My Answer

on Aug 17, 2026

Boys playing video games. Dreamstime/TCA

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My kids are playing games called Hell and Doom with their friends and I’ve asked them not to do this. They laugh and tell me that I’m being silly – that these are just games. Am I justified to question the motive behind these games? Can such things lead to sinful thinking and deceive the mind? – W.M.

A: Playing with sin often leads to calamity. Tragedy can strike. A multitude of things can take place, because God says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13, NKJV). That is a law of God that cannot be evaded; it is a common thread woven through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and it is played out universally. “To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a man of understanding has wisdom” (Proverbs 10:23, NKJV).

Society has become obsessed with leisure, and both kids and adults are enchanted with the craze in video games. The culture is caught up with this phenomenon, and society has been convinced that it’s all innocent. Don’t think for a minute that Satan has overlooked this pastime. This is an area where technology, entertainment, and design come together.

There’s a game called “Hell” and is described as “the home of evil incarnate,” and it “tends to be closely tied to a game’s use of demons and holy objects.”

One mother stated that this was a creative way to teach her kids about Hell without having to take it too seriously. The Bible warns about such activity: “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind … inventors of evil things” (Romans 1:28–30, NKJV).

With entertainment technology, there are few boundaries that prevent diverse entertainment from being viewed or heard by any age and in almost any nation. Don’t play with Satan; pay attention to what God’s Word says: “Do not be deceived” (Galatians 6:7, NKJV).

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)