Taking Control of Video Games

Taking Control of Video Games

By Joel B,

Deut 7:26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

Deut 7:26 gives us a stern warning about the material we bring into our homes. As you can imagine, this includes video games and other media. Many people disregard the warnings in the Holy Bible, but the guidelines listed within it are for our own good and we need to pay close attention.

Now, let me start out by saying I’m a gamer. In fact, I used to be a hardcore gamer and game trader. Throughout the years I have accumulated an amazing total of 535 games on my Steam account. I used to get games for pennies on the dollar by flipping them repeatedly until the cost was practically nothing. Unfortunately, this was an addiction and I always wanted more games. I actually ended up spending more time trading then I did gaming. This is one area to be careful of when getting too hardcore into gaming. I have a lot of friends who are still hardcore into this way of life, and they can’t see the way out. I had to have God rescue me from this path or I would still be a hardcore trader.

Let’s now take some time to actually look at the gaming aspect of things. It is okay to play video games when you take some things into consideration. First, what is the content of the video game? If the content of the game is not pleasing to the Lord then flee from it. Here are some types of content to avoid:

-Foul Language
-Wizardry and witchcraft
-Sexual immorality
-Gross violence
-Hatred
-Blasphemy
-Idolatry
-Cultish practices
-Same sex marriage (Promised by Nintendo)

Another thing to consider is time investment. Friends, teens, don’t spend all day playing video games, especially at the expense of your spiritual life. Make sure you’re taking time out for devotions, fellowship with others, and prayer.

Now to get you on the right track, I’m going to make some recommendations of some safe games I enjoy. Also, if you’re interested in good deals, I would suggest checking out Cheap Shark to find the best prices for digital games on the Internet. Here are my recommendations for the platforms I use:

Digital Games
– Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball
-Ticket to Ride
-Cannon Brawl
-Pool Nation
-Riptide GP2 (Hydro Racing)
-Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
-Angry Birds Space

Xbox 360
-Madden Football
-Angry Birds Trilogy
-Angry Birds Star Wars
-Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
-Fruit Ninja

Wii/Wii U
-Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader
-Deal or No Deal
-Monopoly
-Wii Sports (Especially bowling)
-Lego City Undercover

Friends, these are just a handful of suggestions, but everyone has their own tastes. Just be careful with the choices you make and how much time you spend on gaming. Try not to let video games interfere with your spiritual life. If they start to bog you down spiritually, then it’s time to take a break. Thank you for reading and God bless.