Murder and Torture for Pleasure?

“A violent video game that encourages players to perform gruesome killings on a ‘genocide crusade’ has been approved for sale in Britain. Hatred, believed to be the most violent game ever produced, was awarded an 18 certificate by the Games Rating Authority yesterday” (The Times, May 23, 2015).

“Adam Simmonds, the police and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire, who has conducted research into children’s exposure to violent video games, said it was ‘outrageous’ that Hatred had been certified. ‘We say that adults should be allowed to play these types of games, but then we’re shocked when children act them out in playgrounds with real weapons,’ he said” (ibid.). The game’s creators noted on their Web site “Don’t take it too seriously, it’s just a game... we wanted to create… something that could give the player a pure gaming pleasure” (ibid.).

Why have murder, evil and destruction become acceptable “pleasures” in society today? Is anything ever “just a game,” or are there mental, emotional, and even physical consequences from playing violent games? The prophet Isaiah warned that end-time society would reach a point when people would actually call evil things “good” and good things “evil” (Isaiah 5:20). We are witnessing these things happening today. For more on this subject, read our article “How the Media Mold the World.”