I'm a Catholic, a gamer, and aspiring to work in game development. I realize that I have been developing a few unhealthy habits over the past few years, and in my quest to strengthen my ties with the faith, I was beginning to wonder if video games were preventing me from having a relationship with Christ. I appreciate the video, as it has given me some more insight into the hobbies we can pursue as Christians. Although I realize your content is mainly geared towards teenagers, and I stopped being one a few years ago, I firmly believe people of any age can learn something from you guys. Thank you, and God bless.
Thank you so much, Mervin! That's awesome that you are working toward a game development career. We need more believers in the gaming industry! So glad to hear that our content was helpful to you--even as a young adult!
Gaming is clearly a very Disputable Issue, as it has about 3 Different Viewpoints Connected to it Online. The Legalist: "All Games are Demonic and will Send You to Hell! You cannot be a Christian and Play Games". (a View mostly perpetuated by Several Groups that this Channel's Parent "Got Questions" Ministry classifies as Potential Cults! so best not listen to that view!) The Cautionist: "You can Play Games, but be very Careful what You Play! Avoid the Violent Ones" (the Sensible One, and what I think is the most correct view) The Freedomist: "Games are Clean, Play what You Want" . (This View is only for Christians with a Cast Iron Conscience that cannot be Scorched in the Slightest! some of these Violent Games, as I know all too well Sadly, will Scorch Your Conscience to a Near Crisp! Please avoid them People!) This shows they are most likely covered by Romans Chapter 14 Verse 14, which is Written in the King James Version that I use as : "I Know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it IS unclean". So if Someone Sees Gaming as a Whole, or Certain Genres of Game, or just Certain Franchises as "Unclean" then it is best for their Conscience to Avoid those Games! I run on the Following System Myself for Games Now. Car Racing (Legal Professional Motorsports (such as Forza Motorsports) or Semi-Legal Amateur Motorsports (IE Forza Horizon 2 to 5) Only, No Cop Chases!) or Flight Only. Look for Games with Especially Beautiful Environments that You think God might want to spend time with You In. Do not Exceed an ESRB E-10 (so PEGI 3 to a *Very Mild* PEGI 12 under the UK Ratings, As Example, in the US, DiRT 5 is Rated ESRB E 3+ , however, in the UK, it got a PEGI 12 Rating instead of the PEGI 3 or 7 Rating that it would have had otherwise due to some of the Lyrics in the Games Music List being a bit...Saucy.. why can Games Companies not chose music with *clean* Lyrics? or do what EA used to do and Replace any Dodgy Lyrics with Clean, Car Themed, Ones? ) Rating if Possible, a *Very Mild* T like "The Crew 2" is the absolute Limit (the Sad thing is, had Ubisoft censored some of the Lyrics and Dialogue they could have Easily gotten it down to an E!) *nothing* Higher to Avoid content that is connected to the Sins of Lust, Cussing, or Violence. No more than 2 to 4 Hours Per Day *Tops* ! Do not Play them all Day as not only are You then Potentially idolating the Games and Committing the Sin of Idolatry, it also leads to Addiction which often leads to You becoming so Stressed and Depressed when You are not Gaming that You cannot even Function! I have been there, it is *Not* Nice! so Keep the Time to a Sensible, Moderate, amount! Do not ever Put it before God! "Thou shalt have no other god before me" is one of the Ten commandments. Read Scripture, 1 or 2 Chapters, First! put God *before* the Game! Pray First! Ask God to come and Play as well (this is why it is Important to look for Games you think He would like to spend time with You in!) to teach You how to Play it to His Glory, to Christs Glory, to the Holy Ghosts Glory (The First Epistle of Saint John, Chapter 5 Verse 7, KJV: For there are three who bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one" ) and to the Glory of the Gospels, as well as to Share in the Artistic, Creative, and Programming Talent that He Gave to the Developers, and *doubly so* to any member of the Team who is a Brother or Sister in Christ, as a Reflection of His own Divine and Glorious Creative and Artistic Talents. Spread the Gospel in the Game if Possible, for Example, if the Racing Game, say, the Forthcoming Forza Horizon 5 allows You to Use a Customised Licence Plate, set the Plate to Read as a Scriptural Reference, such as the "JOHN3:16" I use in Forza Horizon 4, this of course relates to The Gospel according to Saint John, Chapter 3, Verse 16, which, as we Know, Sums up the *Entire* Gospel of Christ into One Simple, Beautiful, Verse "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life" , as You never know if someone is going to see that Licence Plate in the Game online, wonder what it Means, Google It, and be Bought, in Tears, to that Wonderful Place of Repentance where Jesus Christ our Lord enters into their Heart and Forgives them of all their Sins and saves them :) That is the system I use Now. One Word of Warning. *AVOID* the Violent Games, I Played them for Many Years, and Many of the Worst Ones out there as well, Yes, even the Downright *Depraved* "Grand Theft Auto" Series.. and I *Regret* every Single Second! The whole thought of all that Violence now Sickens and Repulses Me, I get *nightmares* about the Violence, and the Evil One just loves to use the Memories of all that Violence to make Me doubt By Salvation. Violent Games have clearly done a *lot* of Damage to My Soul, they Scorched My Conscience to a near Crisp! Thankfully, God, in His Mercy, has given Me a new Conscience, although it is weak and very over-sensitive, and he can Repair all that Damage, and will. But, Dear Beloved Reader, surely it is better for the Damage to *not* be there for God to Repair in the First Place! Please do not Repeat My Mistake! Play Games by all Means, Especially Car Racing Ones, but Please! Avoid the Violent Games unless Your Conscience is Made of Cast Iron! Peace, Love and Blessings all! :)
@@412teens Hello. That is absolutely No Problem, glad to Help You :) Your Website was of massive help to Me when I first came back into Faith after a *long* time badly backslid.. I fell away at 11 due to experiencing the most Terrible Bullying at a Mainstream, Secular, High School (My Primary (Elementary in the US) School was Christian however, Run by the Church of England (Anglican) which is where I got my base knowledge from and where I got saved :) ) and Exposure to false doctrines such as Evolution that threw doubt on everything I had believed in until then, and it took until I was 34 to come back :( I really do thank and Praise God for calling Me back Home however :) It also really Helped when I was badly confused after a bad run in with the Armstrongite Groups online left Me questioning every Doctrine I had believed in (the Reality of the Holy Trinity, the truth of "once Saved always Saved" (Eternal Security/Perseverance of the Saints), the Laws of Moses being fulfilled by Christ and therefore no longer in place, the Acceptability of Worship on the Lords Day (Sunday) the Immediate arrival in Heaven or.. the other place... upon death dependant on Election and Faith, the sanctity of the Church, etc) since childhood! as it Re-Confirmed the Wonderful Truth of those Doctrines with both Scripture, and clear Explanations given in a Simple way that I could Understand :) (having Autism does mean I Struggle to understand complicated Explanations at Times) it also lead to the Main Got Questions Ministry Site which is now one of My Go To Sites :) , I still use Your Site as well however when upset and in need of a more comforting and easier to understand explanation than the main Ministry sometimes Provides, and I thank You all deeply for running it as it has been a huge Help and a lot of Comfort to Me :) So, a little more advice for any little Brothers and Sisters in Christ who may be Reading this , and feel free to use it on Your Site if You want Guys! same with the System I Provided, Its always good to Edify our Brothers and Sisters in Christ after all :) The Advice is this: Sadly, when we first come into True Faith, as the Holy Spirit has yet to equip us with discernment at first, as Saint Paul warns us in Ephesians Chapter 4 verse 14 (KJV), we can often be "tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" , so Beloved Reader, if a Website online is in *Any Way* Related to the so called "church of god" Groups, which do exactly what Saint Paul warned about there, make like a Banana and Split! Run away and get Yourself back to a Really Good, Scriptural based Site, like 412 Teens here, the main Got Questions Ministry, Pastor Allen Parr's brilliant "The BEAT" RU-vid Channel, or Your local Pastor (or Vicar if the nearest Church is CofE/Anglican rather than Evangelist) ! or the bad Doctrine of the "church of god" groups is going to confuse the life out of You, leave you doubting everything, and open to some very nasty Spiritual Attacks, You do not want to be in that Place My Brothers and Sisters! so Please be very Careful Online and stick to Good, solid, Bible Based Ministries like this One!! :) and I really do hope that bit of advice there Helps any little Brother or Sister in Christ who Reads this :) Either way It is very nice to be able to Help You, My much more mature Brothers and Sisters in Christ, out in Return by Sharing some Witness and some Edifying ideas :) Well, take care then, may almighty God bless You all with much love and Joy. Peace :)
What a story God has been leading you through! Thank you for sharing. We are SO encouraged to hear that our site has been a comfort to you. That is one of our goals at 412teens--to take the scary or seemingly impossible things out of following Christ. We want to let teens know that it is perfectly OK to be human and make mistakes because God is way bigger than any of our struggles and is here to HELP us--not watch us fail.
@@412teens Thank You for all the Kind Words :) Indeed, God has been leading Me on quite the Story over the Years, as He leads us all on our own Adventures :) Indeed, as Ultimately Comforting as the Bible is, it can be very Scary at Times, and indeed, there are many Times when we will encounter something that seems Impossible! Your Site does a Wonderful Job of taking away the Scare and showing that, actually, things are very Easy, as Christ shoulders the Burden, His yoke is easy, and his burden is light, as is written, all we need to have is a little Faith :) even if it is as small as a Grain of Mustard, it is enough for Him to move a Whole Mountain into the Sea on our Behalf! The Beauty of Your Site is, not only does it help Teenagers, as it is very Easy to Understand, it is also a great way for People with Learning Difficulties to understand the Beauty and Grace of God as well :) a Little Unexpected but Beautiful Bonus :) and I truly thank You for Your Ministry :) Indeed, God is above all! and although He is Stern, He is an ultimately extremely Loving Father who is there to Help us through every Problem when We call on Him :) One thing I have learned, is that, when You come to a Mountain in Our Lives, those Big Scary Ones that look like the North Face of the Eiger, Crossed with Everest...and with the whole of Mount Sinai as the Easy Bit in the Middle, is that God helps us to Climb it! the Lord Jesus Christ literally takes Us by the Hand and Guides us up the Sheep Path that leads to the Peak...and then He turns us around at the Peak, and shows us that Big Scary Mountain, was actually just a Speed Bump :) As with Christ, with God the Son, we can overcome Everything :) as He has already overcome the World :) Thank You again for the Kind Words, and I am glad I have been able to Encourage and Edify You a little bit as well with My Witness. Take Care now, Love, Blessings and Peace :)
As someone who doesn't have any friends shy also seems like no one wants to my friend mabye I'm not looking in the right place video games I think is one of the reasons I haven't committed suicide because I feel like my life is just lonely and all I ever seem to look forward to is just playing video games as much as i love to have friends and leave video games behind as a 16 year old and because I would go to hell definitely if I would do that I want to get closer to God I have doubts to seems like loneliness and depression and something I'm struggling with it's a private thing just keeps on hitting me I play mostly minecraft valhiem roblox and kingdom two crowns I find norse mythology stuff interesting ofcourse I shouldn't let video games to cause me to want to kill anyone I'm probably also the most emotional person in my family I would appreciate any help thank you 💗
I am so sorry to hear you are going through this time of extreme loneliness right now, friend. I pray God will bring you some strong Christian friends who can encourage you and support you. It can be so hard to make good friends who can be there for you. :(
Hey man, I don’t know if you are still reading these comments, but I can play some games with you if you want! I’m 18 years old and a long time Christian gamer even though I’ve been playing a lot less recently. God Bless :)
Can Christian’s still watch movies,shows,documentaries/docuseries,RU-vid/web/social media videos,etc,play video games,apps,etc,read comics,books,novels,etc,listen to music,soundtrack,podcasts,etc wear fashion styles or costumes,etc,go to museums,festivals,carnivals,cons (like dragon or comic),parks (theme or amusment as well as the attractions and rides that they have there),etc and do other simply lawful,permitted and permissible things even if they are not helpful,beneficial,constructive,up building (if that’s even a word),praiseworthy,expedient or edifying and instead just for mere entertainment,enjoyment,pleasure or satisfaction or as something that not only dosent give glory to/glorify god but also dosent take glory away from him and is instead something that they like to do or enjoy when they have the time as long as they are fine And can handle it and it and it’s certain/questionable content doesn’t compromise their faith and also if they make sure to stop doing it when someone who might stumble (or to them it will or might be a stumbling block) comes near?
I think we might need to back up just a tad an define what it means to glorify God. A lot of young believers feel like "glorifying God" can only be accomplished if they are actively serving, sharing the Gospel, or worshipping Him in church. This is much too narrow of a definition! Our LIVES are meant to glorify God! Anything done by a person who professes to be a Christian should give the world an accurate picture of who God is in righteousness, faithfulness, and excellence--this is glorifying God. Glorifying God with our lives means that we correctly represent Christ with our words and actions (Psalm 103:17-18; John 13:35)--IN WHATEVER WE DO. So if you're standing in line at the amusement park, then be kind and respectful to those around you--and don't cut spaces, litter, get belligerent, etc. If you're listening to a soundtrack to enhance your homework time, then you are creating an environment to be a better student--and being a good student shows good work ethic, which is something every believer should exhibit. If you are comic/dragon con, then treat others with kindness and respect in all you say and do. When you're watching that docuseries, you are learning about others' perspectives and gaining knowledge and wisdom that could help you in future conversations with people--which will help you develop relationships with people you may not have understood or had common ground with in the past. That concept that things we do for "entertainment" cannot be used to glorify God or grow us into better, more Christlike people is quite a widespread misconception and absolutely a false one. Hope this helps!
@@benjaminrussell7047 That is working upon the assumption that doing these things cannot be BOTH pleasurable for us AND glorify God. While it IS possible to do some things that are for pure selfish pleasure, those are things that are (generally) harmful, unhealthy, or sinful. But doing something like, for example, watching a movie with your younger sibling because they don't want to do it alone, that's showing them kindness and love--and maybe even patience if you don't really care for that movie LOL. Perhaps examine it this way: Look at whatever action/activity you are questioning and compare it against the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, which says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Are any of these things present, growing, developing, using, etc. as you do the activity/action? That is not the only measure of course, but it gives you something to start from. Basically, if you can see that what you are choosing to do is of healthy, positive benefit to you and it isn't hurting you, someone else, or your relationship with God, then that is perfectly permissible.
@@412teensbut what if their not edifying,praiseworthy,helpful,beneficial or constructive and just for mere entertainment,enjoyment or gratification (1 Corinthians 10:23 for reference) yet at the same time not hurting me or my faith,conscience,convictions,relationships,friends and family or relationship with god or im fine with and can handle it but I won’t allow certain/questionable content they might contain compromise y faith and lead me into sin?
@@benjaminrussell7047 Hmmm...are you referring to something that is, perhaps, merely for the benefit of rest, relaxation, entertainment, etc.? Rest (physical, mental, and spiritual) is something that the Bible encourages. In fact, the Bible makes a point several times to tell us that Jesus needed rest, which shows us that God understands that the human body requires rest periods and to withdraw from people. Luke 5:16 says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Also see Mark 6:30-33; Matthew 11:28-30) There is nothing inherently wrong with resting your body, mind, and spirit, and there are a lot of different ways to do that. :)
Just because there is violence or magic in a fictional piece of media, that doesn't automatically mean it isn't God's will for you to watch/read/play that media. It takes wisdom and discernment to determine God's will for you. That means that there isn't a "blanket" answer for all people for these things. What you really want to look at with any media choices you make is how that movie, game, book, etc. affects you personally. Does it hurt you, your relationships, or your faith? Those are the questions you want to consider when determining God's will.
@@412teens thanks so much! I was just worried that for enjoying gaming which I’ve done for years without any problems (except for some games like doom) I would be choosing pleasures over God especially if it has violence or magic even though it doesn’t make me angry or mean as far as I’m aware. I’m scared sometimes about being saved even though the Bible says that we’re saved through grace. I have OCD, so that’s probably an explanation 😅
Your concerns and worries are valid and common among believers of all ages! Keep asking those questions and examining the things that your OCD are telling you are sin. Keep reminding yourself of God's grace and how we will NEVER be perfect enough, which is why we accept salvation and forgiveness through Jesus.
