Buddhist brother says engaging with others in ‘violent’ and ‘bloody’ online game is like playing chess; only worries he may become addicted
Huayan once achieved the Legendary Eagle Master position, a very high ranking in Counter-Strike (CS).
“Why should I quit this good activity? While playing games, I can communicate and cooperate with people to achieve a win-win situation. I also gain empathy for others. These traits are all helpful for a person’s growth,” he said.
Some monks may do that but it’s not common to fully insulate themselves, or they may temporarily spend time away from society focused only on dhamma study but otherwise will read the news and engage in activism and wordly things plenty. They don’t handle money and avoid alcohol, sex and drugs etc usually but still have recreation and even fight in militaries at times. Many monks and buddhist lay people specifically take a vow to remain in the worldly sphere (as a “Bodhisattva”) so they can use their experience and conditioning to help guide other people out of the suffering of the mundane world.