The
Dangers of Role-Playing Games
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Pikachu
on a
party baloon
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How POKEMON and Magic
Cards Affect the Minds and Values of
Children
For pictures of the
Pokemon world, click here: http://www.pokemon.com/
You may also want
to read the comments
from Pokemon fans and our response
to their questions.
"Who
are the strange little creatures from
Japan that have suddenly become global
super-stars? Most kids know the answer
well: They are called Pokemon (short for
POCKEt MONster and pronounced
Poh-keh-mon), and they have stirred up
some mixed reactions.
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Ash
and Pikachu on "loot
bag"
and napkin. "Gotta catch
them all"
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"We just sent a letter
home today saying Pokemon cards are no
longer allowed on campus," said
Paula Williams, a second-grade teacher in
Danville, California. "The kids know
they're supposed to be put away when they
come in from recess, but they're often in
the middle of a trade, so they don't come
in on time. In the more extreme cases,
the older kids are getting little kids to
trade away valuable cards . . . . It
drives a teacher crazy."1
It concerns parents even more.
"Recently, my children were given a
set of Pokemon cards," said DiAnna
Brannan, a Seattle mom. "They are
very popular with the children at our
church and elsewhere. I was instantly
suspicious but couldn't discern the
problem. We have since been told that
they are stepping stones to the 'Magic
cards' that have been popular for the
last few years, which we do not
allow."
She is right. For instance,
any child exploring the most popular
Pokemon websites 2
will be linked to a selection of occult
games. A click on the ad for "Magic
the Gathering" brings Pokemon fans
to a site offering promotions such as
this:
"A global games
phenomenon, Magic: The Gathering is to
the 1990s what Dungeons and Dragons was
to the 1980s, but with the added
dimension of collectibility. Here is the
official reference to the biggest new
teen/young adult fantasy game of the
decade, complete with full-color
reproductions of every existing Magic
card."
THE POKEMON MESSAGE. The above
websites gives us glimpse of the
mysterious little creatures called
Pokemon. Ponder the suggestions in this
greeting:
"Welcome to the world of
Pokemon, a special place where people
just like you train to become the
number-one Pokemon Master in the
World!"
"But what is a Pokemon,
you ask. 'Pokemon are incredible
creatures that share the world with
humans,' says Professor Oak, the leading
authority on these monster. 'There are
currently 150 documented species of
Pokemon. . . . Each Pokemon has its own
special fighting abilities. . . . Some
grow, or evolve, into even more powerful
creatures.. . . Carry
your pokemon with you,
and you're ready for anything! You've got
the power in your hands, so use
it!'" 3
What if children try to follow
this advice? What if they carry their
favorite monsters like magical charms or
fetishes in their pockets, trusting them
to bring power in times of need?
Many do. It makes sense to
those who watch the television show. In a
recent episode, Ash, the boy hero, had
just captured his fifth little Pokemon.
But that wasn't good enough, said his
mentor. He must catch lots more if he
wants to be a Pokemon master. And the
more he catches and
trains, the more power he will have for
future battles.
So Ash sets out again in
search for more of the reclusive,
power-filled, little Pokemon. His first
step is to find the "psychic
Pokemon" called Kadabra and snatch
it from its telepathic, pink-eyed
trainer, Sabrina. With the ghost Haunter
on his side, it should be a cinch!
But Ash had underestimated the
power of his opponent. When he and
Sabrina meet for the battle, both hurl
their chosen Pokemon into the air, but
only Kadabra evolves into a super-monster
with a magic flash. Haunter hides.
"Looks like your ghost Pokemon got
spooked," taunts Sabrina.4
Obviously, Ash didn't
understand the supernatural powers he had
confronted. Neither do most young Pokeman
fans today. Unless they know God and His
warnings, they cannot understand the
forces that have captivated children
around the world. And if parents
underestimate the psychological
strategies behind its seductive mass
marketing ploys, they are likely to
dismiss the Pokemon craze as harmless fun
and innocent fantasy. In reality, the
problem is far more complex.
MARKETING A NEW LIFESTYLE
The Pokemon mania supports a
financial conglomerate that knows how to
feed the frenzy. The television series is
free, but it drives the multi-billion
dollar business. It also inspires the
obsessive new games that disrupt schools
and families by giving the children --
- a seductive vision: to
become Pokemon masters
- a tempting promise:
supernatural power
- a new objective: keep
collecting Pokemon
- an urgent command:
"gotta catch them all"
These enticements are drilled
into young minds through clever ads,
snappy slogans, and the "Pokeman
rap" at the end of each TV episode:
"I will travel across the
land
Searching far and wide
Each Pokeman to understand
The power that's inside.
Gotta catch them
all!"
The last line, the Pokemon
mantra, fuels the craving for more occult
cards, games, toys, gadgets, and comic
books. There's no end to the supply, for
where the Pokemon world ends, there
beckons an ever-growing empire of new,
more thrilling, occult, and violent
products. Each can transport the child
into a fantasy world that eventually
seems far more normal and exciting than
the real world. Here, evil looks good and
good is dismissed as boring. Family,
relationships, and responsibilities
diminish in the wake of the social and
media pressures to master the powers
unleashed by the massive global
entertainment industry.
No wonder children caught up
in the Pokemon craze beg for more games
and gadgets. The Japanese makers count on
it. Since the means
often justify the economic ends
in the entertainment
industry, the Pokemon website is full of
tips, explanations, and ads that
encourage the urge to splurge - and to
express the darker side of human nature.
Ponder their influence:
"You can catch a Mew by
cheating with a Gameshark."
Ahhh. The Gameshark. . .
Cheating is not honorable. But many of
you have requested and sent me this
information, so I have put it up for all
you cheaters."
"The Moon Stone evolves
certain Pokemon, such as Clefairy."
"Select your desired
attack. Hold down the button until your
opponent's life stops draining."
"Once you have captured
Zapados, you can use it to quickly lower
the health level of Articuno. . . ."
While children delight in
these mysterious realms, concerned
parents worry and wonder. What kinds of
beliefs and values does the Pokemon world
and its links teach? Why the emphasis on
evolution, supernatural power, and
poisoning your opponent?
CHANGING BELIEFS and VALUES
Barbara Whitehorse started
seeking answers after her son asked a
typical question: "Mom, can I get
Pokemon cards? A lot of my friends from
church have them." Much as she
wanted Matthew to have fun with his
friends, she gave a loving refusal.
Matthew's tutor had already warned her
that the Pokemon craze could stir
interest in other kinds of occult
role-playing games such as Dungeons and
Dragons. At the time, she wondered if the
tutor had just over-reacted to some
harmless entertainment. After all, the
cute little Pokemon creatures looked
nothing like the dark demonic creatures
of D&D. But when she learned that a
local Christian school had banned them
because of their link to the occult, she
changed her mind.
Later, during a recent party
for Matthew, Barbara heard two of the
boys discussing their little pocket
monsters. One said, "I'll just use
my psychic powers." Already, the
world of fantasy had colored his real
world. So when some of the kids wanted to
watch the afternoon Pokemon cartoon on
television, Barb again had to say
"no." It's not easy to be
parents these days.
Cecile DiNozzi would agree.
Back in 1995, her son's elementary school
had found a new, exciting way to teach
math. The Pound Ridge Elementary school
was using Magic: the Gathering, the
role-playing game called which, like
Dungeons and Dragons, has built a cult
following among people of all ages across
the country.
Mrs. DiNozzi refused to let
her son participate in the "Magic
club." But a classmate gave him one
of the magic cards, which he showed his
mother. It was called "Soul
exchange" and pictured spirits
rising from graves. Like all the other
cards in this ghastly game, it offered a
morbid instruction: "Sacrifice a
white creature."
"What does 'summon'
mean?" he asked his mother after
school one day.
"Summon? Why do you
ask?"
He told her that during recess
on the playground the children would
"summon" the forces on the
cards they collect by raising sticks into
the air and saying, "'Spirits enter
me.' They call it 'being
possessed.'" 5
Strange as it may sound to
American ears, demonic possession is no
longer confined to distant lands. Today,
government schools from coast to coast
are teaching students the skills once
reserved for the tribal witchdoctor or
shaman in distant lands. Children
everywhere are learning the pagan
formulas for invoking "angelic"6
or demonic spirits through multicultural
education, popular books, movies, and
television. It's not surprising that
deadly explosions of untamed violence
suddenly erupt from "normal"
teens across our land.
Occult role-playing games
teach the same dangerous lessons. They
also add a sense of personal power and
authority through personal identification
with godlike superheroes. Though the
demonic realm hasn't changed, today's
technology, media, and multicultural
climate makes it easier to access, and
harder than ever to resist its appeal.
ROLE-PLAY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
ADDICTION
The televised Pokemon show
brings suggestions and images that set
the stage for the next steps of
entanglement. It beckons the young
spectator to enter the manipulative realm
of role-play, where fantasy simulates
reality, and the buyer becomes a slave to
their programmer.
Remember, in the realm of
popular role-playing games - whether it's
Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, or other
selections -- the child
becomes the master.
As in contemporary witchcraft,
he or she wields the power. Their arm,
mind, or power-symbol (the pokemon or
other action figure) become the channel
for the spiritual forces. Children from
Christian homes may have learned to say,
"Thy will be done," but in the
role-playing world, this prayer is
twisted into "My
will be done!" God, parents, and
pastors no longer fit into the picture
fantasized by the child.
Psychologists have warned that
role-playing can cause the participant to
actually experience,
emotionally, the role being played.
Again, "the child becomes the
master." Or so it seems to the
player.
Actually, the programmer who
writes the rules is the master. And when
the game includes occultism and violence,
the child-hero is trained to use
"his" or "her"
spiritual power to kill, poison, evolve,
and destroy -- over and over. Not only
does this repetitive practice blur the
line between reality and fantasy, it also
sears the conscience and causes the
player to devalue life. The child learns
to accept unthinkable behavior as
"normal" .
To be a winner within this
system, the committed player must know
and follow the rules of the game.
Obedience becomes a reflex, strengthened
by instant rewards or positive
reinforcement. The rules and rewards
force the child to develop new habits and
patterned responses to certain stimuli.
Day after day, this powerful
psychological process manipulates the
child's thoughts, feelings, and actions,
until his or her personality changes and,
as many parents confirm, interest in
ordinary family life begins to wither
away.
You may have recognized those
preceding terms as those often used by
behavioral psychologists. They point to a
sophisticated system of operant
conditioning or behavior modification.
The child must exercise his own
intelligent mind to learn the complex
rules. But after learning the rules, the
programmed stimuli produce conditioned
responses in the player. These responses
become increasingly automatic, a reflex
action. Naturally, this can leads to
psychological addiction, a craving for
ever greater (and more expensive) thrills
and darker forces.
WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
It's hard to teach restraint
to children who are begging for
gratification. Wanting to please rather
than overreact, we flinch at the thought
of being called censors once again.
Parental authority simply doesn't fit the
fast-spreading new views of social
equality taught through the media and
schools. Yet, we must obey God. He has
told us to train our children to choose
His way (Proverbs 22:6), and we can't
turn back now.
If you share my concerns, you
may want to follow these suggestions.
They will help you equip your child with
the awareness needed to resist occult
entertainment:
1. First, look at God's view
of contemporary toys, games and cartoons.
As a family, read Scriptures such as
Ephesians 5:8-16, 6:10-18 (the armor of
God); Philippians 4:8-9; and Colossians
2:9. Compare them with the values
encouraged by Pokemon and other
role-playing games.
2. Share your observations.
Spark awareness in a young child with
comments such as, "That monster
looks mean!" or "That creature
reminds me of a dragon," along with
"Did you know that in the Bible,
serpents and dragons always represent
Satan and evil?"
3. To teach young children a
Biblical attitude toward evil before they
learn to delight in gross, ugly
characters, make comments such as,
"Who would want to play with that
evil monster? I don't even like to look
at him. Let's find something that makes
us feel happy inside."
4. Model wise decision-making.
Tell your child why you wouldn't want to
buy certain things for yourself.
When your child wants a
questionable game or toy, ask questions
that are prayerfully adapted to your
child's age, such as:
1. What does this game teach
you (about power, about magic, about God,
about yourself)? Discuss both obvious and
subtle messages.
2. Does it have anything to do
with supernatural power? If so, what is
the source of that power? Does it oppose
or agree with God's Word?
3. What does it teach about
violence or immorality and their
consequences?
4. Does the game or toy have
symbols or characteristics that link it
to New Age or occult powers?
5. Does it build godly
character?
In a nation consumed with
self-indulgence, self-fulfillment, and
self-empowerment, godly self-denial seems
strangely out of place. But God commanded
it, and Jesus demonstrated it. Dare we
refuse to acknowledge it? According to
the age of your child, discuss Jesus'
words in Matthew 16:24-26, then allow the
Holy Spirit to direct your application.
Far more than earthly parents,
God wants His children to be content and
full of joy. But He knows better than to
give us all the things we want. Instead,
He gave us His word as a standard for
what brings genuine peace and happiness.
The apostle Paul summarized it well:
"Whatever things are
true, whatever things are
noble, whatever
things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of
good report, if there
is any virtue and if
there is anything
praiseworthy - let your mind dwell on
these things." (Philippians 4:7-8)
After hearing God's warning
and praying for His wisdom, nine-year-old
Alan Brannan decided to throw away all
his Pokemon cards. "My friend did
the same," said his mother.
"Her twelve year old son had been
having nightmares. But after a discussion
with his parents about the game and its
symbols, he was convicted to burn his
cards and return his Gameboy game. That
night slept well for the first time in a
month."
"It seemed to us that
these cards had some sort of power,"
continued DiAnna Brannan. "Another
nine-year-boy had stolen money from his
mother's purse ($7.00) to buy more cards.
When questioned, he confessed and said he
had heard the devil urging him to do it.
The family quickly gathered in prayer,
then saw God's answer. Both the boy and
his little sister burned their cards,
warned their friends, and discovered the
joy and freedom that only comes from
following their Shepherd.
Please take
time to read the comments
from Pokemon fans and my
response to
their questions.
Endnotes
1.
Laura Evenson, "Seeing Red and Blue
at Schools," San
Francisco Chronicle,
April 20, 1999.
2. http://www.pokemon.com/
and http://www.wizards.com/pokemon/Rules/Welcome.asp(On
August 28 we discovered that the ads for
Magic: the Gathering have apparently been
deleted from the latter website. We
printed the pages with the ads in May
1999)
 3.http://www.wizards.com/pokemon/Rules/Welcome.asp
4.
"Haunter versus Kadabra," aired
on May 20, 1999.
5.
Transcribed from a recorded interview
with Cecile DiNozzi in Pound Ridge, New
York.
6.
For practical understanding of these
occult dangers read Chapters 4 and 8 in A
Twist of Faith.
Special thanks
to Berit Kjos for permission to reprint
this article. Please visit his site
at http://www.crossroad.to/
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