A couple months ago a question showed up in my Inbox (paraphrased):
“What is the game, World of Warcraft? I am in contact with a parent who has a son who is “addicted” to it (4 to 5 hours daily). How can I understand and place this game in a Christian context?”
World of Warcraft (known in the gaming community as “WoW”) and other Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) can be a source of confusion for those who are unfamiliar with the gaming genre, especially for Christians who are sensitive about the spiritual overtones of hexes, spells and enchantments. Over the next several days I’ll attempt to answer some common questions concerning World of Warcraft and MMOs in general, including:
- What are MMO games?
- What is World of Warcraft?
- Why are MMOs addictive?
- Are there any positive aspects of MMOs?
- What are the negative aspects of MMOs?
- What is an appropriate amount of time to spend playing WoW?
- What about the curses and hexes involved? Is this demonic warfare and does it desensitize players to true evil in the world?
- Is this whole place an area that demonic strongholds can affect a person’s life in reality?
- Should a Christian play World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs?
If you have other additional questions you’d like to see included in this series, please feel free to contact me.
I should mention that I personally do not play World of Warcraft due to the $15/month subscription fee and the intensive amount of time required to accomplish anything significant, but I do play quite a bit of Guild Wars, a game that falls into the same genre as WoW. The two games are very similar in many ways, but my purpose here is not to compare and contrast the two games. Rather, I’d like to address the MMO genre in a Christian context.
[ Read other “World of Warcraft FAQs for Christians” in this series ]
[tags]World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, MMORPG, MMO, spirituality[/tags]
About me: I am married to my beautiful wife, 
January 18th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I’m glad to see you talking about this to parents. There are a lot of possible un-health issues with online gaming, but some people are unaware and some are just knee jerk reactions much like those in my teen years (Dungeons and Dragons).
I do know some people who were completely addicted and it cost them friendships and emotional trauma. I also know some people who love to play and can keep it in check. Maybe there is a post in there on the possible effects of online gaming.
January 18th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Yeah, a lot of these issues will be covered in the series. Glad to see we’re asking the same questions here.
July 7th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
My son, 13 years old, plays World of Warcraft and I have seen some very good things happening in his life. I think the game itself takes skill, thought, and most important decision making. It is not passive - you play your own game, not one someone else has created for you. The spiritual life happens on many levels, some of them imaginative. I think he has grown in spirit as he has become good at this game. I don’t think it is negative and I don’t look down on it.
October 1st, 2007 at 1:10 am
I have Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy & I’m bed ridden because I had pneumonia.
I often play it several hours a day BUT some days not alot. I’ve met some good people in WoW & online in general. Some I met years before WoW was released & I’m still in nearly daily email contact with them.
I think chruch, which can&should be good, often implies alot of unnecessary guilt&worry on children, teens & adults. While people need to be taught about God & how to behave in a good natured, reasonable, decent & responsible manner, sometimes religion can incapacitate a person mentally & conscientiously.
While religion can be a good thing, Look through history how bad religion can be.
Since I’m essentially physically incapacitated, WoW, the ‘Net & computers as a whole gives me freemdoms I’d otherwise not have.
I use a mouse controlled point&click On-Screen Keyboard to type.
October 13th, 2007 at 3:56 am
As a MMO-RPG gamer, and a parent, I don’t see what most of the fuss is about. I’ve played Diablo 2 for years, and just recently got into WOW. There is an line between fantasy and real. I can see where some games try to emulate everyday life and humans like (Grand Theft Auto Series)….but you look at those MMO games and they are fantasy worlds with fantasy creates and charectors.
W.O.W. is rated Teen by the ESRB rating system. If parents follow the ESRB system then i don’t see a problem morally with the game. At the level of teens, those who are playing the game should realized the different between fantasy and real.
On the christian level…I am a baptized christian but am also open minded. I believe in a lot of what christianity has to say morally and respectively. I see it as this…I listen to death metal and i also listen to christian rock bands, this doesn’t make me satanic nor christian…It’s just what music sounds good to me. I believe it’s the should be the same with Video games, if you enjoy something play it, if not then “Oh well…”
April 29th, 2008 at 10:03 am
this is irrelevant to religion it’s like walking the dog it’s just part of routine and it becomes so natural after a while, you guys take life so seriously which is strange because your religion centres around so much death.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
This is something hardly ever preached…human beings are spirit beings. They are affected by what they hear see or smell. Scientific experiments were conducted on the crystallization of water where classical music was played and heavy metal was played. The crystals formed were not malformed when the classical music was played, unlike when the heavy metal was. There is what is can be described as a transference of spirit, from the sound, image or smell. You can also check the spirit (lifestyle etc.) of the creator of the song etc. Your mind emanates spiritual signals and you attract spirits that are around you. Jesus said something profound. He said man is corrupted by what comes out of his heart (mind, will and emotions) not by what he takes inside like food. Though this is often interpreted as words only, there is nothing to restrict it only to words spoken. There is reference in the Bible to the fruit of your thoughts. This is why people find that people abused will attract those like their abusers. The victim has spirits/spiritual signals that attract(s) the abuser’s spirits.
I come from a country where witchcraft is common. I was an adult when I became a Christian, so I can watch Harry Potter and think nothing of it. On the other hand it can easily be a subtle influence on someone ignorant to accept witchcraft. I read the manual on world of warcraft and it is much more closer to the satanic than Harry Potter. The figures actually look like real demons.
If you are a Christian ask the Lord for guidance. His peace is the guide. It will never fail you and will help you when you are ignorant. What I have seen in many US Christians is that they are in slow spiritual poisoning. The voice of the world is so loud, to them, to their children; and they have not grown in the Lord to boldly take a stand and refuse what is not of God. With the stress and pressure that they accept as part of life (they Bible tells you not to fear or worry!) they are also weary. So they accept things, that are destructive, that come in small doses.
A very important thing is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Read the Bible for yourself (1Corinthians 14) and understand that there is a public use of tongues and a private use of tongues. The private use of tongues is to allow the Holy Spirit to pray out your protection, and future. The sound of your voice on this earth is spiritually the tool that affects the spirit world. Psalm 103 refers to the angels doing the Word of the Lord. When the Holy Spirit prays through you it is the Word of the Lord.
The greatest deception in the “church” is where believers have been morphed into clones who only listen to a preacher who tells you what his denomination has to say. The book of Ezekiel tells you the pastors and followers will both be destroyed, so you have no excuse for being a blind follower, even if the preacher has great credentials.
Read the Word and ask the Lord to teach you on Water Baptism, Holy Communion, praying in the Spirit etc. You can live above the cares of this world including being healed and well all the time. I do it. The Lord says He has put His laws into our hearts; Trust Him, and may everyone that reads this see the Lord!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
While the issue of playing th game does seem to be an issue to some, the game itself can also be utilized as a mission field. Keep in mind that World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer game and has a player base of over 10 million people. This opens a lot of people up to be able to be witnessed to.
There are several guilds (groups of gamers) within the game that have banded together for fellowship and outreach. On the Thunderhorn server you will find Narrow Path, New Blood Covenant, Jesus Freaks, Peace, and Nothing But The Blood. Some of these guilds offer daily bible verses and devotionals on their website as well as offering a weekly bible study on vent.
The game itself, is simply that, a game. It is up to the gamer to determine what they are going to make of it and how they are going to use it.