What is ‘halal gaming’? Inside the YouTube niche with millions of fans
A growing trend among Western gaming bloggers involves playing video games while adhering to Islamic norms. These creators impose religious restrictions on themselves within virtual worlds.
Minecraft
For example, a blogger named GuyBordo completed Minecraft while strictly adhering to Islamic principles. He began by writing the shahada (the declaration of faith) in the chat. Then, he sought to obtain food in accordance with halal rules. Before slaughtering animals, he made sure to type the traditional phrase «In the name of Allah» in the chat and killed with a single blow to prevent suffering. Naturally, he refused to consume pork.
He permitted himself to fight monsters only in self-defense, since attacking unprovoked is forbidden. The most challenging part, however, was observing the five daily prayers. To achieve this, GuyBordo used a bucket of water to wash his character, then stood facing north for 10 seconds to mimic prayer.
As required by his faith, he refrained from doing anything else during prayer. Additionally, he avoided any magical enchantments, since magic is considered a sin in Islam.
GuyBordo completed the game in about four hours. The entire playthrough was accompanied by Quranic quotes and explanations of religious principles.
The video has attracted more than 2.7 million views.
Team Fortress 2
A similar challenge was attempted by the creator behind the channel Flinch Plays Games. Setting out to complete Team Fortress 2 without committing any haram (forbidden) acts, he refused to play as characters who cheated, attacked stealthily or drank alcohol.
He allowed opponents to attack first in combat and, before each «halal» kill, typed a short prayer in the chat. Throughout the entire game, he made only six «acceptable» kills.
The playthrough has drawn more than 60,000 views on YouTube.
Reactions to both videos were notably positive. Rather than finding the content offensive or provocative, commenters actively participated in the discussion — offering corrections, sharing knowledge about Islam and explaining religious terminology — and regarded the videos as educational.
In relation to these trends, Kursiv.media previously reported that the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Kazakhstan clarified which computer games Muslims may play. According to its statement, popular titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Grand Theft Auto contradict Islamic values because of depictions of violence, gambling, theft, obscene language and inappropriate behavior by characters.
