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I say it depends on what the M is for and even then there's no proof that there is harm in them. If you're one of the people who's concerned that violence in video games helps train kids to be killers in real life, there's no actual scientific proof that that's true. There was a couple, Dr. Lawrence Kutner and Dr. Cheryl Olsen, that did research on the subject and found that the proof people like Jack Thompson (one of the biggest leaders in the anti-video game violence movement) was very much agenda driven and not science at all. They would say that people like the Columbine shooters had a copy of Grand Theft Auto in the house and would say, "Yeah, but you're forgetting that now a days that's a very common thing to find in your average house now, a violent video game of any sort you're probably gonna find in any house in America. You probably also found Twinkies or Crest Toothpaste as well." The truth of the matter is there's no proof of a correlation existing between acts of violence and violent video games.
As for sexual content, I'd say use discretion. Especially when it becomes a religious issue because it can be viewed as essentially porn. If you read on the back for why the game was rated M, which it always lists or could easily be Googled, you can use your own discretion from there.
As for sexual content, I'd say use discretion. Especially when it becomes a religious issue because it can be viewed as essentially porn. If you read on the back for why the game was rated M, which it always lists or could easily be Googled, you can use your own discretion from there.
The things of the world creep in, or we have been surrounded by those things since birth. We get complacent, used to whatever it is. Just because we don't recognize the negative changes in ourselves, usually it's a little at a time, doesn't mean it's not there. Like when your hair grows longer. You don't see it growing, day by day, until it's bushy and needs trimming. Yet other people see it. Another example, violent games/movies/music. Our hearts get hardened to it, the more we do it, and we don't see the effect it's having on us, until God shocks us back to His reality, or when we stop doing it for a while, and then see it again, it's not so appealing anymore. The Lord's Spirit will stir within us, and show us that it's unpleasant, or a sin.
As we change, through the Holy Spirit guiding us through life, and our hearts soften, we become more sensitive to those things, and they become offensive to us. As he purifys us with His wisdom, and we become more holy, we will turn away from the things of the world that are violent, oppressive, or distracting from God.
Sometimes it's a gradual education from the Lord, and sometimes it's a powerful awakening.
As we change, through the Holy Spirit guiding us through life, and our hearts soften, we become more sensitive to those things, and they become offensive to us. As he purifys us with His wisdom, and we become more holy, we will turn away from the things of the world that are violent, oppressive, or distracting from God.
Sometimes it's a gradual education from the Lord, and sometimes it's a powerful awakening.
Some thoughts I have gotten so far by reading the posts.
1. What EXACTLY does sin means?
2. Is it sin to play games, but also watch movies or spend time to other types of entertaiment considered M or close to that?
My point of view:
Sin is action but also a state in life where you are turning away from God and where you DON'T look for him nor care what he likes or don't like.
That puts question: Why you are spening your time with M rated material? For your own entertainment (to switch off your mind) or for some other reason, (conversations, viewpoints, etc.)?
I have played quite lot of games with M rating, and if my made and hosted roleplay game would be rated I think that also may be M or very close at least.
Last to say, I have had one of the most interesting conversations about bad sides of life, sexual issues and even violence with God. The games have been the material for those conversations but I have had to be carefull what I watch with those and what not.
1. What EXACTLY does sin means?
2. Is it sin to play games, but also watch movies or spend time to other types of entertaiment considered M or close to that?
My point of view:
Sin is action but also a state in life where you are turning away from God and where you DON'T look for him nor care what he likes or don't like.
That puts question: Why you are spening your time with M rated material? For your own entertainment (to switch off your mind) or for some other reason, (conversations, viewpoints, etc.)?
I have played quite lot of games with M rating, and if my made and hosted roleplay game would be rated I think that also may be M or very close at least.
Last to say, I have had one of the most interesting conversations about bad sides of life, sexual issues and even violence with God. The games have been the material for those conversations but I have had to be carefull what I watch with those and what not.
Mature and immoral have 2 different meanings. Immoral is bad no matter your age period.
Mature on the other hand could mean a lot of things. If by mature you mean it in the immoral sense, then like I said before, it's not good for anyone. But if by mature you mean something not on a child's level, then there's a myriad of reasons why it's okay for an adult but not a child. An example, I think everyone should watch the movie Crash at least once. It's a heavy movie that deals with the issues of racism, sexual abuse, and prejudice/stereotypes in general. However it'd not a movie would recommend to anyone under the age of at least 13. Why? Because even though the movie has a good message those are huge issues that a child will not understand and might even be scared by. But anyone older would get the message the movie is trying to convey and are more likely to take something away from it.
Now as for pertaining to video games, a lot of the above applies. Like Fallout 3, which I'm a huge fan of, I would recommend to a teen or adult, but not to a young child. The game deals with things like slavery, violence, bigotry, greed, and war. There are some violent parts in it that one might consider disturbing, depending on how you play the game. From the second the game starts your character makes their own choices and you see the consequences of your actions throughout the game. You can play through as a villain, but it'll bite you because you'll have regulators after you, some places will identify you as a villain and treat you accordingly, and even your father, whom you spend most of the game searching for because he vanishes at the beginning, will either react happy and proud to see how you've grown, or disappointed and ashamed of what you've become. However if you play the hero, you gain allies, you end up with more places you can visit constantly and trade with, half the time you even get greater rewards for being a hero. That's why I love that game because there is almost nothing you can do that won't have a positive or negative consequence and it lets you see how your choices will effect you. Granted the majority of scenarios are not ones you will ever run into in real life, but you still get the motivation to at least try to make the right choices. The only reason I wouldn't recommend it to a child is the violence level and there is some swearing in it. While swearing can be considered bad for all ages, the violence is something that could potentially scare a child, and the overall plot of the game would be way over their heads. At lot of it is something a mature audience would get more from than a young audience.
Mature on the other hand could mean a lot of things. If by mature you mean it in the immoral sense, then like I said before, it's not good for anyone. But if by mature you mean something not on a child's level, then there's a myriad of reasons why it's okay for an adult but not a child. An example, I think everyone should watch the movie Crash at least once. It's a heavy movie that deals with the issues of racism, sexual abuse, and prejudice/stereotypes in general. However it'd not a movie would recommend to anyone under the age of at least 13. Why? Because even though the movie has a good message those are huge issues that a child will not understand and might even be scared by. But anyone older would get the message the movie is trying to convey and are more likely to take something away from it.
Now as for pertaining to video games, a lot of the above applies. Like Fallout 3, which I'm a huge fan of, I would recommend to a teen or adult, but not to a young child. The game deals with things like slavery, violence, bigotry, greed, and war. There are some violent parts in it that one might consider disturbing, depending on how you play the game. From the second the game starts your character makes their own choices and you see the consequences of your actions throughout the game. You can play through as a villain, but it'll bite you because you'll have regulators after you, some places will identify you as a villain and treat you accordingly, and even your father, whom you spend most of the game searching for because he vanishes at the beginning, will either react happy and proud to see how you've grown, or disappointed and ashamed of what you've become. However if you play the hero, you gain allies, you end up with more places you can visit constantly and trade with, half the time you even get greater rewards for being a hero. That's why I love that game because there is almost nothing you can do that won't have a positive or negative consequence and it lets you see how your choices will effect you. Granted the majority of scenarios are not ones you will ever run into in real life, but you still get the motivation to at least try to make the right choices. The only reason I wouldn't recommend it to a child is the violence level and there is some swearing in it. While swearing can be considered bad for all ages, the violence is something that could potentially scare a child, and the overall plot of the game would be way over their heads. At lot of it is something a mature audience would get more from than a young audience.
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i dont see how its a sin wheres the verse saying tho shalt not play video games for the whole argument it causes real world violence i think you have to be a bit wrong in the head to commit things like murder i mean before videogame ppl were blaming movies before that music plus if the studies were true crime should be up and not down and on the real issue lets look at say american football thousand of kids get real injures from 1931 - 2007 665 kids died from injures playing football video games asfar as i know have cause no deaths and yet they say video games are bad
as for the parent side i say its up to the parent and keep an eye on that kid i mean if i had a child i wouldnt let him play a violent game until he was 12 and i will make sure he wont copy it just like what my mum did with me i played duke nukem when i was about 12 and that had violence swears nudity and i never copied it or let it influence me if anything it influenced me to become a game modeller
as for the parent side i say its up to the parent and keep an eye on that kid i mean if i had a child i wouldnt let him play a violent game until he was 12 and i will make sure he wont copy it just like what my mum did with me i played duke nukem when i was about 12 and that had violence swears nudity and i never copied it or let it influence me if anything it influenced me to become a game modeller