I am a new Muslim and want to know that about playing fantasy genre video games. They have monsters and ghosts that players can fight. Is it allowed to play such games? | Ask A Question | Al-Islam.org

I am a new Muslim and want to know that about playing fantasy genre video games. They have monsters and ghosts that players can fight. Is it allowed to play such games?

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	Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from ANU, Canberra. He has written and translated several Islamic texts and also prepared educational videos on Islamic rulings and practices. 478 Questions Answered & 4 Days Average Response Time.	Ask
	Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to religious questions. In the past, he has also spent significant time in India guiding the community. 2488 Questions Answered & 8 Days Average Response Time.	Ask
	Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD from the University of Exeter in the philosophical and mystical readings of Mulla Sadra in the context of the schools of Tehran and Qum. 351 Questions Answered	Ask
	Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the Islamic College of London. He also studied at the Hawza Ilmiyya of England and continues Hawza and Islamic studies with private teachers. 135 Questions Answered	Ask
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	Mahmood Abu Maryam, Trying to make sense of it all... 48 Questions Answered	Ask
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	Hassanain Govani, Hassanain Govani is based in Sweden and has an MA in History of Religion from Uppsala University and an MA in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of London, and has also studied Arabic in Damascus. He has a position as project secretary at SST, the committee for state support for religious communities. 5 Answers	Passed
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	Amir De Martino, Amir De Martino is of Italian origin and has an MA in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College and a combined BA degree in Persian Language and Studies of Religion from SOAS in London. He has also obtained a PGCE in Social Research Methods from the Department of Education at Roehampton University as part of his preparation for doctoral studies, and is a member of Westminster’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. No Answers	Passed

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 2 years ago

In general, it is not forbidden to play video games, unless there is clear harm (for instance, destructive addiction) or clearly forbidden content (such as real pornography).

There may be some grey areas of fantasy video games which involve things that are against the ethos of Islam (such as violence, insufficient clothing, relationships outside of marriage, or polytheism), and these are areas where you have to use your own judgment and also consider how the game affects you.

However, in Islam, we are encouraged to make best use of our time, since we will all be accountable to Allah on the Day of Judgment with respect to how we used our time. So you have to weigh how beneficial playing games is to you and the people around you - is it helping you in other aspects of life, or would it be more useful for you to spend time on other things? This is especially relevant with respect to fantasy games since they require a large investment of time. If a person is neglecting their children because they are busy gaming, for instance, that's bad. Anyway, this is something that you have to answer for yourself.

As a side note (self-spam alert!), I wrote a short piece a few years ago about fantasy games and Islam that you might find interesting. It is called "A Muslim Reflection on [Joseph Laycock's] Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds" and hangs out on my academia.edu profile page, if you are interested!