AN ELECTRONIC POISON

Hello beloved,

“17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.” – Deuteronomy 29:17-18

There is an attack on our young people and it is urgent that the church responds.  We must take action and sound the trumpet.  I have personally witnessed friends of mine being sucked in by a device of satan himself.  I have heard of people actually losing their jobs and, eventually their families, because they get consumed by these devices.  What is it that I am speaking of?  Beloved, it might shock you to know that I am talking about video games.  I believe that what I am about to unveil to you will truly shock you.  But once you get this information, all you have to do is look around.  Ask some co-workers about computer games and you will quickly find how vastly this poison has spread.  Talk to some boys in your youth group and ask them how late they stayed up the night before.  Then, ask them why.

In the past, whenever I heard people talk alot about video games, I just figured they were “video game geeks” and there was really no harm in that.  But, then I heard the word “addiction” combined with video games.  At first, it didn’t make sense to me that someone could become addicted to video games.  I understood, first hand, the power of addiction to drugs and alcohol; but video games?  Come on!  But, as I researched this more thoroughly, I saw some similarities.  You hear people say things like, “I’m trying to cut back.”  That, my friend, is the first sign of an addiction.  Is there something in your life that you are trying to give up, yet you can’t?  That’s a good sign that you are “hooked”.

Just so you don’t think that I have lost my mind, check out some of these statistics.  Did you know that nearly 2.8 million gamers play, in one weeks time, for thirty hours or more?  And some of them actually play for as many as sixty, or even eighty, hours a week.  You might say, “Well, kids should have fun…Let em’ play their video games.”  Well, what if I told you that, according to the Entertainment Software Association, gamers are thirty-three years old, on average, and sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play digital games?  Can you believe that?  Now do you see that we have no small problem on our hand?  Boys are supposed to grow up to become men of God…watchmen.  Yet, they are becoming zombies.

Beloved, these games are no games at all.  They are stealing our youth.  They are causing our fathers to neglect, abandon and even divorce their families.  Do a google search for “Everquest Widows” or “World of Warcraft Widows” and I guarantee that what you find will break your heart.  It is no laughing matter.  But, this being the case, why do we allow our children to play with this poison?

I am twenty-eight years old, so I don’t know if you all can relate to me; but I know that some of you can.  I recall a time, after my first hip surgery, when I was in bed for around a month, that I absolutely could not put the controller down.  I was playing a game where your main objective is to fight an evil power, but what was really addictive was “leveling up” my character.  This is what is so addictive about most of these new games.  A gamer is so much involved in “leveling up” his character, that he might play for eight hours or more before getting up(except for using the bathroom).  I’ve seen this beloved, I’ve even done it.

So, what is it that causes so many to become addicted to these games?  Actually, it can be explained scientifically.  I’m sure you have all heard of endorphins and adrenaline, and possibly you’ve even heard of dopamine.  If you have studied drugs, you will find that these chemicals have a connection to many drugs, such as cocaine.  As a child, I was always taught to “just say no” to drugs and I was warned of the dangers of addiction.  Now, what if I told you that a gaming addiction involves the same biochemicals as cocaine?

A study was done by several British researchers on the brain in which their subjects played a game while having their brain activity monitored.  They found a “two-fold increase in levels of extracellular dopamine” while the gamers played. In case you didn’t know, dopamine is the same chemical that gives a high similar to that of cocaine.  Dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins combine to create a powerfully addictive cocktail.  That is why you are liable to get yelled at if you tell your friend, or child, to stop playing.

So, now we know that there is a scientific explanation for gaming addictions.  But, if you have any spiritual discernment, you will see, it goes much deeper.  You see, God gives every boy the desire to become a man of great significance.  Gaming satisfies our longing to be someone special.  In these games, players don’t just compete in backyard games of “tag”.  No, in these games, the fate of the world belongs to the player.  Video gaming offers a boy a free ticket to the false sense of greatness, without the responsibility and hard work required to true greatness.  And that, more than the biochemicals, is what really draws these kids in.  The problem is, while they build up their character in this false world, their real life is spiraling toward disaster.

So, now that we realize the dangers of video gaming, what do we do?  Some might say that you should set up a schedule, limiting the time spent gaming.  I, however, don’t see the answer there.  The answer, beloved, is repentance.  If you have a friend who is ruining his life in drugs, alcohol, or pornography; will you not call him to repentance?  Then, beloved, you must do the same with video gamers.  Oh, the content might not be as bad as the poison of pornography, but make no mistake, video games are poison.  And, then, you must hold that person accountable.  Oh, you will hear all kinds of excuses, and they will point the finger at everyone but themselves, but you must stick with it.  You must call them to account.

It’s easy to think that we should just “let kids be kids”, but what if I were to tell you that 200 years ago much more was expected of children.  Did you know that John Trumball, who studied under John Adams, read through the bible at age four?  He also passed the entrance exam to Yale at age 7, but his mom held him back until he was thirteen, so he could go to school with his peers.  Believe it or not, back then, around thirteen years of age was the average age of a college freshman.  Benjamin Rush graduated Princeton at age twelve.  The list goes on and on. And, in case you think their curriculum was easier, you should check out the “New England Primer”.  This was the standard text book for elementary aged students since the 1600’s.  What is the problem?  Simple…the fear of God has been removed from our schools and our homes.  I won’t stay here long, but just note that Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”

What I am getting at, beloved, is that there is nothing wrong with the fact that we should expect more out of our children.  You are not a mean parent if you forbid them to play video games and make them read their Bibles.  You are called to instill the fear of God in your children.

Beloved, I hope you now see the dangers of video games.  It is a truth that most do not know.  But, now that you know, please just do what you can to warn others.  It breaks my heart to see this younger generation staying up all night long, playing these games; only to wake up and pop “energy shots”.  That just breaks my heart.  But, even worse than that, is the “fathers” that have turned their backs on their families to play these games.  Beloved, I only hope it breaks your heart too.  And I hope you will tell others about this poison.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant