Games, books, pastimes

[Ianny01]

Is it necessarily wrong or sinful to play games or read books that use magic as a motif? For example certain video games that have grand adventures gathering magical pieces of something or releasing magic powers or whatever.

[Laudate_Dominum]

Certainly to practice magic is sinful, and even just to believe in the power of some forms of divination, paganism and witchcraft/sorcery can be potentially sinful (an implicit denial of the sovereignty of God or some definitively taught aspect of the Catholic world-view). As far as books and games which include magic, they are not necessarily bad or prohibited, but there is a certain amount of potential for danger there. The specifics can be debated so its really a matter of discernment on the level of the particular. If these books or games lead you away from God and His truth, I would say that would be a huge red flag.