Lying in Games
The Ethical Gamer (#1)
The Ethical Gamer series explores boardgaming through an ethical and scriptural lens, by Josh Jones.
One of the joys of board gaming is that you can enter into a world wholly different than your own. In my daily life, I’ve never gone on an adventure where I explore deep cave systems and fight against swamp-creatures. But when I play Above and Below, it activates that imaginative side of my brain. Part of the enjoyment comes from imagining a life I don’t have.
As a teenager, I loved to play games like Poker and Mafia, where I was able to use deception in order to win the game. In my day-to-day, I tried to be honest, and it felt foreign and exciting to lie during a game. Was this wrong? Was it pointing to something corrupt in my heart that was being kindled? An ember I shouldn’t blow on?
Or was it more like the sword fights against swamp-creatures? A harmless chance to use imagination, wit, and strategy to flex my mind's abilities?
Oh mafia! I remember that. I've never actually played, but loved Werewolf when I was a teen!