Question:
Hey,
I am an avid video game enjoyer. I typically play a video game in my free time outside of the church, study, and work. Mostly, I play Minecraft, which is where my question hits. It has a tool upgrade system that calls itself “enchantments.” Now, while it’s just the run-of-the-mill damage and speed upgrades, etc., I know the Bible says to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). As far as I know, “enchantments” are considered magic, which is in of itself evil (Galatians 5:20), so my question is: Does this apply? Enchantments in the game involve no process referring to or using magic, just experience points and a rock.
Answer:
The reason things like witchcraft, spiritists, psychics, etc., are wrong is because they all involve lies (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). Those involved in these things are pretending to have power that they do not and cannot have. They are lying to others and themselves. They see themselves as having powers others do not have, so they believe they are superior. God is truth, so all lies are abominable to Him.
There is a difference between make-believe and reality. Make-believe is fun to think about, but it doesn’t change reality. A little girl may like to pretend she is a princess even though she and her family know that they aren’t royalty. There is nothing wrong with such role-playing so long as it doesn’t spill over into reality.
Video games are not real life. They are interactive fiction. You operate characters in the games to do things that cannot be done in real life. If that fictional world includes things labeled “magic,” there is nothing wrong. Games should be judged from a moral perspective. Does it encourage killing for no reason? Does it justify stealing? Are you encouraged to lie to succeed in the game? If someone can’t distinguish between real life and a fictional game, then we have problems. You don’t want a person trying to leap over buildings or dodging across streets in real life.
Whether we are discussing a completely made-up story, a story that records history as it happens, or something in between, we need to realize that stories influence people, even the storylines presented in video games. They are a form of instruction as well as entertainment. There ought to be a purpose to telling the story, and that purpose ought to make people better for having played it.
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).