I am playing twice a week, white-wolf role-playing games such as World of Darkness and Vampire the Requiem... Also I am a Warhammer maniac.

An eastern orthodox priest I talked to told me that these are creations of the antichrist... Is this even close to true?

Ο Κύριος να είναι μαζί σας.

I don't think neccesarily RPGs are immoral or moral. Immoral people may play them, but that's a reflection of the people involved. I was an RPGer when I was younger, and the thing that concerns me is the move to RPGs on the net, like World of Warcraft etc. I am disturbed by the way that people can percieve their webbased lif to be "more real" than their actual life, though I think this is more a function of the medium than the game. If you can treat it as a game, fine. If it is about wishing you were someone else, not so fine. Personally the thing I liked in RPGs was the social contact and the idea of exploring how I'd react in scenarios; my characters were thinly disguised versions of myself. Whether you feel like you should play White Wolf, which has a number of aspects which contradict Catholic theology is up to you. Heres an idea. Play a character that fights to expose all the inaccuracies in Christology in the books...

N

I'd be careful with the RPGs. I used to be a pretty hardcore online rpg type of person and that lol was not very healthy.

As long as you realize its all a game and nothing more then its fine.

RPGs are games. As long as you remember that fact, and don't spend all day gaming, they are ok.

-- John

Some of my middle school age students are playing a game during their free time called, "runescape." I am trying to find enough info to decide whether to allow this, or block that site on any school computers. Anyone know anything about this game?

I never played Runescape, but I did know a few who did. I can tell you there is prolly some unsavory langunage being used by the other players your kids might be interacting with.

I've been a D&D player since the late 70's. My group of D&D playing pals all switched from paper-n-pencil to "NeverwinterNights" when it came out several years ago. We still play - every Sunday night from 8 to 11.

For us, D&D is first and foremost, a game. It's like reading a fantasy novel, but having that novel be "interactive." Keep that frame of mind during your game play, and all is well.

Second, for a group of guys who went to elementary and high school together, and have now married and gone out into the world, it gives us a change to stil have fellowship with each other - even if it is for just a few hours each week.

Like the other posters, only if your gaming starts to "consume" your life - and that's ALL you do (like the people who used to play Everquest at my job - we called in EverCrack - because they were like crack-addicts for that game) - then you have a problem.

It's not that I might think it's true or anything. It's just that Vampires, Mages and Werewolves in Greece sound satanic. Let's not forget that more than 100 harry potter books were burnt by orthodox priests (in Greere or Russia, can't remember).

I think they're fine as long as people can tell it's fictional.

Only 100 then they were not so worried about the book.

ICXC
NIKA

This is how you know whether you should be playing those games or not:

1 John
Chapter 4

1
1 Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

4
You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5
They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them.
6
We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
7
3 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Armando you asked a very wise priest and he spoke the truth...This is how you know whether you should be playing those games or not:

1 John
Chapter 4

1
1 Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2
This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh be longs to God,
3
and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus 2 does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.

4
You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5
They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them.
6
We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
7
3 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Question is what spirits inspire a raft of leisure or vocational activities that do not acknowledge Jesus came as Lord? I think the key part of reading that passage is that it is talking about the whether spirit behind an activity or person implicitly and essentially DENIES Christ came, if that is its reason d'eitre, let's say. I don't know that it's applicable to many elements of our leisure activities. BY that token, because football, for instance, doesn't implicitly acknowldege the incarnation it is not inspired by positive spirits. Maybe, but the question also must be asked, is that a fair standard to apply to it?

N

Perhaps this is a stupid question from someone who only knows the RPG gaming industry only a little, but...

Is it possible to set up an RPG game that is Eastern Christian based, where the gamers have to interact with eachother as they seek holyness... collect items such as icons and relics... and learn things like the 8 samohlasniy tones? (Byzantine Catechesis in a game format!)

Think of this... "Your elderly bishop has a dream in which an angel tells him retreve a particular icon which will help your eparchy to grow closer to God, or which will cure cancer, or something. He calls you to his bedside and asks you to retreve it because it is hidden in some monastic lavra in a hostile non-Christian country, and he is to old and frail to get it himself..."

Perhaps we can evangelize, educate, and inspire people without them even knowing it.

Besides computer game addictions (which are real) what would be the major drawbacks?

Fr. Bo
(Who has not fully thought out all the pros and cons of such a project before posting this.)

In the game I play - "Neverwinter Nights" - there is content provided by the manufacturer as well as user-generated content.

If one were willing to author it, I'm sure some interesting evangelization could be done, under the guise of playing the game - and a scenario such as the one you presented would be wonderful.

In order to reinforce the drive for holiness and goodness, the gamemaster could enforce "all-good" parties, encourage certain clasess of characters. Experience points are awarded for acts of mercy and righteousness. And... what a better thing for good characters to do than to smite evil while they embark on the quest?

I think you're on to something, Fr Bo!

I once ran a game set among nascent Christians, around the Mithraic struggles in ROme. No magic, just straight out human characters and their struggles with persecution and their discovery of a VERY new faith.

Only trouble was getting and keeping players..no magic, moral characters and being persecuted..hard to sell..

N

It is cool to see that the idea has some interest. And I love monday mornings because they let me play with such ideas.

I think most people play to give themselves a break from reality to some extent, and I think that possibilities are huge in RPG's.

(again I have not gone through all of the pros and cons, but this is fun to imagine)

I agree with no "magic" (players dont throw fireballs or cast spells to turn people into frogs), but how about various spiritual "powers" such as: miracles, levitation, healing, discernment, prophecy, bi-location, blessing, stop natural disasters, walk through walls, the ability to fast for long periods of time, speak to animals, exorsisms, survive tortures... Think of all the increadible things the saints have done! But in order to do something increadible you need to gain enough experience through prayer, fasting and good works to exercise such powers.

Perhaps even as we create characters each person could be granted one spiritual gift from the start, then as one grows in holyness they gain other gifts.

"bad guys" might be able to: curse, tempt, discourage, even possess (however the person posessed should be able to pray and fast their way free), cripple,...

People should be able to do bad things, such as steal, destroy, even hurt others, but... they loose ability to use their God given gifts, and they do not gain anyting except perhaps something useless like money (only computer generated "bad guys" would be able to have evil powers). Evil doers also do not gain experience points. And there would be sacraments for the forgiveness of sins!

One could collect many things such as: vestments, candles (used both for prayer as well as for light in dark monastery caves), bibles, bible commentaries, icons, insence, church goods, prayer ropes, holy water, blessed food,...

The quality of your prayer, the degree of your fasting, the amount of your charity, the time you spend listening and helping others, all are factors to how fast your character grows. Learn the tones; have a better prayer experience. Set up a charitable society; help more people. Enter a school; gain catechetical experience....

People might be able to build and run Churches, create and/or teach at schools or theological institutes, found monasteries, build orphanages, church goods stores, soup kitchens, thrift stores,...

Everyone needs to be able to evangelize, to do charity, to pray, to fast, to eat, to exersise (taking care of our bodies is important too.) Heck even cleaning up the virtual world would gain you experience because God told us to be stewards of creation.

In the oceans one could find leviathan (the great beast He made to have fun), and you could become St. George and slay the dragon.

Perhaps people would not be elves, dragons, trolls or mermaids, but if this is to appeal to our sense of imagination, then why not allow people to be Angels? People could also follow many spiritual vocations: laity, maried people, celabate people, iconographers, cantors, minor orders, major orders, monks & nuns... Heck if one wanted to you could even choose the rite to which you belong which would The possibilities are endless.

I think if one spent all the countless hours setting it up, people would love playing... Unfortunately I do not have those countless hours.

I am curious if this would inspire and help people to actually become more holy in real life (maybe not too much). At least it may help with catechesis.

I look forward to your comments.

Fr. Bo (with too many ideas)

Mine was based around an AD&D second editon sourcebok, Glory of Rome, which had Christian Cleric rules. I tweaked them for my own system

N

I currently see no problem with none of the RPG's as they are for the most part. DnD is fun as long as you have a good group. Now I realize that DnD is poletheistic but in a way so is LOTR, so I really don't see how a polytheistic imaginary world is a BAD thing..

Ned, do you still have the Glory of Rome sourcebook? I wouldn't mind seeing how they configured the "Christian Cleric" class.

R..ocket P..ropelled G..renade....? moral or not, well, is it a 'just' (Augustinian view) war or what..?? Oh, that's not what you mean , ...

RPGs themselves are not something evil, but they can be a tool used by evil. Just like a hammer can be used to build something up or destroy it.

We should not let ourselves 'play around' with, and get comfortable with timgs like polytheism, magic, killing or whatever. Why open the door to un-Christ-like stuff?

Having said this I still say that computer games are not all bad. They can be a healthy break from the busyness of life (which some people need), and as I mentioned earlier they can even be used to teach and inspire us to good things.

As a priest I say:

* avoid playing games that focus on violence, 'evil' (including poly or whatever theism), or other moraly questionable content.

* be careful of how much time one spends on gaming. Dont get addicted. Dont let playing get in the way of living.

* the occasional ("non-morally-questionable") computer game is not bad.

If we are to be healthy balanced Christ-centred people, then do healthy balanced Christ-centred stuff.


Fr. Bo

Hey. I don't have the Glory of Rome book; I think it's in Adelaide of all places. They configured the CHristian Cleric something like a pacifist priest, with healing etc. as major spheres, and only blnt weapons allowed. They pushed the idea of the early Church as being pacifistic, which is contestable, but was mainly in opposition as to their portrayal of Mithraic priests.

N

Check this out! ]

Someone's been thinking about this same thing - playing D&D with a Christian-spin on it. And, it's certainly got an Eastern-Christian spin on it, at that.

"Petroyeska" is the campaign setting.

I agree. At first, I thought RPG meant the weapon...

I don't have the patience for games that require a bunch of reading - I am the play sports outdoors type - but a lot of my friends actually do play D&D. Why roll dice and talk about swordplay when you can take fencing lessons and do it for real? I guess I'm a reality based person who prefers reality based pursuits. Fantasy and sci fi bore me to tears, most of the time.

My friends generally have played a Tolkienesque game, according to house rules that characters must be "good" (or at least not "evil") for everyone's enjoyment. That seems to be a common thread among adults who enjoy these games.

I find these types of games terribly boring, but the few people I know who play them tend to be observant Christians of the Catholic or Orthodox faith who don't get wrapped up in them any more than an ongoing game of checkers. They tend to use Tolkien style scenarios and focus on problem solving aspects of the game. Still, I can't see hours spent doing this. Big yawn, I say.

I tend to think that some people who are frankly a little weird to begin with and likely to be led astray are not good candidates for these types of activities; especially true of morose high schoolers who want to withdraw from reality. We all knew kids like that when we were of that generation. Too much fantasy can be poison for some people who are escapists in a dark way. I would never blame a game for what they are, but I would say it is a recreational pursuit that should be avoided by some.

:D this is rekindling a waning intrest in programming...

Though honestly to make such a game work(sell) I think you would almost have to let people be demons as well...

I think it could be "sold" without demons, etc... (of course I could be wrong). Just have a fun & challenging game and people will come.

Besides, not having evil characters would set this game appart from other ones, and would be a positive selling feature for many. (Think of all those who feel guilty playing other games)

Arn't there existing RPG game engines that one could use to set something like this up? I would be interested in 'playing' with the idea in some limited way.

(I will not start another project. I will not start another project. I will not start another project. I will not start another project. I will not start another project. I will not start another project. I will not start another project. ....)

Perhaps someone among you could set up a primative test game and we could see what it would take to make it fun & challenging. If we can't; at least we would have fun trying. I am sure that right here we could find several people willing to test it.

Fr. Bo

I used to play them a lot as well, but the more I read the saints and theology the more it made me realize that they aren't really that good. You can defenitly find more meaningful diversions, prayer, reading, working, hobbies that would be more productive and not as addictive.

I just don't think leveling up for hours a fake character is really going to help your spiritual life much. Ok, you may say it's harmless recreation, but I think it would be better to spend time like that with friends or a good book, or just plain working.

"Why dost thou seekest repose when thou art born to labor." -Thomas a Kempis.