Instead of an epilogue
“A crazed Chinese gamer is sentenced to death for killing a friend who sold without his consent a virtual sword they wielded in the multiplayer role-playing game Legend of Mir3.”
“A 20-year-old American shot himself in the forehead with a 22-caliber rifle due to the loss of virtual artifacts in the popular online game EverQuest”
“In the UK, a 17-year-old boy drugged by playing Manhunt lured his buddy into a city park and stabbed to death”
“In Tuapse, a teenager, due to the fact that his parents took away his computer keyboard so that he could not play his favorite game “Gothic” at night, killed his sleeping father, inflicting six blows on his head with a hammer, and then called his mother and under fear of death forced her to return the selected keyboard, after which he calmly went to finish playing.
“In St. Petersburg, a young gamer received an order from virtual space during a game to kill his own father: he stabbed his father several times, one of which turned out to be fatal.”
“A student from Ufa stabbed his father because he tore out the wires from the computer late at night, preventing him from finishing the episode in World of Warcraft, and then jumped out of the window and fell to his death.”
“In Udmurtia, a teenager killed his father because of a computer game”…
Gambling addiction, or gambling addiction, today is not in vain compared with drug addiction. This is a problem that is very difficult to deal with. Some psychiatrists, for example, argue that special approaches to its treatment are required, different from those used for the treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts.
The number of obsessions is growing, an example of this is the relatively “new” obsession with computer games, which thousands, tens of thousands, are addicted to and continue to be addicted to. Naturally, the number of games in this regard is only increasing. Computer toys, like drugs, bring huge profits to their manufacturers, which completely overshadow their conscience. And this puts the producers of computer games on a par with drug lords. For those and for others, human life is nothing, and money is everything. Their god is a golden calf, they worship him, they serve him, sacrificing to their idol not their health and not their lives, but the lives and destinies of young people.
Computer addiction as a problem of improper education
People of different castes and countries
Dancing in an endless circle
Surrounding the pedestal
Surrounding the pedestal!
Satan rules the ball there
There rules the ball!
Satan rules the ball there
There rules the ball!
From the aria of Mephistopheles in the opera Faust by Charles Gounod
A person cannot stand still, it is natural for him to develop, and this internal development, of course, leaves an imprint on the entire sphere of his activity. That is, a person also develops everything around him. This is a natural process, which is the cause of progress: scientific, cultural, economic, social ... Without progress, it is impossible to move forward, which means that a full life is impossible (Life is movement). However, progress must be controlled and managed as much as possible, because otherwise, it can launch new or accompany and support existing unwanted, harmful, destructive processes for a person and society. Unfortunately, this is often what happens. Perhaps that is why they say that Satan represents progress. Indeed, many achievements of science and culture open up bright prospects for mankind, but these same achievements often begin to be used for far inhumane purposes. There are many examples of this. The most striking example is the remarkable discoveries in physics, which, on the one hand, benefited mankind, and, on the other hand, were adopted by the military industry. Cinema, theater, literature, of course, bring people “reasonable, kind, eternal”, teach them to love. At the same time, today they are associated with base, vulgar entertainment, often vicious, corrupting and destroying human souls.
Such mentally harmful entertainment today, of course, are computer games, which are a side effect of intensive computerization. Thanks to computerization, the work and training of people is greatly facilitated, the efficiency of their work increases significantly, information of any level becomes more accessible to specialists, further computerization portends the development and implementation of dizzying projects. But it is becoming a major problem today. Cyber addiction is not just a new word, it is a diagnosis that today doctors can make to a huge number of our compatriots, mainly children and adolescents. In this case, we are talking about computer games as well.
They flooded all around. Not only can you play them freely in any computer club, Internet cafe, but besides, the counters of many even non-specialized stores are littered with game discs, discs are easy to buy in the subway, underpasses, on the street. Any computer games can finally be downloaded on the Internet. And since there are computers in almost every family today, any schoolchild can afford to find companions on the network and play “online”. Interest in computer games has grown into gambling addiction, which, like a real epidemic, has grown today to unprecedented levels, affecting almost all sectors of society. Today, both old and young people play computer games, computers in editorial offices, design institutes, commercial organizations, food depots, shops, garages, etc. are “charged” with games. time and energy not for work, but for passing endless levels and destroying monsters...
I absolutely agree with the statement of specialists (for example, neurologists) that some computer "toys" are the best way to promote the development of reactions in patients suffering from various diseases, to some extent they are able to train the cardiovascular, nervous, and muscular systems. In particular, for this purpose, modern medicine with great success uses the method of biofeedback, which is based on the use of special computer programs. But along with this, many computer games have come into use that are intended solely for entertainment and do not carry any benefit.
Not all games are definitely malicious. There are, for example, special educational games that are even recommended by psychologists and teachers. However, I am sure that all such “appointments” are not a panacea, moreover, they are likely to be useless if only developing games are used to achieve the goal, abandoning an integrated approach. Because the true development takes place in the cognition of the real, not artificial, virtual world, and an electronic toy cannot serve as a tool for cognition, no matter how perfect it is. There are other mechanisms for this purpose. And if too serious attention is paid to the so-called educational games, then you can greatly miscalculate. Thus, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Hieromonk Adrian (Pashin) confidently states that “even the so-called “smart” games do not so much develop the intellect as enslave it. They develop only those aspects of the intellect that turn out to be useless in life, since these games always place a person in a highly simplified world, regulated by a few clearly formulated rules, while the real world around us cannot be squeezed into any finite set of rules. These games do not develop creative intuition» ().
This is the opinion of a priest and a scientist. And here is the opinion of the head of the department of the Center for Mental Health of Children and Adolescents Anatoly Grigoryevich Mazur, which he expressed in an interview with the well-known domestic psychologist Tatyana Lvovna Shishova: “The computer distorts the child’s thinking, teaches them to think not creatively, but technologically. There is a task, a result and a set of means with which you can solve this problem. Everything! Thus, the child's thinking is programmed, creative abilities do not develop. There is a robotization of thinking, emotions, compassion, humanity are leaving - something that has always been inherent in children before. Therefore, in my opinion, a computer is harmful for a developing child. The later the boy or girl sits down for him, the better. (). “Computer games destroy the intellect,” confirms a member of the board of the Society of Orthodox Doctors of St. Petersburg, a doctor of the highest category, Nikolai Fedorovich Zharkov, “A child learns to live and act according to instructions.”
But even relatively non-dangerous games can cause significant harm if they are truly "addicted". And tightly sits down on the "toy", according to various sources, from 10 to 15 percent of those who are fond of computer games! And it all starts small - just with interest and first experience. And it's not about age. A parishioner of our church told me that one evening after work he decided to play a strategic "toy" on his son's computer and ... started playing. At four o'clock in the morning, the awakened wife actually drove him away from the computer by force, because, according to him, he was ready to play until the morning. Since then, he forbade himself to even touch any computer games whatsoever.
This only confirms the opinion of doctors that even adults with a seemingly already formed psyche can become computer gamers, the so-called gamers. A few years ago, a doctor confessed to me that he was a gamer. It stays on during the day and plays all night long. It takes two or three hours to sleep, then he hurries to work to treat people (half-asleep!). In the evening, he sleeps off in order to plunge into the virtual world again at night ... When I asked if he felt the desire to “tie up”, this man just shrugged his shoulders. He has no wife, no children either, he lives alone, and the game brings pleasure, although doubtful, of course ... He understands that this is an addiction, but so far (!) He is not going to fight it.
According to Irina Anatolyevna Oleinikova, a psychotherapist for gambling addiction from Novosibirsk, “Like any other addictions, gambling addiction to computer games (especially role-playing ones!) Forms gradually, gradually, and now a person notes that he has established a clear rhythm: playing after work, playing after school, playing at lunchtime, etc. And then begins a period of struggle between the natural and dependent way of life and, in case of defeat, there is a complete dominance of dependent behavior. Whether a person will be able to overcome the passion for the game that flares up in him depends on his upbringing, emotional state, lifestyle, and his moral guidelines. If a person is initially emotionally depressed, dissatisfied with himself, he has communication disorders, then the likelihood that he will become addicted to the game increases several times. “In the end, computer games become a lifestyle for such people, its main goal, they crowd out real communication,” the doctor emphasizes.
It is very difficult to get out of this state on your own. Psychotherapist Irina Oleinikova says that there are examples when the selfless addiction of children and teenagers to computer games passed, and on this basis a serious professional interest in the computer grew, they became successful programmers, system administrators ... But I think that this is rather an exception to rules. And they certainly didn’t lose interest in toys on their own, but someone really helped them figure out the problem and suggested what to do, in which direction to move. Usually, if the game sucks for real, it's not easy to break out of its embrace. But I agree with the doctor: it is extremely important not to miss the line between a simple hobby and illness.
Illness!.. Speaking about the disease, doctors mean not only a pathological passion for computer games. Here is what Yulia Eduardovna Maksimova, Director of the Novosibirsk Center for Mental Health LLC, said about this: “Cyberaddiction (computer addiction) refers to non-chemical addictive (dependent) disorders. But if there is sufficient experience with computer addiction, as with any other, along with the symptoms of mental addiction, signs physical addictions, such as decreased mood, anxiety, sleep disturbance, lack of a feeling of rest after sleep, headaches, decreased appetite, decreased libido. Over time, a cyber addict develops social maladaptation - loss of work, family, narrowing of the circle of interests, a sense of hopelessness. All this often leads to the development of clinically pronounced depression. In such cases, along with psychotherapeutic influence, consultation with a psychiatrist is necessary.
Computer games, or rather deep immersion in them, harm both adults and children. But first of all, to children, because they are at the stage of development and any destructive intervention in this process is fraught with serious deviations that may affect the future, regardless of whether the child continues to play or stops. Doctors know that the negative consequences of certain functional disorders or somatic diseases make themselves felt years later, and the same thing happens with computer addiction. The most dangerous age at which children especially often “get hooked” on the game is 12-15 years old.
It should be noted that the degree of damage to the psyche of a child who is overly fond of computer games largely depends not only on his initial mental state, but also on what kind of game he plays. "Calm" games affect the mental state of children to a lesser extent, active, often aggressive - to a greater extent. The fact that hard role-playing "toys" with chase, shooting and blood develop aggressiveness in children is a fact proven by psychologists and physiologists. Abroad, they began to conduct such studies earlier, they have accumulated relevant experience, the results obtained are reliable, they show that the level of aggressiveness among schoolchildren playing "cool" role-playing games to a large extent exceeds the level of aggressiveness of their peers who are not fond of such "toys".
Ruslan Marselievich Gusmanov, a psychiatrist at the Center for Mental Health for Children and Adolescents, says: “Practically all teenage role-playing computer games are based on aggression and murder. And after all role-playing game not simple entertainment. In such games, behavior patterns are quickly assimilated. Therefore, in a number of countries, children under 18 are prohibited from playing some particularly aggressive computer games, as they can inspire an immature, undeveloped personality to realize aggressive impulses not in the game, but in life. What it can lead to, even scary to imagine.
Dr. Nikolai Fedorovich Zharkov, board member of the Society of Orthodox Doctors of St. Petersburg, states: “The virtual reality of a computer game is becoming closer to a child than real life; reality becomes alien, dangerous and unknowable compared to the small and familiar world of your favorite game. One gaming teenager describes the alienation from the outside world and the flight into virtual reality: “When I get up from the computer and go outside, I don’t have enough weapons that I have in the game. Without him, I feel defenseless ... "( http://www.sobor-spb.ru/ ).
The attitude of the late Patriarch Alexy to computer games is known, which, according to him, "promote the cult of violence, convince us that human life is worthless." “Computer games,” he said, “are so popular among children, from an early age they teach them the idea that murder is a completely ordinary thing. And when we hear that teenagers, even girls, brutally crack down on their peers, we are horrified, we cannot understand where this cruelty comes from in them.
Recently, more and more often you have to hear about completely senseless bloody murders committed by teenagers. ... A seventeen-year-old teenager from the US state of Ohio opened fire with his father's gun at his parents because they took away from him a disk with the game Halo 3, in which gamers need to fight aliens. The boy stole from his father the keys to the safe, where there was a disc with the game, as well as a nine-millimeter pistol. He took a weapon, went into the room with his parents and shot them at close range. The teenager's mother died, his father was seriously wounded in the head, but survived. The teenager put a gun in his father's hand to justify himself, and he fled the scene of the crime, taking with him only the most precious thing - the game disc.
A fourteen-year-old American boy shot his peers at school - he killed three, wounded five. Later, two young men aged 17 and 18, also Americans, blew up several mines in the school, and then began to shoot the fleeing students with hunting rifles. They killed twenty people, and when the police arrived, they shot themselves. During a search, the police found in their house tough battle games involving monsters, aliens and other evil spirits. In addition, as it turned out, all of them were frequenters of well-known porn sites, regular viewing of which mercilessly shakes the fragile psyche of young people.
And here is the most “harmless” case: a first-grader stole a car from his father and drove along a busy highway, while trying to actively maneuver. Then it turned out that the child, it turns out, was a big fan of virtual rallies.
Now let's get back to evil. Recently, games have appeared that involve demonic characters with the main character - Satan. At the same time, the player himself, at his own request, can take the side of both those fighting demons and the demons themselves. But regardless of who the player chooses - demons or "good angels", he comes into contact, albeit with a virtual, but still demonic world. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov said that even if we involuntarily turn our attention to devilish things, this will touch our soul one way or another. I recall the words of a doctor of medical sciences, a neurologist, professor hieromonk Anatoly (Berestov), who recently warned that demonic computer games prepare a teenager to perceive Satanism and cabalism as a normal reality of life. I just want to add: "... real life, which young gamers are not afraid of!" The warning of St. Seraphim of Sarov that, being created with the power and properties of Angels, demons have unimaginable power for man and for everything earthly, are not adequately perceived by teenagers. After all, they have already met demons on the virtual battlefield more than once and are accustomed to the idea that they can be dealt with or at least eluded. In one of the articles about satanic computer games, I read that such games instill in teenagers a familiar attitude towards satanism. And it's hard to disagree with this statement. Do I need to say how serious a danger this poses to the soul of a teenager?
“The most dangerous thing is that computer games kill spirituality in children and subsequently dispose them to occult studies,” says Hieromonk Adrian (Pashin). Satanic role-playing computer games oblige the player to take on the role of a computer character, i.e. demon. And if even ordinary, non-role-playing computer toys, when abused, can cause psychological dependence, then role-playing games that require players to try on various guises, especially demonic ones, are all the more dangerous for the psyche. In the words of one player who played a massive (not demonic) online role playing game for three weeks, he was - and I quote: "degraded in every way - a kind of dullness comes when you return to the real world. Sometimes I read that you get so attached to your fictional character that you begin to associate yourself with him. I don’t think I had it, but something else has already begun to happen.” Feeling something was wrong, this man, according to his own statement, stopped playing. But many could not find the strength to deny themselves this dubious pleasure. The psychotherapist of the Irkutsk psychotherapeutic center Alexander Mantakhaev in an interview with a local newspaper reports: “There are many ways to escape from reality - from alcohol, drugs to passion for slot machines and computer games. Computer games, Internet surfing and live action role-playing games (so-called field games) are nothing more than entertainment for some. But people with an unstable psyche can become addicted to gambling, and in the case of role players (in this case, we mean all the same field role-playing games), they can also get stuck in some kind of image. For example, a girl who plays a queen can constantly position herself as the highest person. And a person who once entered the image of a vampire may have a real desire to drink blood” (http://pressa.irk.ru/sm/2006/12/003001.html.). But the same strong entry into the image can occur with a computer roleplayer. Dr. Mantakhaev argues that if you do not pay attention to what is happening and think that the situation will resolve itself, gambling addiction will lead to a complete rejection of the real world, and getting stuck in the image can drag on for many years. In addition, after sitting at the computer all day (although it is known that they play without looking away from the screen for a day or more), a player with confused consciousness can transfer the virtual battlefield to the yard, to the next street, and then his opponents will not be terrible monsters or demons, and passers-by ...
Anatoly Grigoryevich Mazur, head of the Department of the Center for Mental Health for Children and Adolescents, spoke about an eighteen-year-old patient who, having “hung” on some kind of military strategy game, fell into a psychotic state. “I had to treat him like a real patient,” Anatoly Mazur admitted. According to him, the problem of computer addiction in the last year has become clearly expressed. The pathology is clearly on the rise. The department headed by this doctor has sixty beds. Of these, more than a third of patients are victims of computer games. These are maladjusted children, completely “knocked out” of life, they have no other interests left except for the game. She became for them like a drug for an addict, the doctor believes.
Specialist of the St. Petersburg Psychological and Pedagogical Medical and Social Center "Development" Alla Panfilova confirms that the scale of computer addiction among adolescents will increase, also because computers are becoming more accessible. A computer addiction is not too different from a drug or alcohol addiction. The main difference, according to the St. Petersburg psychologist, is a more “positive” image of addiction to computer games. There is a lot of talk about drug addiction and alcoholism, teenagers are usually aware of their unpleasant consequences. At the same time, computer addiction has a "halo of creativity", its consequences are not obvious, it is not socially condemned. However, according to Panfilova, it is this type of adolescent addiction that may prevail in the future.
A recent study conducted by specialists from one of the American universities showed that young people who often play violent video games are prone to drug and alcohol use. In particular, a clear correlation was found between more hours spent playing video games and more frequent use of alcohol and drugs. Here is how the St. Petersburg priest, candidate of pedagogical sciences Alexy Moroz commented on this. “If, over time, a person can somehow be pulled out of alcohol, drug addiction, he can be brought to a normal perception of the existing reality, then in gambling addiction there is a global change in the internal structure of the human soul. He does not just run away from the world into virtual reality, he begins to live according to its laws and principles. Here is the development of such terrible qualities as pride, selfishness, egocentrism, internal self-immersion, indifference to other people's pain and other people's suffering. “Computer-gaming addiction is the scariest and hardest kind of addiction,” the priest emphasized. ( http://www.rusk.ru/newsdata.php?idar=181483)
Why is the computer so attractive to children, why do children become addicted to a computer game? A friend of mine who asked this question recalled his childhood: “We spent hours playing Indians and “pale dogs”, changing roles, climbing construction sites and an old house, jumping from roofs, making bows, arrowheads, slings and wooden guns, shooting with metal bullets, sometimes it came to injuries. However, they did not lose their minds! But the fact of the matter is that all yard games take place in the real world, the boys need to rely on their own strengths, learn to correctly assess the situation, not imaginary, but actually happening, adequately respond to life, and not programmed by someone circumstances. They need to learn to live, not to play. In a virtual game, everything is different, everything is for fun, but the problem is that, having plunged headlong into the virtual world, they begin to perceive this as a real event over time.
Here is what Yury Stepanovich Shevchenko, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, President of the Foundation for Social and Mental Assistance to Families and Children, says about this: “First of all, he (computer) gives everything those emotions that can, but not always gives the child life. This is the widest range - from positive to negative emotions: delight, pleasure, enthusiasm, annoyance, anger, irritation. And all this can be experienced without moving! There is another important aspect: the child in the game gains power over the world. A computer mouse is like an analogue of a magic wand, thanks to which, with almost no effort, you become the ruler of the world. The child has the illusion of mastering this world. Having lost, he can replay, go back, redo something, re-live the failed piece of life. This especially sucks children who painfully feel their failure, children who, for one reason or another, fail to follow the path of “joyful growing up,” so to speak, in life. http://www.htm
Next, I want to give a fragment of an interview with Orthodox psychologist and publicist Irina Yakovlevna Medvedeva with Abbot N. He said: “A mistake in a game (computer) will not lead to an abrasion on the knee or a broken nose. Shooting on the screen of the enemy, you can feel quite comfortable and protected. Pity and compassion do not arise, on the contrary - they are completely suppressed by the feeling of their significance, their power, the feeling of being almost a superman! It is important to note that although all these sensations are illusory, they are extremely impressive, increase the emotional degree, and therefore are firmly imprinted in the mind of the child. … A computer game has the strongest effect on the emotional sphere of a child, it forms a personality powerfully and almost irreversibly, that is, it actually zombifies a person, introducing rigid stereotypes of behavior into his mind… Whom do these games bring up? I will answer: an unprincipled egocentric, an apathetic, thoughtless and asocial person who only wants to enjoy, and does not understand: why you need to work, have a family and be responsible for it, why defend your country, your people. Such characters are becoming a mass phenomenon among the youth today. And further: “It is impossible not to notice that a computer game, unlike an outdoor or intellectual game with peers, allows you to get rid of all moral norms. Only the result is important, points are important. Everything else is secondary and unimportant. Moral principles turn into an unnecessary anachronism ”().
By the way, according to psychologist Tatyana Lvovna Shishova, there is a Center for Communication Research in Moscow, whose employees are studying computer games. So they came to the conclusion that modern games intentionally model deviant, destructive behavior.
“You don’t need to have seven spans in your forehead to say with confidence that we are talking about purposeful and thoughtful mechanisms for suppressing personality for the purpose of the most effective management (manipulation), - says the psychologist of the lyceum of the Novosibirsk State Technical University Tatyana Eduardovna Tverye. - Who needs it? A question that other specialists are competent to solve ...
“Psychologists of all stripes and ranks,” says Tatyana Tverye, “have repeatedly emphasized the self-destructiveness of addictive behavior that makes a person a slave, and then a hostage, of a different reality. The scheme is very simple: if, in pursuit of pleasures and insane goals, a person completely delegates all of himself to something fictional, virtual, then this inevitably means a rejection of himself in parts and, as a result, loss of integrity and death. Perhaps surrogate behavior is a subconscious desire for self-destruction, a departure from real life and, ultimately, some kind of anti-life. From a psychological point of view, a lack of emotions, a fanatical passion for one thing - all that psychologists call "social dementia" lead to anti-life behaviors. According to Tverier, we are now just experiencing an epidemic of "social dementia" and are witnessing all the negative phenomena associated with it.
“Relatively speaking,” Tverier explains, “through a monstrous spiritual mutation, a reasonable person turns into a dependent person. “Whoever is defeated by whom, that is also a slave” (2 Pet. 2, 19), - testifies the Apostle Peter. This is an immutable rule. The freedom of a spiritually mature person is determined by his own attitude to ongoing events, and the freedom of a spiritually weak person depends on "the length of his chain" - the chain on which he voluntarily or involuntarily put himself.
The fundamental factor of gambling addiction, according to Novosibirsk psychotherapist Irina Anatolyevna Oleinikova, is character traits plus upbringing. Subject to addiction (and not only gambling) are those who do not have a formed system of values, do not have the habit of controlling their emotions. Prevention for children and adolescents begins, first of all, in family, notes Irina Oleinikova. Parents should show genuine interest in the life, interests, problems of the child. Help determine inclinations according to interests, organize high employment for him in sports, music, and other matters. As trite as it may seem, but idleness creates problems, the doctor is sure.
Priest Alexei Moroz says that computer addiction is most often observed in families where there is no spiritual atmosphere, where there is no inner peace, but there is a lack of attention and a lack of love. “If a child is not noticed in the family, they do not communicate with him much, then he runs away into virtual reality and receives compensation, satisfaction, recognition there. Therefore, in order to recover from this, changes within the family are necessary. We need to change the spiritual atmosphere, learn to treat each other with attention and love. Only under these conditions is it possible to achieve some changes,” Father Alexy is sure.
In most cases, computer, Internet or gaming addictions arise against the background of hidden or obvious dissatisfaction with the outside world and the impossibility of self-expression, with the fear of being misunderstood. These states are often the result of an inferiorly developed (in the spiritual sense) or spiritually undeveloped, unchaste personality. “The virtue of chastity, preached by the Church, is the basis of the internal unity of the human person, which must be in a state of harmony of mental and bodily forces,” so recorded in the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the ROC. It is necessary to turn to the origins, when a mature personality began to form even in the family, to be more precise, in a patriarchal family, in which deep traditions have been preserved, based primarily on the faith of the fathers, on the Orthodox faith, on the culture-forming faith, as the dominant of education. “The family as a domestic church is a single organism whose members live and build their relationships on the basis of the law of love,” says the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the ROC. - The experience of family communication teaches a person to overcome sinful egoism and lays the foundations for healthy citizenship. It is in the family, as in a school of piety, that the right attitude towards one's neighbors, and therefore towards one's own people, towards society as a whole, is formed and strengthened. The living continuity of generations, starting in the family, finds its continuation in love for the ancestors and the fatherland, in a sense of belonging to history. That's why it's so dangerous destruction traditional bonds of parents with children, which, unfortunately, is largely facilitated by the way of life of modern society. And computer games that lead to addiction begin to play an important role in this.
Unfortunately, almost all experts admit that today it is impossible to protect our children from cybermania in any other way than proper, holistic education, primarily within the family. It is in the family that the same spiritual immunity, which most fully protects the child from modern trends harmful to the soul, turns away from empty and sinful activities. The trouble is that a modern family, brought up on television programs, cannot give a child such education. And if he can, then as soon as the child goes out into the street, he finds himself in the grip of completely different phenomena, alien to his moral state, but imposed on society and accepted by this society. The authority of parents can be unshakable, however, faced with a completely different life in which, It turns out that everything is possible! the child begins to live according to the principle "both ours and yours." And this is where the school has its say. Education should take place both in educational institutions and in families. WITH new and again! we are talking about the need to teach cultural studies in schools - I emphasize! - a culturological subject of the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture, the study of which not only helps in education, but also forms of a person, returns him to his roots, strengthens his spiritual foundation, increases his moral potential.
"We have to combine education with upbringing and educate worthy citizens of our country who would love their Motherland, would know their history, would be patriots,” Patriarch Alexy said to the late Patriarch Alexy, speaking at one of the annual meetings of the Russian Academy of Education, of which he was a member. According to him, education and upbringing are "two wings that make a person a man with a capital letter."
I appeal to parents whose children play virtual toys: before it's too late, pay the most serious attention to their dangerous hobby. See what games they play! And if it turns out to be some kind of “horror stories”, “shooters”, take immediate action. I appeal to teachers, psychologists, doctors: tell children about the negative consequences of playing on computers, give more examples of the destruction of the psyche of adolescents as a result of excessive enthusiasm for the virtual world. I appeal to all people who care about the mental health of our children: protect the younger generation from aggressive computer games. If necessary, create a special commission that would conduct a study on the computer games market to identify the most dangerous and destructive of them. And if for some reason it is not possible to ban some of them, then at least demand that the disc label contain a warning about the possible danger that comes from such "toys".
It is absolutely clear that we cannot solve this problem without the help of the state. Our government must provide full and comprehensive support in the upbringing and education of the younger generation. This support consists not only in the financing of social and educational programs, but also in the strict protection of the population, especially young people, from the harmful trends of modern life - prostitution, drug addiction, alcoholism, and gambling. However, this does not happen. Hands not reaching? Moreover, against the background of these deeply vicious phenomena, more sophisticated things are happening: in front of the same state are planted
- tolerance, which, in particular, proposes to legitimize sexual perversions and give all rights to totalitarian sects;
- juvenile justice, in fact, dismissing parents and trying on their role in raising children;
- sexual education, designed to actually corrupt children, as well as the promotion of abortion and "competent" (what a word!) Contraception among young people;
- a glamorous lifestyle so that children have something to aspire to;
- advertising beer, condoms;
- base entertainment television programs that lower the cultural level of the population, corrupting the people;
- occultism (astrology, meditation, yoga, demonic computer games, satanic books like Harry Potter, etc.) with the aim of instilling in people an unhealthy interest in otherworldly, that is, demonic forces.
The government has many important issues, many of which must be resolved as soon as possible. The financial and economic situation of the state will depend on the speed of making the right decisions. But isn't the spiritual and moral state of the people inhabiting this country the most important, the most urgent task, to the solution of which, FIRST OF ALL, all forces should be thrown? It is necessary to understand that without full-fledged state support, one subject of the defense industry will not radically change the situation. Just as the upbringing in the family will not change the situation, because, as I have already said, adults themselves have lost sight of moral guidelines. It is necessary that the government correctly assess what is happening, correctly set priorities and start jointly with the Russian Orthodox Church, which has vast experience in spiritual education, a large-scale attack on both the lack of spirituality and immorality that reigns in our society. We simply have no other way.
The add-on will be released on July 25 and in it the player will be on the warpath with the religious fanatics of Ensgalante, who are terrorizing the whole of New Bordeaux. This is far from the first time that cults, crazy religious organizations and their terrible deeds appear in video games. We tried to recall the most interesting such representatives and briefly talk about each of them.
Unitology - Dead Space series
Unitology appeared in Dead Space in 2215 and claims that all of humanity was created by aliens and after death, people go to heaven with the help of the Black Abelisk artifact. That's just in order to reunite with the forefathers, you just need to die.
The worst thing is that Michael Altman, who studied the Obelisk and later became the messiah of Unitology, found out about the dangers of the artifact too late and did not have time to tell the others about them. Michael was killed by government agents who had fallen under the influence of the Obelisk. And his name was used to create the image of a prophet-martyr in the history of the cult.
Order - Silent Hill series
The cult of the Order in the universe
Silent Hill and its members are the main antagonists of the entire series and appear in one way or another in every game. They expect the coming of a certain child, have their own "sacred" books and writings, worship the God of the Sun, who is often portrayed in a female form. In addition, the organization has a full-fledged and written mythology with its own history and philosophy, which the player can learn by carefully studying the world around him.
In addition to black magic, secret rituals and bloody sacrifices, the Order is also engaged in more mundane affairs - drug trafficking, kidnappings, murders and brainwashing of residents of nearby towns.
The Order is one of the most famous and terrifying religious cults in video games.
Hubologists - Fallout 2
This doctrine was founded long before the Great War by the writer Dick Hubbell. Despite harsh criticism and an imminent ban, over time, the Hubologists were able to infiltrate the government, lift the ban and begin actively promoting their teachings through television.
Followers of Hubbell believe that the Universe is a kind of Wheel of Life. All unbelievers are on its rim, like mud on which a wheel rolls while moving. Believers are the spokes of the Wheel, the leaders of the sect and Dick Hubbell himself - the center, the hub around which everyone revolves. Hubologists also believe in neurodynes - a kind of chakras. They even came up with an apparatus for cleaning neurodynes.
The player can join the ranks of the cultists by completing a series of quests. In addition, the Chosen One can destroy all Hubologists and even choose one of the two possible deaths of the cultists.
Religion in Patapon
Religion in god simulator Patapon is a ritual cult, in principle, of early people who sacrifice various offerings and gifts to the supreme deity (player), and put themselves into a combat trance in order to destroy other tribes that adapted the same cult in its frenzy. In this way, believers hope to reach the end of the world.
Over time, Patapon immerses himself in the role of an invisible leader and illustrates how the tribe grows with its own cult and value system, just like it used to be.
Cult of Odon - Bloodborne
V Bloodborne sees a split in the official local church due to the fact that its leaders were unable to conceptualize and establish central dogmas. Some think that a person should consume holy blood, others - to get in touch with the gods directly, and the gods themselves will help people become closer to them. They will help to pass theosis and deification.
In the midst of these events, the church of Idon appears, which does not fit into any category. Because of this, a very controversial attitude appears towards Edon. Idon has no relics, no blood, no flesh to eat and pray to. He exists only as a voice and speaks to his flock himself. The Church of Idon is clearly not very fond of and they say that his voice drives him crazy. Also, the cult of Odon uses not blood as a sacred medium, as is common in the world of Bloodborne, but mercury, which is associated in Yharnam with the incomprehensible and mystical.
While in the market of mass games someone sees stagnation and monotony, ideas from independent developers are overflowing. They come up with games that are like nothing else. Moreover, they create concepts that can hardly be called games at all.
Wired magazine has published about the American indie developer Jason Rohrer and his game experiment called Chain World. This Minecraft mod won the latest Game Design Challenge not for beautiful graphics, but for a crazy idea.
The idea is this. Chain World exists in a single copy on a single USB flash drive. There are strict rules for the player, which are similar to the biblical commandments. The game cannot be rewritten to another medium or made a copy. After the death of the virtual character, the player must transfer the flash drive to another player (suicide is allowed). It is forbidden to leave signs or text messages in the game for future players. It is forbidden to tell anyone what the player has seen or done in the game. It is forbidden to play a second time.
Theoretically, Chain World lives forever, is transmitted from person to person, and over time can turn into something completely unpredictable. If you dream up, then in the future this flash drive may have some attributes characteristic of religious symbols: it is unique and exists in a single copy, surrounded by mystery, mysticism and complete secrecy, obeys the commandments.
Jason Rohrer created Chain World for the Game Design Challenge indie game competition held on March 4, 2011 in San Francisco. The essence of the competition was precisely to make the most unusual video game with the most unexpected rules. Each developer had six weeks to complete the project and 15 minutes to present to the audience. Whoever gets the most applause wins. The motto of the current competition was "More than Jesus", that is, the creation of a game-religion.
Several well-known game designers have already signed up to receive the Chain World flash drive, including Will Wright. These apostles of professionals will be able to modify the game world, which was originally created by God James Rohrer.
Many serious consultants suggest introducing game mechanics into various areas of human activity, up to politics, business and corporate culture (they say that if each client counts karma or accumulative points, he will receive a powerful incentive for action). But the most complete apologists for this theory consider game mechanics to be not just a useful technique in business, but a hidden engine of human civilization, a self-sufficient thing. If you make a rating of such "fanatics", then Jason Rohrer can take first place in it. His most famous game, the life simulator Passage, is exactly five minutes long and contains a person's entire life. However, Passage was Jason's most famous game until the advent of Chain World, which is a project of another level.
This is just a demonstration of the concept, that is, a demonstration of what properties the games of the future can have. From a technical point of view, Chain World is nothing special, it's just a Minecraft mod with a set of scripts. But for some reason, there is a strange feeling that this flash drive is some kind of news from the future, which hints at something to us.
In recent years, games have ceased to be a mere means of entertainment. Today they play a much more serious role, touching on politics, social issues and religion in their storylines. And if we talk about religion in particular, then it has always been a stumbling block between individuals, confessions and even nations. And if we take into account that in computer games, religion, at times, is interpreted by developers very boldly, then public opinion is raging on this issue by no means quietly.
Recently, doctoral student Greg Perro of the University of Missouri School of Journalism concluded that many of the new generation of games equate religion with violence: “In games, religion not only looks violent, but also creates problems for the protagonist to solve, who is either at war with religious fanatics or himself suffers from breaking the commandments.”
And Perro drew such conclusions after studying five games in which one way or another there is a mention of religion: "Mass Effect 2," "Final Fantasy 13," "Assassin's Creed," "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" and "Elder Scrolls: Oblivion ". Perrault found that all of these games misrepresent the role of religion by juxtaposing it with violence. "Most of these games focus on either the Knights Templar or on religious missions and campaigns," says Perrault.
But if in this case everything ended only with conclusions, then in 2001 one of the most seemingly harmless projects was subjected to severe repression. Saudi Arabia's Supreme Committee for Scientific Research and Islamic Law has banned Nintendo's Pokemon game for children. The authorities of the country saw in Pokemon propaganda of Zionism and gambling prohibited by Islam. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the game was tried to be banned in Mexico, Slovakia and Turkey. Pikachu then was seriously upset.
But more recently, in 2013, a religious conflict broke out around BioShock: Infinite. The game's creative director, Ken Levine, agreed to tweak the game's religious themes to appease the development team. As it turned out, some members of the team felt uncomfortable working with alternative religions.
Then Levin admitted that he was not going to cut anything from the BioShock: Infinite storyline, despite the fact that it might offend someone. But changes had to be made, leaving the plot the same. According to the creative director, he had to change one of the game's characters after interacting with one very devout team member.
In general, religion in BioShock Infinite partially borrows the symbols of Christianity (for example, the image of a lamb) and the motives of its currents, such as Baptism. Colombians, like Baptists, are baptized in water, but they do not share faith in Jesus Christ. The flying city honors the founding fathers of the United States and the prophet Zechariah Comstock. Because of this, the religion of Colombia most closely resembles Mormonism. And if we are to explain this whole confusing story to the end, then it must be said that the real founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith Jr., said that at the age of fourteen an angel appeared to him and showed him where to find ancient manuscripts, which then served as the basis for the Book of Mormon . In BioShock Infinite, Comstock similarly claims that an angel sent him a vision of a city floating in the sky. Smith promised his flock that he would take them to a New Jerusalem called Zion, while Zechariah Comstock promised the people to take them to the flying Columbia, away from Sodom Below. Mormons pray to Joseph Smith, and his book is revered even more than the Bible. As in Infinite, the prophet was depicted on stained-glass windows and frescoes, statues were placed for him, etc. After such a deep and intricate plot, even the language does not dare to call a computer game an ordinary "killer" of free time.
Probably, looking at all the consequences that the imposed religion causes in computer games, today some developers have decided to take a simpler path. Game designer Rod Humble, best known as one of the lead developers of The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 life simulators, announced Cults & Daggers in 2015, a turn-based strategy game in which players are invited to create their own religion and convert the whole world to their faith. According to the plot, the action of the game takes place between the death of Buddha and the birth of Christ. The ancient gods, having lost control of the Earth, decided to destroy it.
The main idea is that the player must stop the raging gods. The religious leader will be assisted by his students and followers, who will be asked to give out a variety of assignments: from reading street sermons and finding new supporters to reprisals against ideological opponents. In essence, the game is neutral and should not incite conflicts.
Religion in the classics
If we recall how religion is shown in classic games, then we can distinguish two epic projects in which few people take on the challenge of the plot. But, nevertheless, there is something to complain about.
In his Civilization, Sid Meier showed religion in his own way. According to the developer, the more religions your civilization has, the more religious buildings are available, which means the higher the level of culture. In the real history of world civilizations, everything was the other way around. Religious "absorption" led to a weakening of the level of culture, which led to the destruction of civilization. For example, the flourishing of the civilizations of the Arabs, Phoenicians, Hyksos and Aztecs always occurred during the existence of only one dominant religion. The rest of the religions were either destroyed in the bud, perceived as heresy, undermining the ideological integrity of the people, or they were second-rate beliefs of the conquered peoples.
Or take a series of Total War, and in particular - "Sunset of the Samurai". Before the players appears disunited Japan in 1866. Each region is torn between two decisions: rely on local samurai authorities or let the Europeans in. In the first case, the player will remain calm inside the country, but will surrender positions on the borders of his lands, and in the case of trade with Europe or America, he gives the green light for the construction of factories, the purchase of weapons and all kinds of development. But then the regions will be covered by samurai uprisings. And after all, everything could have been limited to economics or politics, but it could not have done without religion. If Japan begins to cooperate with America, then Protestant pastors will definitely come to the Land of the Rising Sun. And the most interesting thing is that at some point in the game, the gamer receives a “tempting” offer: “Peasants caught and killed two Christian preachers. What to do with the peasants? And the answer options:
Let go like nothing happened
Give them money and praise
Punish these peasants and apologize to the Americans.
What can I say - an unusual approach to committing lynching. Many of these answers were not perceived positively.
And finally, I would like to recall several religious games of different genres, the plots of which are quite diverse and not at all boring.
A quest in which the main character is a rabbi named Russell Stone. The police suspect him of killing one of the parishioners. Stone begins investigating while trying to sort out his own crisis of faith. Ultimately, he uncovers a system of secret organizations whose goal is to undermine the authority of Judaism.
This bloodless shooter takes place in Rome during the era of Nero. The protagonist is armed with a sword received from the angel of the Lord, which emits rays of the holy spirit. Under the influence of the rays, the demons dematerialize, and the Roman soldiers become Christians.
Left Behind: Eternal Forces
A strategy in which God took all the children and the righteous to heaven, and the world is ruled by the Antichrist, who settled in a Romanian politician. The player must lead the movement of underground Christians "Sorrow Squad", fight against Karpathy (politician) and convert sinners to the Christian faith. And if sinners do not convert in any way, then they can be shot. True, killing is not encouraged and negatively affects the morale of the team.
A strategy in which the player is invited to lead one of the peoples that inhabited the Middle East in the 6th century AD, and follow the history of the formation of Islam. Also, the player must unite the Arab tribes, build cities and command the army.
Temple device
This game is an excellent "educational" for children who do not know how the temple is arranged and what are the names of the objects in it. The user controls a Slavic boy who wanders around an Orthodox church without a specific goal. The hero of the game can only greet other characters and ask them certain questions. Ringers, cleaners and other employees of the temple in response explain what a chandelier and solea are. From time to time the hero is encouraged by the voice of Valery Zolotukhin.
Hanuman: Boy Warrior
Here the gamer is invited to play for a monkey-like deity named Hanuman, fight against evil creatures and get acquainted with the basics of Hinduism. It is worth noting that in India the game was received rather coldly, indignant at the fact that the deity can be controlled with a joystick.
In fact, some developers really need to be careful with the creative treatment of religion in their projects. Gamers are different.
The Malaysian authorities have banned the popular download service Steam because of a computer game in which deities of various religions fight among themselves. The government of this country took such a measure at the request of the clergy. About which computer games and in which countries are prohibited for religious reasons - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Call of Duty series
When the developers of the popular shooter decided to switch from the theme of the Second World War to the present, they probably did not expect that they would be at the center of the scandal.
At first, the anger of Muslims was caused by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, where on one of the maps for a multiplayer game you can find the Koran. For this reason, the game was banned in Saudi Arabia.
Another game in the series - Call of Duty: Black Ops - was banned in the UAE. And for the same reason: because of the presence of the Koran in one of the locations.
This summer, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took up arms in Turkey. The reason for the anger of believers was not at all the presence of the holy book of Islam, but the fact that the player basically kills Muslims. However, the popular "shooter" is still allowed there.
© Activision Publishing
© Activision Publishing
Rise of the Tomb Raider
The tomb raider game Lara Croft Rise of the Tomb Raider will not play in Saudi Arabia. The fact is that in one of the episodes the main character is looking for the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. The Royal National Media Council found this offensive to the faithful.
In general, Saudi Arabia bans video games more than any other country for religious reasons. For example, its authorities did not like the games God of War and Dante's Inferno simply because they depict deities of ancient mythology, and also because of the constant use of the word "god" in them.
But the game Darksiders, the plot of which is based on the Christian book of the Apocalypse, was banned in the kingdom for "inconsistency with the customs and traditions" of Muslims.
© Ziff Davis
pokemon go
Last year, catching virtual monsters in various public places made a lot of noise around the world. In a number of countries, including Russia, representatives of the clergy of the largest denominations unanimously urged not to play Pokemon Go in places of worship.
The game was banned in Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as "contrary to Islam". Also, it cannot be played in Iran, but "for security reasons", not religion.
Pokemon Go was almost banned even before the official release in India. In September last year, a local resident, Alai Anil Dave, appealed to the Supreme Court of the Indian state of Gujarat, who called it blasphemy to be able to play it in temples.
“People who play this game get egg-shaped glasses that often appear in prayer houses of various religions. It is blasphemous to find eggs in a Hindu or Jain temple, which is why my client is seeking a ban on the game throughout the country,” the representative of the plaintiff substantiated his position, who professes Hinduism. It was about the need to pray in churches, and not collect virtual points.
As a result, the court notified the government of India and the creators of the game that "the feelings of believers are hurt." However, despite this, Pokemon Go still came out in India in December 2016.
© Nintendo
Grand Theft Auto Series
The main reason why GTA is banned in various countries of the world is excessive cruelty. In Muslim countries, the same GTA: San Andreas and GTA 5 are banned due to "haram" - forbidden in Islam.
The authorities of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia considered it unacceptable for scenes with drugs and sex in GTA games. For the same reason, games such as The Wither 2, Mafia, Godfather 2, and many others are banned in these countries.
© Rockstar Games
