Two South Korean conscientious objectors who claimed they could never hold a gun were taken to court by the government, who pointed out that both men enjoyed playing violent first-person shooter games on their computers.

Prosecutors representing the South Korean government said the computer records of the two men, identified in court only by their family names, Kim and Kwon, showed they had accessed games such as “Sudden Attack”, in which players are required to kill on-screen enemies with guns and other weapons.

During the hearing, the men had claimed that they refused to accept mandatory conscription on the grounds that holding a weapon and killing another person was against their religious convictions.

In its case against the two men, aged 23 and 24, the prosecution argued that their record of online wargaming meant they could not be considered “true” conscientious objectors, The Korea Times reported.

The Seoul Southern District Court on Saturday disagreed, however, ruling that a person can enjoy a violent computer game and still be a conscientious objector.

The court added that Kim and Kwan, both Jehovah’s Witnesses, could therefore legitimately refuse to serve in the military on the grounds of their religious beliefs.