According to recent statistics, there are approximately 3 billion gamers worldwide, 53% of gamers are male and 47% are female, and most gamers are between the ages of 18 and 49 years old (although, people of all ages do play video games). To say the least about these stats would be to say that A LOT of people play video games! I, too, am a gamer and I still remember the day that my dad bought me my Sega Genesis, but my favorite is a tie between Nintendo 64 and anything with PlayStation. Video games are fun way to relax, wind down, and still be able to keep our minds engaged. I find myself using video games as a way to settle my mind after a long day.
However, while resting is important, we must be very careful to not let these worldly and material possessions take over our lives (even God “rested” in Genesis 2:2 after His 6 days of creation. NOTE: God did “rest” but not in the way we rest as He never gets tired as we do. He just stopped creating after 6 days. Later He would establish the seventh day as a day of rest for the Jews. By doing so, He emphasized the importance of rest for humankind.).
While some gamers may only spend a few hours a week playing video games, there is certainly a lot of potential for them to take over our lives, so much to the point that we forget about the important things that are going on in our lives. Colossians 3:2 (ESV) says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” When we allow our time to be completely overtaken by worldly pleasures, we will eventually push out everything else, including God and our Christian faith.
In Ecclesiastes 3, we see that there is a time for everything. For instance, in verse 5 we are told by God’s Word that there “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing” (ESV). Our down time should be handled no differently. Again, I myself enjoy using video games to relax, and that relaxing is important for us also, but, we must make sure that we are putting our priorities in the correct order.
What are these priorities? Well, God’s Word is full of them, but a good starting place for correcting our priorities is in Matthew 6:33. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.
So my challenge to you is this: Before playing a video game, try reading one chapter from the Bible. Maybe try reading two chapters before each gaming session! God’s Word will provide so much more for you than any gaming world can or ever will. Remember what Psalm 1 teaches us as we strive to get out of the worldly things in life in more into God’s Word, blessed is the man who’s “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night! (ESV)”
