I am the type of person to come up with a long-term plan at the last minute. (“Blame it on my ADHD, baby.”). I’m reminded of this fact every year when Lent comes around – it’s a shame how often I come up with my fast late into Fat Tuesday. So even though it’s a bit late in 2025 to figure out what you’re giving up, perhaps the algorithm will bless us in future years as people figure out if they should take a break from this hobby.
Usually the first thing people think of when it comes to fasting is “what should I give up?”, and after chocolate, things that seemingly waste our time are usually next on the chopping block. I’m not going to advocate for or against abstaining from video games this Lent, but I hope to provide a guide that helps you come to a decision for yourself. And that’s because of my first point – fasting is tailored to the individual. What would be easy for one might be an onerous task for another. Giving up chocolate is often derided because it’s common and trite, but it is entirely possible that it is a challenge for the person fasting from it, and making it their Lenten promise will help bolster their willpower. So the first thing to consider when giving something up is yourself. Is this sacrifice appropriate for where you’re at in the spiritual life, or is it too heavy a burden? Your sacrifice should stretch you, not discourage you. Don’t give up just because of a few failures, but if you find yourself failing at your Lenten fast often and you despair of ever accomplishing it, perhaps it is currently beyond your reach. It’s ok to move this goalpost back – attainable goals are what lead to long-term growth. Rack up enough of those and you’ll be able to tackle your initial challenge with ease.
Now we can raise the question of video games. There is still a lot of anti-video game thinking in spiritual circles nowadays. Being a video game website, I know we have a horse in this race, but there really is nothing wrong with video games in and of themselves. (See a much more nuanced and in-depth discussion on that here.) Just as we ought to have creative leisures (hobbies that can produce something that wasn’t previously there) we also ought to have receptive leisures, provided they are done with intentionality. With a receptive leisure, we are receiving, consuming, or partaking in someone else’s creation (for example, television, listening to music, or viewing another’s art.) Video games are a receptive leisure, and the playing of video games can be judged based on what is present in the game, how it’s presented, and external factors like how much the recipient is consuming. Just like we can’t always be creating and we sometimes need to rest and be receptive to others, it is good to have leisure wherein we receive the art of others.
Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no valid arguments in the anti-video game camp. Video games, like any hobby, can be a waste of your time better spent elsewhere. There are many video games that depict gross or inappropriate material. Sometimes that is intentional and meant to invoke discomfort with the sin, but other times (less often than you’d think) it’s just depicting sin for sin’s sake. And we can have a distorted relationship with video games. If video games are prioritized higher in the hierarchy of goods than the people we love, or even God, then yes, there is a clear problem. Ultimately video games are a thing – they can be enjoyed, but they can also be abused. And no thing should be placed above the good of a person.
SO WHEN SHOULD I GIVE IT UP?
Obviously, if the type of game you’re playing is overtly sinful and of grave matter, that needs to be addressed. If you play pornographic games, the issue is the porn, not the games – but you need to give it up regardless. If playing other games would be a near occasion of sin, then giving up all video games would be a good fast. The good video games can wait until your willpower is stronger.
Next, if you’re playing too much, consider fasting from games. We belong to each other. If video games are putting up a wall around you and keeping you distant from your family or your neighbor, or keeping you from doing what God is asking of you in the moment, you need to cut back or drop it entirely, for a time. Again, in the hierarchy of goods, people are above objects. It should go without saying that God is above all. So take some time off to reprioritize your life, and put first things first.
On that note, if you are addicted, I especially urge you to fast from video games this Lent. Many people are unaware of what constitutes “addicted”. When does a problem become a problem? I have heard it said that if your potential addiction interferes with the operations of your daily life, it is an addiction. If you’re unable to function as a mother, father, husband, wife, or human being due to video games, reconsider what your attachment actually is to this hobby. For those who determine it is a problem, I recommend quitting now.
Still, even if you’re playing licit games and you aren’t playing too much, if you feel a weakened will power around the impulse to play games, it would be good to fast from them to bolster up your will power again. It doesn’t mean no video games in many cases – in fact the fast here might be more challenging in finding the proper attachment to video games. Learning how to regulate your video game time might be tougher in the short run than quitting cold turkey, but it will be worth it being in control of your hobby, instead of your hobby being in control of you.
WHEN SHOULDN’T I ABSTAIN?
Charity trumps piety. If video games are a good source of shared life with your friends, and you’re able to spread the good news (whether implicitly or explicitly) through video games, don’t give them up! Giving up a means of grace for Lent makes no sense.
If you have a healthy attachment to games, feel confident in your willpower, and you play for a respectful amount of time without being slothful, there’s still a reason to give it up, but chances are there might be something else that would be a more fitting fast. So if its a good in your life, a means of grace for others, and you are properly disposed to it, you don’t have to give up video games.
The point of fasting and abstaining is to challenge yourself. It is meant to be a struggle – it shouldn’t be impossible, but it shouldn’t be easy either. It is a cross that we carry alongside Jesus. So why give up something you’re already in control of? Fr. Beardslee, friend of CGR, explains;
Remembering Isaiah 58 and Matthew 7, The whole purpose of fasting from anything is to lead us to act more as God does. If you love video games and see and derive pleasure from them, then fasting from them can not only be a very effective way to remember that all good things come from God, but also an opportunity to exercise our ability to give of ourselves for the sake of the other. This is what God does for us daily, providing not only the basic needs of life, but also the abundance of joys that are not “needed”. So whether you are choosing to sink too much time into video games, or you are using this gift of leisure in a proper way, Lent is a fine time to let God lead you – even if that means setting aside something that you take joy in – for if God is leading you, then He is surely leading you to something greater than what you currently see, and leading you to be more like Him. As God told the Israelites who were exiled in the rich city of Babylon, it is by loving others as God does that “[our] light shall break forth like the dawn, and [our] wound shall be quickly healed.”
So maybe you’re giving up video games after reading all this. Depriving yourself can be good, certainly, but what is filling in the time you now have? Remember, Lent isn’t just about giving something up. It is the perfect time to start new habits, whether it’s learning new prayers, practicing new devotions, or attending Mass more often. (Some past personal favorites of mine are the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or bowing my head every time I heard Christ’s name). Whatever you choose this Lent, I pray that God blesses your journey and makes it fruitful.
