It's Just A... Game
- Joe Hawkins
- Sep 24
- 7 min read
The Excuse We All Hear
“It’s just a game.”
That’s the defense so many use when concerns are raised about what fills today’s screens. Parents say it when their kids spend hours online. Teens say it when confronted about violent or occult themes. Adults say it to justify their own entertainment. The assumption is that video games are harmless fun — nothing more than playtime in a digital world.
But anyone who has ever played knows that games are not passive entertainment. Unlike movies or music, games don’t just tell you a story — they let you live it. Every choice, every mission, every battle is immersive discipleship. What begins as pixels on a screen becomes participation in a worldview.
The Trojan Horse of Gaming
Games are the enemy’s most effective Trojan Horse because of their interactive nature. A movie or TV show washes over you, but a game requires your hands, your mind, and your time. It doesn’t just entertain you; it trains you.
Players spend hundreds — sometimes thousands — of hours building identities, mastering skills, and inhabiting digital worlds. Along the way, games normalize whatever content is embedded in their storylines: sorcery, violence, lust, rebellion, or even open Satanic worship. Repetition reinforces it, and immersion cements it. By the time the credits roll — if they ever do — the heart has been discipled one click at a time.
The Digital Altars of Our Age
Video games today come in many forms — from open-world adventures and first-person shooters, to fantasy role-playing, horror survival, and even “family-friendly” building games. Each of these genres carries its own influence, but the common thread is the same: they immerse players in worlds where violence, occult practices, sexual immorality, and rebellion are not just watched but performed. What used to be subtle storylines are now the core mechanics of gameplay, rewarding players for what God’s Word calls sin. Whether it’s slaying demons, casting spells, glorifying brutality, redefining identity, or casually brewing potions in a colorful sandbox, the message is clear — these games are not neutral. They disciple players one click, one level, one achievement at a time.
Diablo Series:
Built entirely on demonic lore, Diablo immerses players in hellscapes filled with demons, rituals, and dark magic. Players must navigate occult-infused storylines where sorcery and demonic alliances are normalized. Though the premise casts the player as a demon-slayer, the constant exposure to hell imagery and occult power makes the demonic mainstream. Over decades, the series has discipled millions into treating hell and Satanic forces as entertainment.
Resident Evil Series:
Originally a survival-horror game, Resident Evil has become infamous for its grotesque depictions of zombies, gore, and supernatural terror. Players must fight through nightmarish creatures and violent battles that often revel in bloodshed. While the narrative pits players against evil, the sheer brutality desensitizes audiences to horror. What would once make people recoil is now consumed as thrilling gameplay.
Elder Scrolls / Skyrim:
This fantasy franchise is celebrated for its open-world exploration, but its core mechanics include spellcasting, necromancy, and the worship of pagan gods. Players gain power by practicing magic, offering sacrifices, and aligning with deities that mimic false idols. What Scripture calls detestable is packaged as noble quests and thrilling adventures. In the process, idolatry and occult practices are disguised as harmless entertainment.
Cult of the Lamb:
This game is one of the most blatant examples of occult indoctrination disguised as play. Players lead a cult, perform sacrifices, and worship dark gods, all under the cover of charming, cartoon-like visuals. Its “cute” art style attracts children and teens, lowering their defenses against its disturbing themes. The game makes demonic rituals and false worship feel quirky, harmless, and even fun.
Doom:
Since the 1990s, Doom has been synonymous with demon-slaying in hellish landscapes. While the player is cast as a warrior against the forces of hell, the game saturates the imagination with blood, gore, and Satanic imagery. Entire levels are set in demonic strongholds, complete with rituals and grotesque creatures. Hell becomes not a place of judgment to be feared, but a violent playground to be explored.
Devil May Cry:
This stylish franchise glamorizes the idea of being half-demon as heroic and powerful. The protagonist, Dante, draws strength from his demonic heritage, turning what Scripture condemns into something desirable. Gameplay rewards players for wielding occult weapons and embracing supernatural abilities rooted in darkness. The underlying message is clear: demonic bloodlines and rebellion can be a source of strength.
Grand Theft Auto (GTA):
Few games celebrate sin more openly than Grand Theft Auto. Players are rewarded for committing murder, theft, prostitution, and corruption — the very things God condemns. Instead of consequences, the game offers success and wealth through lawlessness. For decades, it has discipled players to see immorality not as destructive, but as entertaining and profitable.
Call of Duty:
Framed as “realistic warfare,” Call of Duty places players in constant cycles of killing. While not occult, the effect is desensitization to violence and death. Life becomes nothing more than a target on a screen, reducing human value to points and ranks. Over years of play, the conscience becomes dulled to the gravity of killing.
Mortal Kombat:
When it first appeared in the 1990s, Mortal Kombat shocked audiences with its graphic finishing moves. Today, those “fatalities” have become a celebrated staple of the franchise. Players revel in grotesque acts of violence, with blood and gore amplified in every new release. What once horrified has now become normalized entertainment.
The Sims:
Presented as a family-friendly simulation, The Sims allows players to create households that embrace same-sex relationships, gender-swapping, and redefined family structures. What looks like playful customization actually disciples players into seeing God’s design for family as irrelevant. Over time, sin becomes normalized as “just part of the game.” In reality, it is digital idolatry masquerading as creativity.
Cyberpunk 2077:
This futuristic RPG is drenched in pornography, immorality, and transhumanist ideology. Players can choose graphic sexual encounters, alter their bodies with cybernetic implants, and live out fantasies of rebellion. The underlying message is that humanity is broken and salvation comes through technology and lust. God’s design for human dignity is replaced with man’s dream of self-reinvention.
World of Warcraft:
This MMORPG has captured players for decades, with some devoting years of their lives to its fantasy world. Guilds, quests, and magical rituals create a form of digital devotion that often surpasses time spent in reality. Players shape entire identities and communities in a false world. For many, it becomes a kind of religion — demanding loyalty and sacrifice without offering true hope.
Fortnite:
Far more than a shooting game, Fortnite has become a cultural hub for events, concerts, and rituals inside its digital world. Millions of players log on not just to fight, but to socialize and participate in digital spectacles. These events blur the line between gaming and reality, turning the game into a kind of global gathering place. The influence goes beyond entertainment — it reshapes how young people see community, culture, and even identity.
Roblox:
Marketed as a kids’ platform, Roblox gives players freedom to create their own games and experiences. But that freedom has opened doors to disturbing content, from occult roleplay to sexualized avatars and inappropriate simulations. Children are discipled not only by what they play, but by what other users create. What appears safe and fun is, in reality, a breeding ground for spiritual compromise.
Minecraft:
At first glance, Minecraft seems innocent, encouraging creativity and exploration in a blocky world. But its mechanics include brewing potions, summoning creatures, and exploring alternate dimensions like “The Nether” and “The End,” which are filled with demonic undertones. Death is casual, magic is celebrated, and online servers expose children to inappropriate content and occult themes. With its massive popularity, Minecraft has become a subtle training ground for rebellion and desensitization, even while hiding under the label of “family-friendly fun.”
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The Coming Metaverse
All of this points toward the future: virtual reality and the metaverse. The idea is simple — live in another body, another world, another reality. But beneath the technology lies the same deception the serpent offered in Eden: “You will be like God.”
Gaming is preparing a generation for transhumanism, digital identities, and an existence apart from God’s design. What feels like harmless play is shaping hearts to embrace the coming Beast system.
The Spiritual Consequences
The Bible warns: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Games are not neutral. They conform minds through immersion and repetition.
Idolatry: When games consume our time and devotion.
Rebellion: When sin becomes normal and fun.
Bondage: When addiction traps players in digital worlds while real life withers away.
What begins as “just a game” often ends as spiritual slavery.
The Call to Discernment
Christians are not called to abandon discernment at the door of entertainment. Psalm 101:3 says, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” The same is true of screens in our hands.
The next time someone shrugs and says, “It’s just a game,” remember: games are not neutral. They disciple hearts and train minds. The only question is — are they drawing us closer to Christ, or programming us for compromise?
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