Serious discussion concerning Game Development

[LurkTech]

Muslim developer here.

Based on several posts I have read concerning this issue, nothing was properly explained beside loads of unncesessary comments about next "big ideas" and references completely out of context such as "the Quran doesn't mention game development"...

To start off, I'd like to mention that playing games and therefore for some people developing them is a passion. Avoid saying how much of a "waste of time" you think if it because the same could be said to your passions. Having said that, let's have a look at the two groups of people you are most likely to encounter in a debate like this...

Type A: people who define games as a waste of time and calling it a prohibition. (even if it was allowed, it wouldn't really mean much to them)

Type B: people who actually care and love game dev, saying that it is permissible.

I do not speak out of opinion. This has been an issue for a very long time. I worked in indie studios, spoke with indie game developers such as Rami Ismail ( Muslim developer), therefore this classification is somehow realistic.

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Now, let's discuss about the actual prohibitions. One of the most common being music. So ideally we could not put any sort of music in a game, hence I never seen a successful game without a soundtrack...

Sculpting humans, creatures or anything close to divinity: in regards to mocking God or prophets by creating characters to then be put in a game, I have no arguments against that. This Is and must be a prohibition. I do have certain objections in regards to drawing ( 2d) or sculpting ( 3d) characters. Seems like the prohibition only started due to the fact that in the past, artists made sculptures of gods to then worship. Some scholars though, decided to expand the prohibition to the next level, including drawing normal humans.

Now in regards to game genres.
Vast majority of people saying that devs should only focus on puzzle genres. I personally find them to be utterly boring, but that's only my opinion. There is this misconception that puzzle games have a somehow useful outcome to the players, yet this is a complete lack of knowledge in that regards. Each genres have their unique experiences and therefore "useful" outcomes, as defined by them. Looking at Minecraft for example, there are some elements of violence but as researches has shown, kids have improved their creativity thanks to the freedom of expression that Minecraft has to offer. Rami Ismail, creator of Nuclear throne, muslim indie game developer, said that he does not portray any divinity or prophets in his game therefore it is permissible.

Ultimately, this is just like any other passions.
People keep blaming games for stealing precious time to Muslims that should otherwise be spent on praying and spreading Islam. How about saying that we should instead blame our horrible self discipline instead?

Please, I'd like to finally come to a proper answer to this question and I'd like to hear your opinion in that regard. I'm aware that it is very hard to come to a conclusion, as game dev is composed by many sub categories, but we should strive to come to a conclusion as I belive there are many other Muslims whom passion is game dev and hopefully their intention isn't malicious. Allah knows best.

 

[*charisma*]

Assalamu Alaikum

I don't know, are you looking for a loophole?

Be creative. Find a way to keep things halal while also being successful. Consider it a challenge for yourself. If it is your passion as you say it is, then why is adding music so important? Adding music is not going to guarantee that your game be successful. Branch into untapped territories of the gaming world and make it useful instead of mind numbing. Secondly, if there is a game which has one element of haram in it and 20 beneficial elements, its enough to deem the entire thing haram, so it's a flawed way of thinking if you're only focusing on the benefits. If this is truly important to you, then you'd find a way to open a door for other muslim developers who want to produce quality games in a halal way. If you're able to do that, then I'm sure you will be rewarded for it. This is without mentioning that right now the halal industry is quickly rising. You have an opportunity, do it well.

As far as I know, Music is haram in all forms. There's mixed opinion on digital pictures because they are not really physical. I guess the more important factor to consider is the image itself being permissible and not indecent.

Ultimately, this is just like any other passions.
People keep blaming games for stealing precious time to Muslims that should otherwise be spent on praying and spreading Islam. How about saying that we should instead blame our horrible self discipline instead?

Games, like social media, activate the reward centers in our brain. So it's not really about self discipline. These things are literally made to keep us hooked. However, I guess as a game developer it's not entirely your fault if someone gets hooked, but the elements in the game itself are your responsibility.

 

[eesa the kiwi]

You'd be best taking this issue to a qualified scholar rather than seeking confirmation of your self justification of what you are doing from random people on the internet

Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatu btw

 

[LurkTech]

Assalamu Alaikum, thanks for the reply.

I like to understand why something is prohibited instead of blindly make an approximation and say it is.
In regards to music, just have a look at this. https://www.quora.com/Is-music-prohibited-in-Islam-Why
How could someone base a conclusion out of all these opposive views?

"Music for self-entertainment is allowed in Islam but if a song becomes the source of inciting evil or unlawfulness, it is then discouraged by Islam"

While I fully agree that adding music does not guarantee any success, I also don't understand why I should prevent myself from adding a classical music, seemingly harmless to the player, and calling it a next challenge to overcome, like if game dev wasn't hard already.
We know that the music being added in video games are not "party" musics, supposed to invite people to dance together. They are simply made to enhance certain moments within the gameplay to make it feel more vibrant and alive.

Secondly, if there is a game which has one element of haram in it and 20 beneficial elements, its enough to deem the entire thing haram, so it's a flawed way of thinking if you're only focusing on the benefits.

Very true, but we cannot fully validate that the element of haram is indeed haram due to the very opposive views, just think of Sunni and Shia for example.

These things are literally made to keep us hooked. However, I guess as a game developer it's not entirely your fault if someone gets hooked, but the elements in the game itself are your responsibility.

Cannot argue with that. Some video games are purposely designed for that. If I cannot keep my audience to play the game, therefore I'm most likely to go in bankrupt.

 

[*charisma*]

I like to understand why something is prohibited instead of blindly make an approximation and say it is.
In regards to music, just have a look at this. https://www.quora.com/Is-music-prohibited-in-Islam-Why
How could someone base a conclusion out of all these opposive views?

In islam if something is prohibited, it is enough that Allah says it is prohibited. No need to have any further explanations. I understand you not wanting to blindly follow something, however, you have to assess your own faith. If you believe in Quran and sunnah, then there is enough evidence to prohibit music. If you want to look for loopholes like those sources above, you'll find them, but it still doesn't mean something is halal. The majority of sunni scholars consider music haram. If you look at music as a whole, there is nothing good in it. If you look at the historical relevance of Music, there is no good in it. Music was one of the reasons immorality began. Music came from shaytaan himself, so in essence if something was made by shaytaan, I don't see how there can be any goodness in it. Watch these videos for reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJS1bCEj3ms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGvbpSPDUj4

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/5000/ruling-on-music-singing-and-dancing

While I fully agree that adding music does not guarantee any success, I also don't understand why I should prevent myself from adding a classical music, seemingly harmless to the player, and calling it a next challenge to overcome, like if game dev wasn't hard already.
We know that the music being added in video games are not "party" musics, supposed to invite people to dance together. They are simply made to enhance certain moments within the gameplay to make it feel more vibrant and alive.

If you have a pure intention, don't destroy it with an unsuitable action. If you watch pornography and it has no effect on you, it doesn't make it halal. If you are gifted wine and you keep it in your house but never drink from it, it doesn't make it halal. So the argument that it is "seemingly harmless" is futile. It has already harmed your iman because you have a softness in your heart for it, so imagine the impact on society.