Online game "Runescape" OK?

Online game "Runescape" OK?

My son wants to play something called "Runescape". Apparently it's all the rage among his 4th grade friends. I visited the site (runescape.com) and looked around, it looks like a role-playing knights and dragons kind of game.

Anyone know anything about this? I don't want to allow him to create a login on the site until I know it's OK.

He would of course not be allowed to enter other than our disposable "junk email" address and enter no personal info whatever.

Thanks.
 
Our son wanted the same thing, and loaded it without asking, but we forbade him to play it, and deleted it. We didn't know anything about it but we instantly had the intuition that it was bad. It felt bad, and we've learnt to go with these first instincts. Anyone who plays these sorts of games is always going to justify themselves though.
 
Online games are extremely iffy. I've tried them but didn't like them, but everyone is different.

I wont' say yay or nay on the subject, because I believe it is your final decision whether or not your son should play Runescape, however...

Some in-depth research on Runescape might help. It really depends on what you agree to and what your son can handle.

My son wants to play something called "Runescape". Apparently it's all the rage among his 4th grade friends. I visited the site (runescape.com) and looked around, it looks like a role-playing knights and dragons kind of game.

Anyone know anything about this? I don't want to allow him to create a login on the site until I know it's OK.

He would of course not be allowed to enter other than our disposable "junk email" address and enter no personal info whatever.

Thanks.
 
As a rule role playing games are fantasy, and in general have a lot of magic, and hand to hand violence. Each child is different, and can handle different degrees of fantasy. Some kids tend to not see where the lines of fantasy & reality end, so this is what I would be concerned about foremost. Also, some role playing games use real demon names, and/or spells to "play" the game. Definitely check this game out further. I'll ask someone I know who HAS played it if this is the case for this game or not.
 
I asked a 15 year old computer "geek" (His word) if runescape has any of the spells, demonic names etc. He said "unless the player you are playing with is into witchcraft, or demonology, not likely". He said that one is okay if someone has a good grasp on the difference between reality and fantasy. He also added that the graphics are not very good...lol.
 
Thanks all!

The classic argument presented by non-believers is that we Christians take sorcery, witchcraft etc in TV, movies, games etc too seriously- that's it's "just entertainment" and we're getting way too worked up over it. To a degree I agree, sometimes Christians do overreact and as a result just look silly.


However, I think we need to careful that we don’t approve junk (Disney Channel’s "Wizards of Waverley Place" comes to mind) and thereby legitimize it.

I’m going to allow my son to play Runescape, but I intend to use it as an opportunity to teach him some broader lessons about discerning Godly from ungodly influences in media and culture.
 
Our son wanted the same thing, and loaded it without asking, but we forbade him to play it, and deleted it. We didn't know anything about it but we instantly had the intuition that it was bad. It felt bad, and we've learnt to go with these first instincts. Anyone who plays these sorts of games is always going to justify themselves though.
Well I do think that It was wrong to forbid him from playing the game If you don't know anything about It but I do think that role playing games can be bad. They look harmless at the first glance but that's how the devil deceives. Behind our conciousness most of the time. Then if a child gets too into the game then they start to think and open doors that should not be opened and we all know that the doors are much harder to close than they are to open.
 
I played runescape for a bit . got bored of it . but one redeeming feature is that one can play the game for a very long time just fishing and chopping trees down and making boats and mining for ore . and other passive skills and can trade what you get at some big market . lots of possibilities but probly the main event is fighting big monsters together for 4th graders . after all the quests are done there's a guild wars (player vs player) element but never really got that far . as far as games go . it has a lot of things you can do .. that other RPGs would not have that would allow you to play peacefully for a long time .

So it can be good but it can also be bad . video games is one of the things God redeemed for me . so it's a fun evangelistic topic for conversations . you'd be so amazed how many games become almost "gospel" in their north american translations .

anyway it's a discernment thing so do whatever you think is right .
 
Is it OK to play the game even if there is just a little bit of evil in it?
Is it OK to do something if it makes you sin just a little bit?

It doesn't much matter if a little bit of bad is OK with me, you or the guy down the street.
It matters a lot if a little bit of bad is OK with God.
Even if you find just a little bit of bad in the game, ask God if it's OK with him.
 
I used to play a lot of video games. Now though, I got rid of most of them. 95% of them are just about violence. I hate It. I did buy 2 games though recently. One is called echochrome. It's a black and white puzzle game. You control a character and have to navigate your way across the map and figure out how to finish the level. And another game I bought is called flower. You control pedals and breeze through the wind. It's suppose to be very relaxing. I haven't played it yet though. Only bought it. Those kind of games I think are completely okay as they have no violence or any trace of sin whatsoever. but most other games take a pleasure in killing things, shooting things, blowing stuff up. Violence. The same thing with most television programs i think. All these crime shows about murder and how to kill somebody. There Is even a show called Dexter. The main character is a killer. The entire show is about killing people.
 
helpful self examination questions are these:

Can you trust God while doing it?

Does it ruin your concentration/prayer life?

Do you get excessively frustrated when things don't go the way you'd like them to? (i mean, it's just a game)

When playing do you forget to stop and do other stuff like eating?

if the answer is Yes, No, No, No then it is not a stumbling block .

Lots of people play video games in network environments so the potential for evangelistic outreach is there especially if you become a really well respected player and model Christ while doing so . (for example on a game centreing knights and kingdoms the warlord of a very large empire posted King Arthurs code which is a very Christian/Bible oriented document .)just haven't found one that can keep my interest long enough all the backstabbing and pillaging and violence kinda causes me to lose interest . so i'm more into web forums and prayer instead at the moment for online stuff .
 
Well for me shooting someone in a video game gives me a bad feeling just like when i see it done on television. I don't think God would want us seeing, doing or playing those things.

Just my opinion though...
 
I know what you mean Phil . but some Christians live in a country where the Old Testament way of living is a reality . and some even become soldiers and policemen . it isn't so much about desiring to kill people but under the premise of "love always protects" . if the killing isn't senseless but for a good purpose then in that corner of the universe (whether it be in the creation or in the imaginary cyberspace) where killing and violence is happening regardless of whether you participate or not .. this is a redemptive activity . when a purpose of Love enters the common drudgery of a feudal system . and protects the helpless and is kind and not hypocritical . it can't help but transform and change some .
 
Im going to reply just because I have something to say, I know this thread hasnt been active for a while but meh.

At some point we have to let our kids taste the world, I think its far more dangerous to protect them from what is simply relativity.
I have heard stories about doing this by alot of people who said they were far to protected and didnt know what to do when they finally got freedom.
Its all about finding balance and NOT giving them more reasons to rebel against Jesus, if we ban our children from playing games that everyone else plays or watching shows that everyone else watches, they probaly wont take it out on you but God Himself.

Saying that, I have taken a few steps myself to remove witchcraft like things from my daughters life souly because she is at a young age and its easy to do, if she was to get older I wouldnt, because I dont want to give her reasons to rebel against god in teenage years.

Like I said, its all about balance, they need to know god but they also need to be able to do what the other kids do.
We live in a world of freedom, it dont matter what you want at the end of the day, your child will grow up to do what He/She wants..
Make sure you have equipped them with EVERYTHING they need.
If you dont let them taste the world, the first thing they will do is taste it when they are of age and they wont have any understanding of evil or be able to fight off evil with God.

As they say, point the arrow in the right direction and hope for the best when you fire.. once you fire its in Gods hands.

My father tried to chase the arrow and just pushed me further away, my mother let the arrow go and look where it ended up?? in gods lap.
 
Im going to reply just because I have something to say, I know this thread hasnt been active for a while but meh.

At some point we have to let our kids taste the world, I think its far more dangerous to protect them from what is simply relativity.
I have heard stories about doing this by alot of people who said they were far to protected and didnt know what to do when they finally got freedom.
Its all about finding balance and NOT giving them more reasons to rebel against Jesus, if we ban our children from playing games that everyone else plays or watching shows that everyone else watches, they probaly wont take it out on you but God Himself.

Saying that, I have taken a few steps myself to remove witchcraft like things from my daughters life souly because she is at a young age and its easy to do, if she was to get older I wouldnt, because I dont want to give her reasons to rebel against god in teenage years.

Like I said, its all about balance, they need to know god but they also need to be able to do what the other kids do.
We live in a world of freedom, it dont matter what you want at the end of the day, your child will grow up to do what He/She wants..
Make sure you have equipped them with EVERYTHING they need.
If you dont let them taste the world, the first thing they will do is taste it when they are of age and they wont have any understanding of evil or be able to fight off evil with God.

As they say, point the arrow in the right direction and hope for the best when you fire.. once you fire its in Gods hands.

My father tried to chase the arrow and just pushed me further away, my mother let the arrow go and look where it ended up?? in gods lap.

Amen! Amen! Amen! I've seen it far too many times for it to be coincidence! We should trust God when He says:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16

And although Hosea 4:6 is in reference to something else, I do think it applies to general knowledge because one of the most dangerous things is ignorance.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

I can't think of a verse where we are to "shelter" or keep ourselves or our kids ignorant ...can you?

It is better to teach our kids to choose wisely, rather than condemn, or condone blindly. Not all secular things are evil, nor are all teachers of the Bible safe...Discernment (even taught discernment) is so very important.
 
Many, many excellent and helpful points have been made here- my genuine thanks to all!

At some point we have to let our kids taste the world, I think its far more dangerous to protect them from what is simply relativity.
I have heard stories about doing this by alot of people who said they were far to protected and didnt know what to do when they finally got freedom.
Its all about finding balance and NOT giving them more reasons to rebel against Jesus, if we ban our children from playing games that everyone else plays or watching shows that everyone else watches, they probaly wont take it out on you but God Himself.
Absolutely- I don't want my son's obedience born of fear or even respect- but rather out of a knowledge and conviction of that his choices bring honor to God and point others to Him (Mt 5:16).

Like it or not, the obvious fact is that our kids will grow up and live in an increasingly selfish and God-denying world. To the extent we try to protect them by shielding them from that exposure, the more we are setting them up for rebellion against us, against authority in general and ultimately against Almighty God- the One before whom everyone will stand one day.


I think what Pr 22 is teaching me as a parent is to "...
train him up in the way he should go...", not by trying to scare him into obedience/out of disobedience. Rather it is to train him to recognize that the satisfaction and joy the world promises, is a lie- and buying into that lie through the choices we make ultimately brings exactly the opposite.

I think we as Christian parents (and in the broader sense, as Christians witnesses in the world) should view and use the rampant worldliness we see all around us everyday, as something of a continuous "teaching moment".


-chris
 
At some point we have to let our kids taste the world, I think its far more dangerous to protect them from what is simply relativity.
I have heard stories about doing this by alot of people who said they were far to protected and didnt know what to do when they finally got freedom.
Its all about finding balance and NOT giving them more reasons to rebel against Jesus, if we ban our children from playing games that everyone else plays or watching shows that everyone else watches, they probaly wont take it out on you but God Himself.

Saying that, I have taken a few steps myself to remove witchcraft like things from my daughters life souly because she is at a young age and its easy to do, if she was to get older I wouldnt, because I dont want to give her reasons to rebel against god in teenage years.

Like I said, its all about balance, they need to know god but they also need to be able to do what the other kids do.
We live in a world of freedom, it dont matter what you want at the end of the day, your child will grow up to do what He/She wants..
Make sure you have equipped them with EVERYTHING they need.
If you dont let them taste the world, the first thing they will do is taste it when they are of age and they wont have any understanding of evil or be able to fight off evil with God.

Exactly...it's about controlled exposure. Only what they can handle, but keeping in mind that they MUST be able to live in thei world, and remain apart from it. Like I've told my son (he's 15) "Just because I know ABOUT illicit drugs, doesn't mean I condone the abuse of them, nor their lifestyle.". But I've taught him what I do know...the facts, and the consequences. I hope that my children have the wisdom to listen to what they have been taught by their parents when I'm not around to guide them. THIS is the purpose of controlled exposure.
 
I tried to get my grandson's a couple games for the XBox and the choices are very hard. We ended up agreeing on just one game. It wasn't a very happy trip like I had planned. They all looked bad to me.
How much does this affect our young kids? They are exposed to so much it is a battle. I am fighting to keep them in church.
My heart goes out to anyone raising kids right now. God Bless you all and give you wisdom and strength.
 
It is very hard. There was a time that people applauded if you disciplined your children. Now there's fear over who may be watching. Also people used to take parenting very serious, and raise their children. Now I see children either being the masters of their family, or pampered spoiled pets. For a couple to raise their children with discipline, affection, and Godly standards is a rare thing to see.

In the entertainment arena, we went from Roadrunner & Bugs Bunny (because they were too violent, I remember the argument) to witches, and person on person violence. Or worse. And the movies marketed to my kids...unbelievable!

Raising kids, I've found, is not for the faint of heart, the immature, nor the lazy. The families with very young children to college age young adults need to be covered daily with prayer...
 
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