Man Code entries are designed for parents or adults seeking to mold young boys into strong Christian men. Previous entries can be found here.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

Chances are son, you like video games. And why not? Video games are electronic pathways to paradise, something fun to do for a few hours each day. When this Man Code entry was written the game capturing a nation of teen boys was Fortnite. When you’re reading this it will probably be something else. But there’s a dangerous side to video games, one that as a young man in Christ you need to be fully aware of. If you play video games on a regular basis then you’ve come face-to-face with addiction. If your mom constantly gets on you for playing so much, if a majority of your friends are ones you play with online, if the first thing you think about when you get up and the last thing you think about when you go to bed is video games, then you know what it’s like to struggle with addiction.

You may be thinking, “So what? Video games are harmless.” Perhaps so (other than messing with your eyesight, encouraging isolation and depression, keeping you in your parents’ home too long as a young adult and many other side effects). Video games may seem harmless, but addiction isn’t. When Paul spoke to Christians living in a first-century city where addiction was everywhere, Paul gave them a truth to live by that young Christian men need to embrace today, 1 Corinthians 6:12. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can stay up past midnight every night playing video games, that doesn’t mean you should. By spending all that time trying to master a video game, you’ll find out that the video game has actually mastered you, controlling your thoughts, your time, your emotions, your sleep.

And once you fall into addiction, you’re going to discover that it’s very difficult to fall out of it. Today the addiction may be video games, but tomorrow it might be alcohol, pornography, money or drugs. Some of the worst mistakes people make in life are made because they’ve allowed their addictions to control them and destroy their lives. You’re not anywhere close to that, yet. You’re not murdering anyone, you’re not stealing, you’re not going to jail. But if you’re addicted to something, even something as seemingly innocent as video games, then you’re at the beginning of a road that will ultimately take you some place you don’t want to go.

So don’t let video games control you. Don’t allow yourself to be mastered by anyone or anything. Set time limits for your game use and stick to them. If you need help, ask your parents to help you set and enforce limits. One of the only ways to break free from addiction is to ask for help, so go ahead and start practicing now. Video games may seem like harmless fun and games, but addiction is no laughing matter. Don’t allow video games to control you.