to distract me. Also, usually my attempts to cut down on video games or quit them altogether coincide with bouts of scrupulosity, where I'm scared of doing anything for fear of sinning, and end up doing absolutely nothing because I'm avoiding usual activities.

>>759482

You really gotta pick up additional hobbies most importantly maybe also start working out?

Video games aren't a good thing to pursue when one's on NoFapped, you're really just a few clicks away from failing while playing video games.

>>759684

I do have other hobbies, though games along with reading are the biggest. My problem is that I struggle with scrupulosity so I drop all of my hobbies and become inactive when I fear everything is sinful and stop functioning.

I do agree though that one should have multiple hobbies rather than one main hobby, even if I'm not the best at it. I think a key part of moderation is that there is more to it than just limiting time; if all of your moderated free time is spent on one activity it isn't as effective, if it's even moderation at all. You're probably right about picking up a physical activity though, gotta exercise the body as much as the brain.

Not sure what you mean about video games interfering with NoFap. I've been under the impression that as an activity they can distract from masturbation, just as something to do to distract myself when I feel like I want to fap. Maybe I'm wrong though, or it could just be a matter of different video games and avoiding ones with tempting imagery, just like avoiding ones with bad themes or messages.

>>760050

I mean generally, like video games you're most likely playing on a PC, you're quite literally a few clicks away from failing NoFap and it's lot harder to get rid of the urges when you're always so close to fulfilling them.

At least that's my experience, whenever I play vidya I always get bored eventually and when I quit one it's like "What do?" if urges arise in those moments it's a lot harder to deal with them since you're right in front of the PC.

>>759222

Most videogames turned into leftist propaganda now. I have more fun developing them than playing them.

>>760294

Ok. I do understand the feeling of thinking of 'What do I do?" when you're bored and then wanting to fap, which is a good reason for a hobby. But also a good reason to not spend too much time on a PC, including for games.

>>760298

this was brought up in another thread, it's an interesting idea

>>757972

>>757014

>>759222

Might as well ask /christian/ on what they think about any kind of non-ascetic activity.

Another question I want to bring up is about narrative media, which is an issue in books, TV, and movies, but it's an issue in games too. More and more games are now story-driven, and I wonder about the kind of messages or themes present in some games. The ones that are outright hostile to religion, especially Christianity, are certainly problematic. It's the rest of the games you have to be careful with. I'm not against any narrative that makes you think(should I be?), but it's important to think about if there is anything immoral within stories. I don't think conflict is necessary bad, it's a part of writing a story, and showing immorality is sometimes necessary in order to portray it as wrong. But here are just a few things I think about. I'm not trying to start a moral panic, and I'm not saying these things are definitely wrong. I don't know if they are, but I think it's worth questioning.

Fantasy magic. Games don't usually link it to witchcraft or other occult things. (If the game does, you probably shouldn't be playing that game) It's still called magic though.

Fantasy religions. Within fantasy worlds, there are sometimes fictional religions or fictional gods. Sometimes it's in the background as world-building, sometimes it's more involved.

Intelligent, non-human life. God created us, and we are more than animals. But some media makes other species that are also intelligent. They could be typical fantasy races, like dwarves or elves. They could be talking animals. They could be animals. Or they might be science fiction, like aliens. Or clones or robots, created by mere men.

Dragons. Sometimes fantasy portrays them as mere animals, other times as intelligent beings, but Christianity has never portrayed them in a good light that I'm aware of. Same question can apply to zombies, ghosts/spirits, or other fantasy monsters.

Dinosaurs and evolution. Some people think these are compatible with Christianity, some don't. But they appear in a few games, so it's worth bringing up.

History. Strategy games come to mind, as sometimes religion is present in them. But Christianity is not a tool, yet it might seem to some like these games treat religion like a kind of perk. Also, some involve wars, including religious wars.Is it okay to wage a war within a game? What if it's a crusade? War is violent, but strategy games do not usually show the violence. What if these games make other religions available, but you only follow Christianity? Some of these games even have Catholicism, Orthodox, and Protestant separately.

Crime is wrong. What do we make of games where it's possible to commit theft or murder?

Violence. I touched on this one before. Conflict is a real thing, and if it's fighting against an evil, I don't think it's necessarily bad. But we don't want to encourage violence, because in reality we are supposed to love our enemies. And we should probably be wary of games that allow you to fight for the wrong reason. Worth pointing out, it may not be graphic violence, especially in older games. Just any depiction of conflict really.

Just some food for thought. I don't have an answer on these. It may be that it depends on the person and how much any of these things will get to them. Just like some people might be able to practice moderation and others might not be able to do so.