The 7 Deadly Sins in Video Games

The following article was published in a Catholic Church Forum in South Carolina, 1994, examining the 7 Deadly Sins in videogames of the era:

This is an urgent message to parents with young children and all who worship the Lord. A popular form of entertainment has emerged in the last decade known as "Video Games." While they may seem an innocent pass-time for our children, the prevalence of the Seven Deadly Sins in these games is prolific. Here are but a few examples of each Sin that have been brought to our attention.

Lust: Apparently, the ultimate goal of these Video Games is to rescue a princess -- a cause that seems noble and just, but is merely lust in disguise, for once the player completes the game and rescues the princess, does she marry the hero before a minister? No. The screen merely fades to black, an obvious implication of seduction and pre-marital fornication.

Gluttony: Overindulgence is common in Video Game characters. “Pacman” is nothing but a giant mouth who races through mazes devouring "energizers" (or drugs), fruit (the Devil’s temptations), and even phantoms (servants of the Dark Lord). Other gluttonous characters include “Yoshi,” Mario’s pet dinosaur who binges on its foes, and “Kirby,” a deceivingly sweet-looking puffball with a vacuum for a mouth and a bottomless pit for a stomach (an obvious reference to the Underworld). Considering the addictive nature of Video Games and the strenuous amount of time it takes to complete them, the act of playing the games themselves is a form of gluttony.

Greed: The collection of obscene amounts of “coins” and “GP” (gold pieces) is another trademark in Video Games. In games like "Mario" and "Sonic," for every one hundred coins you collect, you’re rewarded with “extra life.” As we all know, wealth is NOT the Holy Grail of everlasting life. In "The Final Fantasies," you collect gold in order to purchase new weapons of destruction. These games encourage children to value material goods and war over Christian values like generosity and peace.

Sloth: To play Video Games is to seek solitude, and in isolation is where the Devil thrives. These games pit the player against the rest of the world, which tricks children into thinking everyone is against them, including the Lord, thus leading children astray to atheism and other secular theories.

Wrath: Video Games are centered around killing your opponents before they kill you. This teaches children to resort to anger and violence rather than resolve issues in a civilized and pious manner. Also, the difficulty level of these games are allegedly so great, they cause the player uncontrollable feelings of anger and hatred. Witnesses testify to hearing their normally well-behaved children shouting unholy profanities at the television monitor while playing.

Envy: This Sin is usually reserved for Video Game villains such as "Donkey Kong" and "Bowser," who kidnap the hero’s love interest (or lust interest) for themselves. However, you may be shocked to learn that even the heroes of these games exhibit signs of envy. Characters like “Megaman” and the aforementioned Satanist "Kirby" actually steal their opponents’ abilities upon defeating them. “Role Playing Games,” which are also notorious for their favorable depictions of black magic, typically feature thieves that the player must use to steal from others. These games inspire children to resort to crime and witchcraft.

Pride: Many Video Game characters display excessive love of themselves, evident by advertising their name on their clothing (such as the “M” and “L” on Mario and Luigi’s hats and the “D” on Donkey Kong’s tie, which are all subliminal references to Satan, also known as “Mephisto,” “Lucifer” and “Diablo”). Pride is also common in games of the racing and fighting nature, characterized by poor sportsmanship, gloating, cheating and suggestive victory dances.

As you can see, the Seven Deadly Sins are omnipresent in Video Games. They are a haven for the Devil’s tricks. He gets to our children while they’re young and susceptible, in our own houses, right under our family’s noses. You must confiscate all your children’s Video Games and destroy them immediately, before they convert the next generation to Satanists and Pagans. Pray for your children’s forgiveness and suggest to them alternative pass-times such as playing sports, joining a youth service, or reading the Bible.

The previous article was actually a satire written by Arek as an April Fool's joke in 2009.