The following article was written by David De Bryun on Between Two Cultures.
Amidst much economic downturn, one industry that is thriving in South Africa is gaming and e-sports. The Price-Waterhouse-Cooper Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook reported that South Africa’s gaming and e-sports increased its revenue by 30% in 2022, and leads both Kenyan and Nigerian markets. Although power cuts, slow rollout of 5G, and poor quality networks have hampered growth, Africa’s mobile-first landscape has allowed for quicker adoption of digital currencies. E-sports and gaming often use digital currencies for betting and in-game purchases.
Worldwide, the gaming industry makes more money than the film and music industries combined. In 2021, the gaming world brought in over $180 billion. Companies such as Facebook and Google have invested billions of dollars into Virtual Reality, which is certain to become a major part of gaming in the next 5-10 years.
Although using games for harmless diversion and amusement may be a lawful use of leisure for Christians, there are some real spiritual dangers associated with gaming.
Danger 1: Immaturity
Dr. Leonard Sax, in his book Boys Adrift, states, “The proportion of young men (age eighteen to thirty-five) living at home with parents or relatives has surged over the [last] thirty years… Young women and young men are now following different life scripts. Young women are getting jobs, establishing themselves in the workplace, then (in many cases) thinking about having children. But a growing number of young men are just not on the same page.”
Instead, many young men are shunning adult responsibilities, including financial independence, a career path, marriage and family–although not shunning sexual intimacy–and doing all this for the pursuit of gaming. A juvenile infatuation with fun and selfish pursuits by men in their twenties and thirties is no longer frowned upon.
Danger 2: Substitute Reality
The second danger associated with gaming is substitute reality. Stories and fantasy are helpful to the degree that they return us to the real world; improved, shaped, and more rightly viewing reality. To the degree that stories (whether in books, films, or games) simply show us the world-as-we’d-prefer-it, or some non-existent heroic form of ourselves, it is an exercise in flattery and self-deception. A near addiction to gaming allows an immature person to wallow in substitute reality and responsibility: pretending one is an adventurer, a hero, or a conqueror, while in reality, the person lacks self-discipline, work ethic, sacrifice, and service.
Danger 3: Poor Stewardship
A third danger of gaming is a bad stewardship of time. Due to their computerized complexity, today’s video games often require days to master and weeks to beat. A game that costs only $20 or R400 to purchase may actually cost hundreds of hours in time. Time invested in such pursuits is forever lost and cannot be reused for things that matter. Hours that could be spent working, praying, reading, serving, fellowshipping, evangelizing, or just thinking are instead spent on activities that have no lasting value. God’s Word teaches us that time is precious (Psalm 90:12; cf. 39:4-5). Using time wisely is an issue of good stewardship.
Danger 4: Impurity
A fourth spiritual danger of gaming is impurity. Games that glorify violence, denigrate the value of human life, promote greed, reward deceit, contain profanity, or flirt with sexual immorality should be avoided by believers (Proverbs 6:17; Ephesians 5:3). Our entertainment must honour the Lord and reflect His character. Our amusements should not reinforce values that are diametrically opposed to how we ought to think (Philippians 4:8) and what we are to do (Mark 12:30-31; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
While playing the occasional game is harmless, a near-devotion to gaming can warp a Christian’s view of reality. At the very least, it can dull him to the realities that are pressing on us: Heaven, Hell, the Gospel, prayer, and our needy neighbours. At worst, it can immerse him in substitute reality, keep him immature, defile his mind and render him far less useful to Christ. Christians should be discerning and wise in how much they involve themselves or their children in the world of gaming.
Culture, David de Bruyn, Gaming, Masculinity, South Africa, TARIF
