Immorality in Video Games

[Rosarium]

I can no longer play such games in good conscience. If it is immoral to do a certain thing in real life, then why would you do it in a game? I don't see how this could be pleasing to God.

I wonder if playing Monopoly violates Catholic economic teaching, or if Risk goes against just war doctrine. Just a thought.

Or the card game War.

Or Thumb Wars.

[dark lancer]

Tug of war
Tickle torture

[Pomprincess]

O_O now since when has playing those kinds of video games become immoral? O_O I like GTA 1 and 2. I love playing the movie the Matrix, and Van Helsing FTW! I miss playing Doom and Duke Nukem on my computer....and as for invincibility of course no one would think they can be invinicible in real life because of that in games...who would? O_O Although hey it helped me beat the game XD like in Doom! Duke was rather charming actually...loved the money XD although hey I love card games as well...War..and then my favourite now...Pequa...I also like playing Farmville, Frontierville, and mahjong is cool on the computer...I like playing board games still..Pokemon board game, Settlers and this one train game where you have to build routes from one city to another! So fun! I also miss being little and playing tag and freeze tag or doing relay races. I still love playing like scrabble and jenga too! Poker is fun and so is blackjack!

[Exilenomore]

I can no longer play such games in good conscience. If it is immoral to do a certain thing in real life, then why would you do it in a game? I don't see how this could be pleasing to God.

I wonder if playing Monopoly violates Catholic economic teaching, or if Risk goes against just war doctrine. Just a thought.

But you cannot place that on the same level, though. The vivid images of slaughtering people on a tv-screen at your command surely has a greater effect (be it conscious of subconscious) on your psyche than, say, a card game. It is the same with music, for example. We know that there is music which is intrinsically good and holy (Gregorian chant etc.), so there must also be music that is intrinsically evil. Why would this be different with video games?

[dark lancer]

I can no longer play such games in good conscience. If it is immoral to do a certain thing in real life, then why would you do it in a game? I don't see how this could be pleasing to God.

I wonder if playing Monopoly violates Catholic economic teaching, or if Risk goes against just war doctrine. Just a thought.

But you cannot place that on the same level, though. The vivid images of slaughtering people on a tv-screen at your command surely has a greater effect (be it conscious of subconscious) on your psyche than, say, a card game. It is the same with music, for example. We know that there is music which is intrinsically good and holy (Gregorian chant etc.), so there must also be music that is intrinsically evil. Why would this be different with video games?

You're still not killing actual people, and more often than not the objectives are noble ones.  Unless a game inspires you to take up a real gun and kill a real person or commit a real crime or are attempted to do so, what sin is committed?  If a game is too sexy you are potentially looking at pornography even if what you see exists only in the game.

[Exilenomore]

I can no longer play such games in good conscience. If it is immoral to do a certain thing in real life, then why would you do it in a game? I don't see how this could be pleasing to God.

I wonder if playing Monopoly violates Catholic economic teaching, or if Risk goes against just war doctrine. Just a thought.

What is the difference, though, between taking pleasure in the imaginative killing of citizens like in GTA (in reference to the sin of murder) and looking at pornography (in reference to sexual sin)? I believe that both are sinful.

[dark lancer]

I can no longer play such games in good conscience. If it is immoral to do a certain thing in real life, then why would you do it in a game? I don't see how this could be pleasing to God.

I wonder if playing Monopoly violates Catholic economic teaching, or if Risk goes against just war doctrine. Just a thought.

What is the difference, though, between taking pleasure in the imaginative killing of citizens like in GTA (in reference to the sin of murder) and looking at pornography (in reference to sexual sin)? I believe that both are sinful.

You intentionally picked the worst example you could have chosen.

[Exilenomore]

Well... someone on this very page expressed that she was shocked why anyone would criticise GTA, so I do not feel that I have taken a bad example.

[The_Harlequin_King]

But you cannot place that on the same level, though.

I don't really do that. It was an exaggerated statement to point out a flaw in the argument. I really think it all depends on the context. I agree that killing civilians for no reason in a game seems like an expression of a sociopath in the making.... on the other hand, I don't think there's any reason to feel bad when if you're looting a guy's cabinet in his house without asking him first. The context isn't really about theft.

I'm a "moral gamer" generally, but I think the option to be immoral, as in a role-playing game, has to be there for any element of choice/free will to exist.

We know that there is music which is intrinsically good and holy (Gregorian chant etc.), so there must also be music that is intrinsically evil. Why would this be different with video games?

I don't think Gregorian chant as a style is intrinsically holy. If you're singing hymns to the devil in the form of Gregorian chant, it obviously becomes evil. Musical modes are tools to communicate. The message can be either good or ill.

[Pomprincess]

But you cannot place that on the same level, though.

I agree that killing civilians for no reason in a game seems like an expression of a sociopath in the making....

This is an interesting P.O.V. taken by so many Catholics in regards to not just games but horror movies as well. I really don't think kids are going to copy cat games or movies unless they think its "right." Also where does anyone state the fact that its a parent's responsibility to tell their kid if it is right or not? I grew up watching Xena, Hercules, X-Files, Millenium, Poltergeist and what not and I never turned out to be a nut. I don't think its right going around shooting at people in rl, although in a game! My mom's even played Doom and GTA is not totally bad, its good, besides the point of that game is not to kill civilians..they do show the reality in that game if someone does that...the police come. It ultimately comes down to how the child is raised. If they're not told anything, of course they'll think its right. A parent has to lay the rules and say that rl and games or movies is not the same. One can play on god mode in a game, there is no god mode or invincibility in real life that also would have to be relayed to the child via the parent.