In the 16th century, the Aztecs introduced chocolate drinks to the Spanish, who spread it across Europe. By the 1560s, however, some Catholics tried to ban its consumption during fasts, arguing that despite its liquid form, it was technically food. To settle this debate, Pius V was given some chocolate and asked to adjudicate the matter. But upon drinking it, he apparently found it so disgusting he dismissed any need to determine its status.
While this story reflects Pharisaic legalism we shouldn’t emulate, there is wisdom for believers in pausing to understand novel products or innovations before deciding how much we should adopt them—if at all. Because while new technology offers new opportunities, they also often offer new ways to live unwisely or grieve the Holy Spirit.
Consider wine. In Psalm 104:15 (NIV), the psalmist writes that wine “gladdens human hearts”, and yet the Bible also warns against drunkenness. Even wine’s earliest mention in the Bible (Genesis 9:21) involves drunkenness, with Noah getting drunk and passing out naked in his tent—a warning that innovation is a double-edged sword that can either be enjoyed or abused.
Even wine’s earliest mention in the Bible (Genesis 9:21) involves drunkenness, with Noah getting drunk and passing out naked in his tent—a warning that innovation is a double-edged sword that can either be enjoyed or abused.
Since then, believers throughout history have grappled with many novelties. In our day, computers and the internet have meant many innovations we encounter are digital: social media, search engines and AI.
And video games.
Does making a game replayable inherently make them addictive?
It doesn’t take much exposure to video games to grasp their danger. I’ve known people trapped in gaming addictions, from children who default to playing phone games the moment they’re left unattended, to working adults who’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on in-app purchases in games.
So I understand why many are averse to video games and may even consider the entire activity opposed to the call to self-control in Galatians 5:23—putting them in the same category as hallucinogenic drugs.
And even when people don’t consider games inherently addictive, many still talk about them that way, because they use fun and addictive as interchangeable adjectives for games, saying things like, “I couldn’t stop playing,” or even, “This game is so addictive!”
Is this accurate? Is it true that what makes video games fun is what also makes them addictive?
I’m a video game designer and this is an aspect I grapple with. I know the mechanics to make games fun, and the more fun a game is, the more people will play again. But does making games replayable count as making them addictive?
No.
Recently, I attended a talk where a game designer differentiated fun and engagement. He argued that people often confused the two. They assumed if someone spent one hundred hours playing a game it must be fun. Not true, he said, because many games are designed to trap players in un-fun games. For example, many games offer rewards for logging in daily. This entices players to do so, breeding a subconscious habit of opening the game. To compound the problem, designers often give random rewards, which function essentially like a lottery, encouraging players to chase these rewards for a lottery high. Such tactics are so prevalent in several genres that some games allow players to bypass actual gameplay and just go straight to the “gambling” of unlocking rewards.
A fun design vs an addictive design
Realising this led me to understand one can distinguish elements added for fun or for addictiveness. This doesn’t mean it’s a straightforward process, however; game design is complex and mechanics are often enmeshed together. As believers, we need wisdom when approaching games to determine if they are intentionally designed to be addictive.
One question to consider is this: how many hours do you have to play to reach the most fun part of the game?
If the answer is a finite span of time—ten minutes, five hours, even two days—the overall game design probably leans towards non-addictive. Limited hours generally suggest the game is a “boxed” experience: something that can be taken out, enjoyed, stored again with no consequence whether you play next week or never again.
On the other hand, if the question is difficult to answer, the game design probably leans towards addictive because it suggests the game expects infinite playtime. This is often seen in games that encourage players to return regularly to maintain something—daily rewards, streaks, player rank or new seasons. These games are designed to encroach on people’s lifestyles and are more likely to cause addiction.
What should Christians do?
Should believers avoid these games completely then? It’s hard to give a straight answer for two reasons: first, no game is designed purely to cause addiction. Every game has fun elements free from addictive quality. Second, comprehensive rules banning certain games tends towards legalism and can get silly, much like the Catholic debate on chocolate. As believers, we need to use our God-given wisdom to discern what is wise and unwise to play.
An additional problem is the fact that even games with no “addictive” qualities can have addicts. People can get addicted to any activity. While the Bible warns about alcohol addiction—drunkenness—it also warns about addiction to things without mind-altering properties. Proverbs 23:20 (NIV) warns, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,” putting gluttons—food addicts—in the same category as drunkards, and 1 Timothy 6:10 warns about the love of money. The world is full of mundane things people can become addicted to.
Which is probably why the Bible doesn’t give a comprehensive list. Instead, Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) “not [to] be mastered by anything”, and in 1 Timothy 6:11 to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Instead of giving infinite lists of things to avoid, God gives activities to pursue, from doing good work (Ephesians 2:10) to enjoying his creation (Deuteronomy 20:6).
As a game designer, I do grieve when I see lives destroyed by video game addiction and understand the animosity some hold towards the activity. But gaming is neither irredeemable or mysteriously addictive. Games are just another form of media, like film, music or television, and can be made without resorting to addictive methods. In the same way other media can be used to edify, teach and entertain in God-honouring ways, so can gaming.
Games are just another form of media, like film, music or television, and can be made without resorting to addictive methods. In the same way other media can be used to edify, teach and entertain in God-honouring ways, so can gaming.
Recently I met a boy who struggled with staying focused, and I let him try a puzzle game I made. To the surprise of everyone present, he could focus and played for longer than expected. This demonstrated to his family and caretakers that given the right stimulus, he could stay focused, process and remember information—in fact, several days later he drew a detailed picture of my game. While this is just one example of games helping the body of Christ, I hope that this opens our eyes to the possibilities to use games for good. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV), “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Let us be wise in how we interact with games, recognising the danger they hold, but also the opportunity to use them for God’s glory.