Magic in Christian Video Games???

[rpyszkow]

    I have played video games since the Atari Game System.  It didnt matter to me what kind until I became a Christian.  Then I became angry about video game companies pushing paganism, magic, and immorality on gamers, especially young kids.  Because of this, I searched for Christian games to play and support.  It was extremely discouraging to play Antagonist just to find more magic!  In the future please make games without magic or we might as well play the world's games.  Magic is an abomination to God and is not Christian, even white magic.  This statement is made with Christ's love and my respect.

[Azog]

I am unsure if this is a viable explanation, as I've only played Antagonist once or twice, but isn't the "magic" system for PCC's based not on magic, but on the God's holy power?  Ask and it shall be given to you, therefore if one of the player characters earnestly asks God for a storm to arise and zap the monsters, it is given to him.
If this is correct then the power players manifest against enemies in the game is in fact God's power, delivered through them.

[the_flying_dove]

As I pointed out in the topic "Christian Developers," Christian game developers really need to distance themselves from presenting experiences that are allegorical when they can push harder and make their stories contain a very literal context. We need to see something more along the lines of the many Mystery plays found during the Medieval times. Let there be stories about saints and people from the Bible (both in the Old and New Testaments). Maybe even a few about everyday people suffering from sin. And if games need to be a little bit like interactive movies (Heavy Rain) before we see the games industry mature itself, then so be it.

By the way, I really am impressed with how far Christian game developers have come. The broad scope of genres that they encompass is not something that I realized before. No doubt is there much progress left to be made in Christian games, but my hope is that more people, including Rebel Planet Creations, will one day break down these barriers.

[Kevin]

I kind of feel like magic in Christian games should play the part it plays in reality. People turn to Satan, knowingly or unknowingly, in order to do things that they should not be able to do (such as psychics, telekinetics/levitation, and just spells in general). It should be shown as evil, though the person could be redeemed. The person may not have even asked for this, it may have been forced on them - like that girl that Paul and Silas went to jail for expelling her demon. It was a common practice in their day to force a slave into a ritual that would invite a demon into the her (the oracles) so she could predict the future. This would provide a source of income for the slave owner while the girl is tormented - truly evil.

Maybe magic can fall into several categories, all of them evil but not all being voluntary.

As for good 'powers' that a Christian or Biblical hero can use, prayer is obvious, as is God's own action. But these are mostly passive things, gamers want to take action. As Christians we have been given the ability to cast out demons and do miraculous things in the name of Christ, as someone mentioned earlier. That could be used. Also, if the character in play is an angel it could get much more fantastic and give the player a more 'magical' person to play.

[Delmear]

"Magic" can be a bit of a catch all. The powers negatively mentioned in the Bible is either demonic powers or deception (there is evidence of both trickery and Satanic influence). However, some people from the outside looking in would consider the miracles God performed through the disciples "magic" as well.

While I agree that the word "magic" probably has too many negative connotations to be safely used to describe a character's abilities, if the game is clearly fiction it may be natural for the characters to have their seemingly "magical" abilities (not demonic or deceptive in nature at all). For a real life example, while it would be crazy for a human to be able to create a strong enough electrical current to shock animals into unconsciousness, that doesn't make an electric eel the work of the Devil because it can.

As with all things, use discernment and seek God if you question if a behavior is acceptable. Always trust the Holy Spirit in matters of personal conviction. However, not all fiction involving beings capable of more than we, as humans, are is inherently evil.