In this article, we want to address the question broadly, “Is playing video games sinful?” or “Is playing this particular game a sin?” and similar variations. We see these types of questions constantly, and want to create a singular resource that people can use for answers.
Catholic Game Reviews has never set out to create a blanket statement or list of which games are sinful and which are not, and there’s a reason why.
As Fr. Stephen (trekkie4christ) from our team once said:
“The Church doesn’t have an official stance/position on most activities that man can engage in because they are morally neutral, i.e. they can be done for good or evil. Art for example is morally neutral because it can be created for good purposes, e.g. to glorify God in His Creation, or for evil purposes, e.g. pornography. As such, these fall under the virtue of prudence, determining whether it is truly beneficial to engage in that particular act at that particular time.
That’s the baseline for all acts, but some acts are so inherently evil that they can never be permitted, but these are relatively few in number, e.g. the 8 prohibitions of the 10 Commandments. The guidelines the Church lays out for other action are ways of forming our prudential judgment, our conscience, according to the mind and in the Spirit of God. Thus the question we should default to is not “Does the Church allow this?” but “Is there any reason why this would be evil?”
Playing video games falls under this category of morally neutral acts. Therefore, our goal has always been to empower you to discern which games are acceptable for you to play and which are not. No one answer can be given for every game and person, so this article will help you examine your conscience to make a good decision that leads you closer to Christ. We will examine three main bodies in this article, games in general and sin, individual games and sin, and individuals themselves and sin.
We will put one last bit of housekeeping here and state that for the same reasoning given above, a few certain games will always be unacceptable to play: pornography-based games created solely for lust and sex. No person should be consuming pornography, so we won’t bother elaborating on those further.
Does God want us to play Video games?
Before we delve deep into individual games let’s first address the larger topic. Does God want us to play video games? As with the answer to almost everything in this article, the answer will be “Yes, but you must consider these things first”. There is nothing inherently sinful in video games as a medium. God wants us to have entertainment, and God wants us to engage and interact with art and storytelling. The Bible has many instances of people telling stories for different purposes. Video games simply extend the ability to tell a story and provide entertainment interestingly and interactively. There is nothing inherently wrong with engaging in that medium of art.
However, as with all things, we should act with prudence. Just because God permits us to do something does not mean we can allow that thing to be all-consuming. As paragraph 1806 of Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
“It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue, we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.”
Issues begin to arise if video games start coming before church, our fellow man, and our duties to our spouse, children, and community. This issue is not unique to video games, it can be said of almost any hobby or entertainment we enjoy. There is such a thing as too much TV, too much football, and too much mountain climbing, as well as too many video games. If you ask if this is something you should do, consider that an invitation from God to examine your conscience. Is your prayer life what it should be? Do you attend church regularly? Are you engaging in the community and your duties to your family? If you find yourself putting any form of entertainment above these things, maybe it is a good thing to set them aside and work on yourself.
If you find all these areas where you want them to be, then engaging in a hobby like video games would be no different than sitting down to enjoy a good book with the responsible use of your time.
Another concrete tool you can use is looking towards the Ten Commandments and the seven deadly sins. If playing a game is causing or tempting you to break a commandment, then there is an issue.
Ok, Ok, God is ok with video games, but what about THIS video game?
Alright, if you have made it this far, we can agree video games are not inherently bad or sinful. But! You want to know about a specific game, like Grand Theft Auto because of its adult content, Call of Duty because you are killing people by the thousands, or Blasphemous because of the blasphemy. How can we know if a certain particular game is ok for us to play? After all, the existence of this very website shows that there must be some games that are not ok, or at least not recommended for everyone, so how do we draw the line?
Even games that seem very rainbow-bright and happy like Stardew Valley can have themes that Catholics may disagree with. Such as wanton divorce, and selfishly turning your children into doves. As promised, we are not going to list every game where you can or cannot play, but rather equip you with the tools to make a good decision.
First, let’s focus on intent. In many moral dilemmas, in which a morally permissible action has desired and undesired effects, intent matters. If you are playing a game like The Last of Us 2 for the story, the art, and the gameplay, and it just so happens to have a sex scene, that is much different than playing The Last of Us 2 to see and enjoy the sex scene. Another great example would be Grand Theft Auto 5. Are you playing to enjoy a story, or maybe go online and hang out with friends, or even just drive around and relax; or are you playing so you can visit strip clubs and look at the virtual hookers? We cannot answer those questions, only you can.
Second beyond intent, what is it you are gaining from playing this game? Is it a multiplayer game giving you time with your brothers and sisters? Is it a story game like Red Dead Redemption 2, immersing you in a character’s life, and asking you questions about who we are and why we do the things we do? Is it a puzzle game that is actively engaging our minds and problem-solving skills? When you look at what a game has to offer us, it is much easier to see if it is beneficial or not. Many games exist for the sole purpose of sexual gratification and offer little else. Some people do play games for that gratification, which is why we first look at our intentions.
Third, does it bring us closer to God? God is an artist. The first thing God does is create. We are made in God’s image, therefore we too enjoy art. We enjoy making it, we enjoy consuming it and making and consuming art brings us closer to our creator. It is hard to argue that some masterpieces of games are not art. There are untold millions of people who have been inspired by video games to go on to create their own art. People who enjoyed a story so much, they wanted to tell their own. People who enjoyed the art style of a game so much they became a graphic designer or professional artist themselves.
This is a noble and good thing, God loves to create, and God loves it when we create. So if a certain game, almost certainly regardless of the content, draws you closer to art, storytelling, or music design that is a good purpose. On the flip side of that coin, if a game draws you farther from God, meaning sin, it is always a bad purpose. If a game, regardless of its content, tempts or drives you to lust, to live out horrible fantasies like kicking puppies and torturing children, to want to try to steal or perform the occult in real life, then it must be avoided. Let’s use the Harry Potter games as an example here. You can enjoy the Harry Potter games in a good way and want to tell your own coming-of-age story. You can enjoy Harry Potter games in the wrong way and want to try and practice divination and witchcraft in real life. It is not simply playing the game itself that is sin, but how we interact with and consume it.
We will also in this section cover a secondary concern that is often brought up in these conversations. Which is “What if the company that made the game does/supports evil or evil things?” Can you purchase and play a game that is made by such a company? To answer this question fully, we would like to link to an expert resource at Catholic Answers: Material and Formal Cooperation with Evil | Catholic Answers Q&A. The truth of the matter is, there is much evil in the world, and like it or not most businesses we do business with will do evil. It certainly is ok and even commendable to boycott or refuse to purchase a video game based on the bad actions that a company makes. There is nothing wrong with this, we even encourage it!
But there is nothing inherently sinful with purchasing a game from a company that donates money to organizations we would rather they not. There is a notable exception here, and that would be if a company made a game and sold it directly stating something such as “50% of all sales of this game will directly be donated to abortion clinics”. In this example our purchase would directly support evil, and thus is not allowable. Be careful not to get too scrupulous here. Remember that the grocery store you shop at, the place you work for, and the gas station you buy gas from, all in some way, more than likely contribute to anti-Catholic causes. It is the way of the world, but, there is something to be said for someone who wishes to deny themselves entertainment simply because they do not wish to support an evil company in any way.
If Video Games aren’t to blame, Who then? Me?
Something that cannot be stressed enough: being Catholic means a constant reorientation towards Christ. Be that hourly, daily, weekly, monthly.
We will find ourselves often veering off the path and having to correct ourselves. Sometimes that is a little, sometimes that is a lot. A video game that once never bothered us, may start to lead us into temptation. For example, Doom (1993) is a perfectly fine game, but when it was used as inspiration by school shooters, it became problematic for those individuals.
Remember that each of us carries our crosses, and as humans, we have a great capacity for variety and difference. Different people experience different temptations, and there may be games that some of our Catholic brothers and sisters can enjoy, but are not a fit for us.
Even further, we should also consider the impact that the games we play have on others. Perhaps you are not tempted by the skimpy outfits that some Genshin Impact characters wear but know that your friend watching you play struggles greatly with lust. In that case, you should play a different game or do something else; it is not right to place unnecessary burdens and temptations on those around us.
Each person has a unique relationship with Christ, and with the way they interact with the world. This is why we cannot tell you whether it is or isn’t sinful for you to play a certain game, because what is good for some may not be good for all. We can only assist you in the process of discernment, advise you to examine your conscience, and ask you to use the wisdom God has endowed on the human race to make prudent decisions.
Big thanks to Saint Waffles for helping out with this article. Click here to visit Saint Waffles’ gaming channel on YouTube.
Have a blessed day.
