During this period of Lent, we have surely suggested that our children and young people make some small sacrifices. Usually, we think of sacrifices involving snacks, chocolate—in short, some small offering… But there is something else we could suggest to our children, related to a passion that is sometimes unstoppable: video games.

Carlo Acutis, an example to follow

«Carlo was, like his peers, passionate about sports and games, but he was also deeply involved in computer science, to the point of developing a techno-artistic skill that enabled him to produce videos about various Eucharistic miracles for his catechism lessons» (From the Afterword of the book Via Caritatis. The Way of the Cross with Blessed Carlo Acutis).
Carlo was a computer genius and was certainly passionate about video games. But one day, an incident that occurred while he was playing with his friends led him to make an unconventional decision. He saw how aggressively his friends reacted after playing video games for several hours: they went home crying! The next day, Carlo decided to limit the time he spent in front of video games to one hour a week.

Giving up video games

Carlo’s friends’ reaction is something we can also see in our own children. How many times do we see them get angry or react with inconsolable crying when they are told to stop playing video games…
That is precisely why it is important to talk with them often and perhaps tell them the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis and his decision regarding video games.
We should offer children inspiring examples and, at the same time, examples of blesseds like Carlo, whom they can feel are close to their own experience, close to their lives.
Why not, then, suggest that our children give up video games during this final part of Lent, perhaps limiting their use to one hour a week, as Blessed Carlo Acutis did?