Magic in Games and Media: One Christian's Perspective

Nowadays, more than any other time in history, the concept of magic and magical powers has reached a kind of acceptance among the populace at large. With the popularity of Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, we see magic playing some kind of role in the plots of those stories and movies. We see magic in table-top gaming in games like Dungeons & Dragons, the much villified role-playing game brand in which players can choose to play a fighter, a thief, a spell-casting cleric, or a magic-user. How about board games? Moreover, board games like Terra Mystica, Dominion, and Tzol'kin feature some form of magic either as a side element or as a central aspect of gameplay. And, of course, you have Magic: The Gathering, which is the granddaddy of collectible card games; it's over twenty years old now, but its pro tournament circuit is stronger than ever and new expansions and sets are released every year. The idea of magic is now a part of the fabric of various pastimes and entertainment.

Now, if you are not a Christian, then the following discussion may not apply to you, but please feel free to read just to get what I feel is a different perspective from some Christian folks out there. However, if you are a Christian, let me share a few verses with you for your consideration:

...Do not practice divination or seek omens. (Leviticus 19:26b, NIV)

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, NIV) 

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8, NIV)

As a Christian, you may have heard these verses or something like these verses ever since Sunday School days. Often, these verses were proffered as warning against practicing magical arts, summoning demons, or pursuing any dark art that touches Satan. Considering the intent of these verses in their contexts in the Bible, these verses reflected the wisdom of God as He knows better than anyone of the seductive nature of ill-gotten power. However, starting (I'd say) in the mid-1970s when Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was released, verses like the ones above were often used to disparage medieval-themed role-playing games (RPGs) and the presence of spells and magic-users. Some conscientious parents would warn their children of the dangers of indulging in such role play and their warnings were justified with such awful occurrences as the deaths of some RPG players in the steam tunnels of the University of Michigan or the suicides of young people whose game characters had died during a (fictional, mind you) campaign. More and more, games like D&D were targeted by Christians.

Yet, D&D didn't go away. In fact, its second edition came out in 1989 and, by then, it had become a beacon of hope for introverted, academically-minded, socially-challenged students everywhere who wanted to escape the reality of school bullying and being disliked for their intellectual prowess. More fantasy-themed RPGs emerged, and then came Magic: The Gathering, which revolutionized card gaming by presenting a customizable game experience: you could build a deck with your own strategy, tactics, and cards and then pit that deck against someone else's deck. When it first came out, acceptance was slow, but then it exploded by its third edition and a secondary market of individual cards flourished as a tournament circuit was established. Other companies attempted to cash in on the collectible card game craze as new games popped up every year. Those games would surge for a short time, and then disappear under the tidal wave of Magic fandom.

As D&D marched on and Magic set its footprint, fantasy computer games became more and more complex and immersive. In the 80s, it was consoles games like The Legend of Zelda and Sword of Vermillion, and PC games like Ultima, Bard's Quest, and the D&D computer games that captivated RPG players when they couldn't get a campaign going. In the late 90s as home computers became faster with improved graphics and sound, even more complex and eye-popping games like Baldur's Gate and (ironically) Diablo were developed, and Ultima went online. Then, Warcraft became World of Warcraft and fantasy-themed gaming not only dominated RPGs and card games, but had a strong influence in online gaming and native-PC (i.e. installed on one's own computer only) gaming. Moreover, fantasy themes and magic are prominent in numerous Euro games, such as the aforementioned Terra Mystica, as well as Mage Knight, Descent, and other popular board games.

Eventually, fantasy fans in their teenage years grew up to be successful businessmen and, interestingly, movie producers and writers. It would be no surprise that the same kids who hid in the metal shop room in high school and rolled characters grew up to be movie makers who loved fantasy-based themes. Of course, with the fantasy themes comes magic, which is an integral part of the all of the previously mentioned games and media. Thus, (and for other reasons, I'm sure) magic seems to not only be present in numerous forms of entertainment, but it's accepted by people. In a strange way, the popular opinion on magic seems to be that there is "good" magic and there is "bad" magic, much like there's the "light" side of the Force and the "dark" side.

So, what's a Christian to do? Before I became a Christian, I was very much interested in D&D and Magic and Ultima. I loved fantasy-based adventures and enjoyed collecting the books and cards that featured swordplay, questing, and magic. When I became a Christian, I stowed away all of that paraphernalia (which wasn't hard to do because I was in Japan and my stuff was at my parents' house) and forgot about fantasy themes and magic. Yet, when I returned home, I unearthed those items, felt the waves of positive nostalgia associated with Magic card game duels, late-night role-playing sessions, and hours of battling monsters in Baldur's Gate and found myself drawn into those worlds again. I had even started rebuilding Magic decks...

Is magic in games and movies really that bad? One may answer "no" because these are depictions of magic use and not actual magic use. Just as one acts out Claudius in Hamlet and can finish the play without becoming a murderer, one can play a game that features magic and emerge with zero interest in pursuing it. Likewise, the mere act of, say, playing Magic is not sinful behavior; I have yet to meet or read about a single person who has sought a wicca lifestyle or pursued spellcasting as a result of playing that game. Also, even though some Chick evangelist tracts would suggest that RPGs lead to Satan worship, I have yet to read about or meet a person who became a Satan worshipper as a direct result of playing D&D.

Despite this, I have sought to minimize magic themes in my life and games. It started with the Magic cards. Put aside some of the questionably-clad females on the cards and some of the demon imagery and, sure, you have a game of wonderfully deep strategy and creativity, but you also have to address  an underlying concept: magic is okay. I couldn't reconcile the beauty of the game with how, even indirectly, the game seemed to condone magic. I ended up selling some of the cards and discarding (pun intended) the rest. Next, I dealt with my RPG books. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to suit up armor again in a virtual sense and go on an imaginary adventure?" Yet, I was confronted with that same question: would I want my boys to play RPGs? I began to remember how I would lose myself in a fantasy world, make characters for hours, and dream about a world that was not real. Indeed, it was (and is) fun to escape reality for a while, and the mere act of playing RPGs didn't bother me, but the idea that "magic was okay" didn't sit well with me, so I sold those books and used the money to buy family-oriented European board games like Puerto Rico and Agricola.

The push to minimize magic in my life and the games I played was borne from a "personal conviction," which, among Christians, means that though there is no direct scriptural reference against playing RPGs or card games, I felt compelled by God to turn my back on magic. Because this is on the level of a "personal conviction," I have to say that I believe it is not a sin to play Magic or D&D or Ultima or World of Warcraft. In a similar vein, it is not against God, per se, to watch a sword-and-sorcery epic. Yet, this conviction has led me to the question, "Would I want my boys to play these games?" What kind of effect could magic in these games affect my boys? The answer to that is what I called "the planted seed."

What does that mean? We all understand the concept of magic: through force of will or the summoning of supernatural powers, a wizard or other form of magic-user casts a spell to turn an outcome in his or her favor. It is the accessing of something apart from God to influence a self-driven outcome. Outside of magic, people seek to do this all the time, whether it be by paying someone to do some work, by striking a deal with a neighbor, or by talking someone into ignoring something wrong someone else did. Magic is a spectacular, supernatural way of making things happen, which works in opposition to God's will because God's will is almost always different from my, your, or anybody's will. However, magic, unlike other forms of influence, is an attractive concept to the powerless and power-hungry, and the acceptance of magic plants a seed in one's mind: it's okay to seek power by whatever means necessary. In other words, by accepting the idea of magic, we accept the idea of our supremacy over nature and over God's will.

Is that a bit too extreme of a view? Consider this: you may have a child who likes Harry Potter. More than the demons and supernatural creatures present in the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter, there is the idea that magic enhances one's life, makes one stronger, and can be used to defend others. In some ways, Harry Potter is a noble young character, yet he is not submitting to the will of God or even living by a strict moral code that involves sacrificing his desires all the time; instead, my impression of Harry Potter is that the end often justifies the means, that magic is a necessary tool in generating favorable outcomes, and that there is nothing but one's own will that determines whether evil succeeds or fails. For a non-Christian, this is a fine idea: I can overcome obstacles to achieve my ends. However, for a child who is young in his Christian faith, magic represents something that is antithetical to submitting to God's authority and not submitting to the will of supernatural power that isn't from God.

Let me state it another way. Most Christians focus on magic being "bad" because it involves conjuring demons or seeking power from evil spirits. This is a well-taken point if one is consistent with it insofar as any depiction is treated this way, even in works by Christian (or Catholic) authors like Tolkien and C.S. Lewis; these authors employ magic as plot devices, as do other authors. Yet, I contend that the more crucial issue to consider is how magic empowers the individual apart from God, as if one has mastery over the elements and doesn't need a Creator to help in any way. It is an idea that is truly un-Biblical. Since even a shadow of the idea of magic is present in games, I am wary not of my children becoming Satan worshippers, joining a wicca quorum, or even dancing around in pagan garb, but of the insidious notion that they don't need God. For a Christian, that's reducing faith to a lifestyle choice unworthy to share with others because it becomes more about societal rules and rosy philosophy and less about the majesty of God and how we are His creation. At that point, we wouldn't need God because we are in control of our own destinies and we don't want to follow a God that restricts us; this is the tenet of every atheist, in my opinion. It is about self-empowerment. Moreover, magic can be seen as an inflation of a fantasy world to negate the spiritual reality of a living God who asks us to live in this world and, more importantly, affect change for the better.

With all of that said, when it comes to the occasional movie, I don't really have a problem with the fictional portrayal of magic. I also don't have an issue with a Christian playing Magic or D&D as long as that person understands that we submit to God and are not driven by our own ambition, but I feel convicted about playing such games because it sets up an example for my sons and could plant a seed in their minds that could grow into full-blown doubting of God. Of course, when it comes to the intentional practice of magic or witch arts, the Bible is clear in its admonition and warnings, but what about Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, which were written by Christians? Why are those books acceptable? The Bible verses I provided earlier would suggest that these works may be counter to God's word, but the simple answer is that magic and the fantasy milieu of those books are allegorical representations of the antagonism of Satan against God's creation. The lines of good and evil are clear in those books. Just as Christ often used verbal illustrations to convey points even to thieving tax collectors and financial managers, Tolkien and Lewis use allegory and metaphor to convey the spiritual battle between Christ and Satan.

To conclude, I believe that there is no straightforward answer to addressing magic in games unless one pursues the extreme one: to abolish all games that have magic. I don't necessarily believe that such abolishment is demanded by the Bible and in the verses I shared because one is not truly casting spells or divining spirits. Every gamer would tell you that: if anything, magic in games can be like laser guns in a science-fiction-themed game or economics in a European-style board game. The fantasy depiction of magic in games is not THE concern; it is the seed of doubt planted by the depiction and play of magic in games that is the most dangerous part.

For me, I sometimes question why God would ask me to give up such a well-designed game as Magic or to surrender my D&D books to Him, but I remind myself that when I play these games I open myself up to the seed of doubt in God's will as my mind, on a subconscious level, accepts that notion that I can alter reality to meet my ends, not God's ends. Some would disagree and that's fine, but I also remind myself that God has given me two boys to raise and shepherd into manhood. When I die, I will be accountable for what I've done in this life and how I raised them. I am not perfect, which is why I am thankful that Christ died for me and intercedes for me, but I must do my part to not obfuscate God's love and message for my boys. That is why I have turned my back on magic in games and limit the literature they and I read to magic as a plot device or as allegory. It is not a hard and fast rule that excludes every fictional depiction of magic, but I am guided by a personal conviction to ensure that I can do as much as I can to keep that seed of doubt from taking hold in my boys and in me. Therefore, I implore you, the Christian reader, to consider how magic or anything can plant that seed of doubt in your or your family's minds before you fret over the mere depiction of magic in movies or magic as a game element.

As an aside, I happened upon an intriguing verse in the book of Acts, which alludes to a group of sorcerers who eschewed their dark arts to follow Christ. This verse struck me because, just as these ex-sorcerers gave up much to follow Christ, I should give up what I feel impedes my following Christ:

A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (Acts 19:18-20, NIV)

Even 2,000 years ago, people understood what I had to learn the hard way. Maybe I should read my Bible more.