Today we’re gonna move forward to part 2 of our series on exploring and exposing various modern culture deceptions and the sobering yet Biblical truths behind them.
Now, just in case you missed part 1 on this series, you can catch up by clicking HERE.
Anyway, let’s dive into part 2 of our series and look into how the anti-Gospel deception of Gnosticism is being implemented into seemingly innocent online games for children.
Let’s begin with our first example: Poptropica.
What Is Poptropica?
According to their official website, Poptropica describes itself as:
“Poptropica® is an adventure game where kids can explore and play in complete safety.
Every month, millions of kids from around the world are deeply engaged and learn in Poptropica’s robust quests, stories, and games.
Kids create a “Poptropican” character to travel the many Islands of the game, utilizing gaming literacy to enjoy a narrative that is often rooted in factual history. Problem-solving skills are honed as kids discover and solve mysteries unique to each Island.
Poptropica has been a premier destination for kids for over 10 years and continues to grow.”
I honestly think that what makes Poptropica pretty deceptive to a lot of parents is the fact that–on the outside–they have a lot of “kid safe” protocols implemented, so issues like privacy and cyberbullying are literally IMPOSSIBLE to be experienced in the game.
Now, I’m NOT saying that “kid safe” protocols are bad, they’re REALLY GOOD. And I’m honestly GLAD that Poptropica has these things nailed in place within their gameplay.
It’s just that, as Bible-believing Christians, our standards for online games like Poptropica ought to exceed beyond mere online safety/privacy measures.
Our standards must be based on God’s Holy Word, and His calling on our lives to “grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:15, emphasis added).
So, as I said in the beginning of this blog post, Poptropica is our first example of having anti-Gospel gnosticism interwoven in its gameplay.
But how does gnosticism play out in Poptropica?
Poptropica & Gnosticism
There’s two particular island quests in Poptropica that have distinctly gnostic storylines.
They’re Fairy Tale Island and PoptropiCon Island
Let’s now quickly break down the gnosticism within these two game quests on Poptropica.
Gnosticism In Fairy Tale Island
So, on Fairy Tale Island there’s a “great king” that just so happens to be the villain because he “stole” the “happy endings” of all the fairy tale people on the island.
Now, Biblically speaking, Who is the King?
More specifically, the GREAT KING?
These two Bible verses in Psalms give us the clear answer:
For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.
Psalm 47:2
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psalm 95:3
And in the Fairy Tale Island game for Poptropica, guess who is the “hero” of the story and saves the princess by giving her that “true love’s first kiss” foolishness?
The GOAT!
Again! Just like what we saw and learned in Part 1 of this series!
Now, let’s move on to the Gnosticism in PoptropiCon Island.
Gnosticism In PoptropiCon Island
So, the villain in this island game quest for Poptropica is named Omegon.
Which sounds similar to “Omega,” which is one of the names of Jesus in the book of Revelation.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8
It’s also interesting to note that in one scene in the game, it is said that Omegon’s clothes don’t have “any seams” in them when he disrupts the game’s costume contest.
Why is that so significant?
Because during Jesus’ crucifixion, John 19:13 clearly shows that even Jesus’ own clothes had no seams in them as well.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
(John 19:13)
Now, let’s switch gears here and move on to another children’s online game that has a gnostic storyline: Toontown Rewritten.
What Is Toontown Rewritten?
So, according to the Toontown Rewritten website, they themselves describe the game as:
“Toontown Rewritten is a free-to-play revival of Disney’s Toontown Online. Toontown is a massively multiplayer online game built for kids, teens, and adults of all ages. Create your own Toon and join the never-ending battle against the “Cogs”, who want to turn Toontown into their latest business venture.”
Example #1 of Gnosticism In Toontown Rewritten
Now, the first “assignment” (which are called Toon Tasks in the game) that the player has to do when they first enter the game is to fight a certain Cog robot called “Flunky.”
But what, exactly, is a “flunky”?
Well, one dictionary defines “flunky” as:
“a male servant; a person of unquestioning obedience”
-Princeton’s WordNet
Matthew 20:28 is a verse that comes to mind when I saw that first definition for “flunky”:
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 NKJV
And for the second definition for “flunky,” Philippians 2:8 came to mind:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8
And yet, this Flunky character (who is really Jesus) is the first villain that the player must defeat.
Again, another utterly gnostic plot line within this Toontown Rewritten game.
But it doesn’t end there.
Example #2 of Gnosticism In Toontown Rewritten
There’s a more advanced “level”–if you will–within the Toontown Rewritten game where the player has to fight a more advanced villain called The Boiler.
Now as you can see in the above image, The Boiler has some fire in his mouth, and throughout the battle, The Boiler has a lot of fire-related attacks such as the one exhibited in the screenshot below.
This brings to mind another Bible verse that’s found in the book of Hebrews.
It’s Hebrews 12:29, and it says:
For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29
Conclusion
Dear reader, it’s my sincere hope and prayer that we will NOT be deceived by the anti-God, gnostic delusions that are being subtly interwoven in these seemingly okay kids games, and instead be diligent in offering our children online content that will draw them closer to Christ, and build up a deeper love for Him, rather than the complete opposite.
Amen! Maranatha!
Stay tuned for Part 3 of our series, where we’ll digress from the gnosticism issue and explore two sweetly popular yet bitterly deceptive viewpoints that are circulating the social media world–especially on Pinterest!