Eutrapelia and Video Games: Moral Risks with Playing Video Games as a Form of Eutrapelia

Abstract

Video games are a popular form of recreation, especially among young men. According to Catholic theology, play is a good thing. Yet, this does not mean that every form of play is good or equally advisable. Some forms of play and entertainment pose certain risks. This paper will examine video games as a form of play according to St. Thomas Aquinas's account of eutrapelia and compare this with the DSM-5's description of Internet gaming disorder. While video games are intrinsically a licit form of play, they pose certain risks, which must be attended to and avoided. Chiefly, the nature of video games is such that it inclines one to play them for too long, longer than the virtue of eutrapelia would allow.