Dear Gramps,

I got an e-mail from my mom that told me about
this site
anyway when I go to my sanctive mind i have made imaginative
characters, i give them many scenarios it is quite entertaining but
anyways the one thatconcerns me is that one of them is based on dark
he is not evil though but he is in war almot all the time he fights
and kills so should i stop doing this with him

Tyson

Dear Tyson,

You make an interesting comment when you say that your imaginary character is not evil, yet he is involved in fighting and killing, is not that evil?  When we talk about evil we refer to the dark side another of your descriptions of your imaginary character.  The opposite of dark is light and that is the description often given of the Lord.  In John 8:12 the Lord declares:  ” I am the ^alight of the world: he that followeth me shall not ^bwalk in ^cdarkness, but shall have the light of life.”

We have been counseled by our leaders to be very careful in the selection of video games that we play and the amount of time spent playing these games and though you are not playing video games, it is like unto it.  The following statistics were given in the 2005 New Era:   “A 2001 study showed that, nearly half of the 70 most popular video games contained serious violence.   Many studies have been done on the effects of violent media on young people. Although much remains to be studied, a few sad trends are becoming clear:

1. Playing violent video games leads to more aggressive thoughts and behavior.

2. Playing video games for long periods of time hurts academic performance.

3. Playing video games excessively can hinder or damage children’s and teens’ brain development.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said that we all need recreation, but we should not let “things get out of balance. It is not watching television, but watching television hour after hour, night after night. Does not that qualify as idling away your time? What will you say to the Lord when He asks what you have done with the precious gift of life and time? Surely you will not feel comfortable telling Him that you were able to pass the 100,000-point level in a challenging video game” (“Be Strong in the Lord,” Ensign, July 2004, 14).

I would strongly encourage you to find an activity that you enjoy doing that is uplifting and one that you could do in the presence of the Lord.  Often the best counsel is, what would Jesus have me do?

Gramps