Culture is always rebranding its heroes. Apogee Software’s Duke Nukem was originally a DOS game in which players controlled Duke, a blonde commando who called aliens “proton breath” and collected soda cans. Then the mid-90s came about, and Duke became a gutter-mouthed alpha male who frequented strip clubs, while shooting cops transformed into pigs. The inclusion of 3D graphics transformed the corny hero into someone who sparked great debate in the game world. And while his first outing will always be considered inferior to his transformation into an FPS, I kind of miss the cheesy innocence of the original hero.
Duke, in any form, is not considered the prime example of Biblical purity. At heart, he is a commando who blows up aliens while trying to get the high score. However, we can trace how his edginess gave him instant fame and ushered in many other edgy, mature games. Adult gamers enjoyed how the crass Duke made them feel like they were elevating themselves over Mario and Pac-Man. They traded their simple innocence and delight in puzzles for the gritty gore and campiness of a womanizing hero.
It seems like purity gets sacrificed when culture wants to be treated like an edgy adult. There’s something alluring about making fictional characters violent, greedy, and unable to make moral choices for the greater good. Case in point: everyone’s favorite thing to do in Grand Theft Auto is rack up as many casualties as possible before the police catch them. We have a secret appetite for simulators that let us commit chaos, crime, and revelry.
And I don’t blame you at all. A game about Boy Scouts helping old ladies across the street seems far less fun than blowing stuff up. But we have to ask: “What are all these examples of impurity doing to our brains?”
Impurity is not just being a womanizer, a porn addict, or a drunk. The broader context of the term implies a substance being corrupted by improper use. It’s like defacing art meant to be enjoyed in a museum, or taking the original recipe for a dish and adding improper ingredients. If purity is the standard that God expects us to operate by, impurity is going out of your way to ruin it.
In his famous Sermon on the Mount address to the people, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8). To put it in modern terms, “Your activities, desires, and hobbies determine if God is with you.” God will never leave his creation, but he can be invisible to the eye that chooses to see corruption. You will not find the author of love on a lustful website, nor will you be able to commune with the giver of life while glorifying violence. Furthermore, scripture tells us our bodies are temples dedicated to him (1 Corinthians 6:19). If our temple is branded to accept violence, debauchery, and lust, then God will not be properly represented inside it.
The common media lover and Christian might panic and say, “God doesn’t want me to have any fun. Everything exciting in my life has fighting, adult themes, and edgy topics.” As my philosophy states, “a movie can include those elements without glorifying them.” At the same time, we are encouraged to transform our minds so that we can enjoy the art and beauty that will make God visible. As a 43-year-old gamer, I find great value in simple games that promote community, puzzle-solving, and adventure. I am beginning to see how Sesame Street skits are written by genius comedy writers. Heck, I even miss the old Duke Nukem.
Let’s not worry about what we entertain ourselves with; instead, let’s make God more visible in the things we enjoy.