Parenting, Video Games, the Christian Worldview

By Eric Fisher

The days of Doom are long behind us, and the content of video games has come a long way since then. The Christian community has even felt this movement within video games. I recently published an article that covered the idea of pastors playing violent video games like Halo and Call of Duty. But, the questions come when those games are brought into the home and played by children day in and out. As the son of a mother who let her children play video games growing up (and still does), I had the chance to ask her how she, as a mother bent on serving Christ to the best of her ability, chose to raise her kids with regards to gaming. This is what I gathered.

Growing up, my mother watched her children, namely her two boys, progress onto more and more boyish trends, and as almost every mother can attest to, these trends grow in violence. For me, it was things like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. My mother told me that it wasn’t the trends themselves that she had a problem with, but how they might influence me personally. As a child, I loved the Turtles, almost religiously. I would watch episodes and episodes, but I wouldn’t take it too far apparently. Power Rangers was a different story. While I never did anything blatantly bad, my mother saw that Power Rangers had a more negative effect on me than the Turtles. Therefore, she made executive decisions and limited my exposure to Power Rangers.

My story is only one, though. The question must be asked whether it is theologically and ideologically possible to juxtapose violent video games and the Christian worldview. As mentioned earlier, there are stories of video games present in the church. I can remember many youth group sessions comprised of pizza, soda, movies, and Halo. Is that good, though? There are arguments saying this type of fellowship can be a good thing, sort of in the same way that Christians argue for R-rated movies since they’re intended for entertainment purposes. The common thread in these two arguments is that the viewer/player is responsible for her reaction to whatever media she is being exposed to. With children, it’s a different matter; parents are responsible for their kids’ reactions (even though every child might disagree).

For my mother, it was about where the heart is. If things obviate a negative response from your children, then have no qualms about taking it away or limiting time spent absorbing it. She recommends literally watching your kids after they play games that you’re not too comfortable with. Completely eradicating everything of questionable content in your household might be ideal, but it’s not very practical, as the world will allow your children plenty experience outside of your house. Parents, don’t’ be afraid to be selective over what your kids play, but remember that a Christ-centered lesson can be taught from just about anything. Recognize the varying degrees of content, too. The ESRB is a great and easy tool to generalize gaming limits for your children. For instance, remember that games rated “M” by the ESRB are not available for purchase by anyone under the age of 17.

There really is no science to judging what is okay for children to play, and as the gaming industry continues to grow in both content and technology, it becomes harder to tell what should be permissible and what shouldn’t. The best advice is to just be involved. That looks different for everybody, but it’s the first step.