Should Christians play video games?

from the old testament

• Rest is inherently good when done properly. The creation account concludes with this statement: “On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:2–3). God did not rest because He needed a break. He rested to illustrate the pattern He had for mankind.
• We learn it’s the pattern for humanity in the Ten Commandments, where God said, “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God … For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9–11). While the Sabbath was specifically for the Israelites, and the times we rest may vary (cf. Colossians 2:16–17), the point is the same: we were created to need rest.
• There are two reasons for rest. The first is to worship God and remember that what we have comes from Him through our work. This is why God commanded the Israelites to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). God created us to work (Genesis 2:15), and even after the fall, when work became harder (Genesis 3:17–19), we are still created to work. When we rest, we remember that our work comes from God and is the primary means by which God clothes and feeds us.
• Second, rest is for our well-being. Speaking of another form of entertainment, feasts, Solomon wrote, “Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!” (Ecclesiastes 10:17; cf. Deuteronomy 5:14). When done rightly, rest allows one to prosper in his or her work because he or she has recouped strength to resume working.
• However, though rest builds strength, if we rest too much, we grow weak. Scripture refers to a “sluggard” a few times, always in a negative sense. That individual is one who continually rests, leading to his or her downfall. For example, Proverbs 6:9–11 reads, “How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man” (see also Proverbs 24:30–34). God gave us work to provide for our needs. Resting too much is laziness, which is sin. Such protracted laziness tends toward poverty.
• There is a time for everything, including laughing and resting (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8). However, it must be kept in its place. Entertainment, such as video games, should never be used to avoid work, nor should it be used for profane things that direct our attention away from God and toward sin.

from the new testament

• Everything the believer does is to be for God’s glory. When concluding his discussion on issues regarding food and drink, Paul added, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). There is nothing the believer does that doesn’t involve his or her relationship to God. That doesn’t mean everything needs to be a Bible study, but that everything good comes from God (James 1:17). Therefore we need to thank God as we participate in those good things (Colossians 3:17). We are unable to thank God as we participate in sinful pleasures, which means that entertainment, including video games, must not cause us to desire or pursue sin as that doesn’t glorify God.
• Because Scripture doesn’t answer every question, such as whether to play video games, believers are required to consider Scripture, its limits and freedoms, and make a biblically informed decision. Because such decisions can be subjective, influenced by one’s background, and affected by one’s understanding of Scripture, not every believer will come to the same conclusion. Paul, dealing with conflicting conclusions between Jewish and Gentile believers, said, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5) therefore, “whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
• He was teaching that the same thing, such as playing video games, can be sinful for one believer because they believe it dishonors God, but not sinful for another because they believe it glorifies God. God is pleased by the heart of the one playing (or not playing) video games, not by the action of playing (or not playing) the games. This again speaks to the believer having a living relationship with God.
• As noted in the Old Testament, rest does have a place in one’s life. Jesus modeled this by breaking away from, or even avoiding, crowds so He could be alone to pray. For example, after a hard day, Jesus told the disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). In His humanity, Jesus needed to rest because He got tired (John 4:6), and we likewise need to rest.
• However, there is a temptation within rest to never stop resting or to indulge in entertainment at the neglect of more weighty things. Paul wrote, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17). Rest is a good use of time in moderation because it provides the strength needed to make the most of working time.

implications for today

MarioKart, Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto. There are so many popular video games. Are all video games bad? How do we know which we can or should play?

Video games fall into the broad category of entertainment, which includes other forms such as watching movies, reading fiction, and playing football. While some Christians treat video games as somehow different, biblically informed decisions should apply equally to all entertainment. For example, no entertainment should involve or tempt one to sin. While video games can provide that type of temptation, so can books and movies. Therefore, in many respects, playing video games should largely be guided by the same decisions used for other forms of entertainment.

However, there is at least one concern with video games (and some board games, though to a lesser extent): the length of the entertainment. While movies, books, and other forms of entertainment are usually limited (there’s a defined beginning, middle, and end), modern video games are designed to encourage unending playtimes, with players often racking up hundreds, if not many hundreds, of hours per game.

That open-ended play doesn’t make them inherently bad, but a believer is wise to acknowledge that, and the potential strain such long-term engagement can put on families or one’s health. God designed rest, and Christians are free to spend some of that rest with entertainment. However, rest is a minor part of our lives and is meant to help us recharge. Rest and entertainment are not meant to be our main focus in life. Caring for our families and performing productive work are to be our priority. Therefore, believers who play video games would be wise to set boundaries, such as setting time limits, to avoid being drawn into sinfully spending too much time on entertainment.

Christians have differed on acceptable entertainment for two thousand years. Video games are simply the latest form of entertainment to be debated. Let us love one another by respectfully discussing their merits and flaws, without making them a dividing line!