Can We Play Video Games Online with the Opposite Gender?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Is it permissible to play video games online with non-mahram girls if we do not chat with them but only play with them?

Answer

Thank you for your question. The full ruling for playing video games is in the link; please read it carefully: Is It Haram to Play Video Games?

Playing video games with girls online takes this to another level. Engaging in any unnecessary activity with the opposite gender is undoubtedly inappropriate. This applies to your situation whether you chat or play with them.

The way life works are that any activity or connection with the opposite gender can lead to something bigger and impermissible. Also, because of the nature of the online world, where you can’t see each other, people usually comment in much more bold and promiscuous ways than they would in person. Islam is eager to eradicate this kind of fitna from the outset.

Take a lesson from Tyler Blevins, a Fornite gamer making half a million dollars a month. He refused to play with females online for his marriage and unnecessary drama. Fortnite: Ninja won’t play with female gamers

May Allah Most High guide us to evaluate all of our actions to be solely for His pleasure.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.