Computer Game Ethics

1. Computer Game Ethics José Diaz

2. Overview The Business Software Piracy Ratings / Censorship Game Content Violence in Gaming Gender & Sexuality Social Affect Computer Game Addiction Privacy

3. Definition of Computer Games • “Technological-recreational fantasy entertainment”. This implies that the experience made playing a computer game happens on an abstract level. Although game players might identify themselves with characters they control, it is a virtual identity they temporarily adopt. This virtual identity exists in an intangible world that is not comparable to reality. “game play is its own reward and is clearly distinguished from ordinary life”. Therefore, real moral values and principles might not be applicable.

4. Software Piracy • Definition: The illegal duplication of software for commercial or personal use. • Computer Industry loses more than 11$ billion to software piracy every year. • Considered a crime in many countries. • Up to 5 years in jail and/or 250000$ in fines in the U.S.

5. Software Piracy • Is piracy acceptable if the person wouldn’t have ever actually bought the item? • Is pirating / cracking a game ever ok? What about to replace a lost legal copy? • Have you ever pirated software, and if so, what is your rationale for breaking the law? Is it any different than shoplifting?

6. Ratings and Censorship • Entertaiment Software Ratings Board (ESBR) rates computer and video games in the U.S. • Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rates computer and videogames in Europé. • Not supported by law. • ESBR rates over 1000 games per year.

7. ESBR rating and content symbols

8. ESBR rating and content symbols

9. ESBR rating and content symbols • Each of these ratings has a content description below it, containing more than 30 choices of descriptions from "Cartoon Violence" to "Strong Sexual Content" and everything in between. Content is allowed further permutations with the words "Mild" or "Strong" to describe each term.

10. PEGI rating and content symbols

11. Main purpose • To help parents make informed decisions on buying interactive games. In other words both PEGI and ESRB are working for the protection and well being of children

12. Violence in Gaming • Anderson & Bushman: Exposure to violent games… • … increases physiological arousal • … increases aggressive thoughts • … increases aggressive emotions • … increases aggressive actions • … decreases positive prosocial actions • … trains our youth in combat tactics needed for the revolution

13. Violence in Gaming • Psychologist Jonathan Freedman, who reviewed over 200 published studies, found that the impact of violence in videogames to aggressive behaviour was very small compared to other things.

14. Agression Experiments • College student experiment • Group A: played a non-violent game • Group B: played a violent game • Competitive reaction test afterwards • Winner of each ‘round’ delivers a loud “noise blast” at opponent, with a choice of volume and duration • Group B delivered longer blasts than Group A • Exposure to violent video games increases hostile attribution bias • Those who interpret ambiguous social cues as being of hostile intent are more aggressive • Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have a hostile attribution bias

15. Violence in Gaming • Do game designers have social responsibilities to the users of their products? • Should violence in computer and video games even be an issue, since we can see it so often in other, more popular mass media?

16. Gender & Sexuality in Games • 43% of people who play interactive games are women • 47% of people who purchase computer games are men and 53% are women. • 54% of people who purchase console games are men and 46% are women.

17. Gender & Sexuality in Games

18. Gender & Sexuality in Games • Much of the debate about the good and ills of computer and video games center on children • What moral and legal duty do game developers have to ensure that children cannot access the material that they create. • Whats is appropiate? And what is not? • Should games be rated according to their sexual content?

19. “He even left Thanksgiving dinner before pie was served to come home and play….” A post on EverQuest-Widows Game Addiction

20. Game Addiction • “My husband was doing an adventure when one of the players asked how much longer the adventure would take since his wife was in labor.“ • “When I came back home I asked my husband to come to bed with me because I needed some comfort and to process what had happened, especially since I just started my 8th month of pregnancy. You know what his answer was? ‘I can't just leave my group, it's rude.’”

21. Game Addiction • “Symptoms of game addiction include falling behind in school and work and basically deferring everything else in your life so you can play.” • “Compulsive playing tends to mask underlying problems such as depression, anger and low self-esteem,” said the director of the Computer Addiction Studies Center, who said she was once hooked on computer solitaire.

22. Game Addiction • Where is the line drawn between passion and addiction? • What social responsibilities do game designers have to the users of their products? • Make a game less addictive by making it boring? • Should games known to be highly addictive come with warning labels?

23. Privacy • MMPORG’s, Web-based games, and even games requiring online registration all have access to your machine and any information you choose to offer. • Organizations like Microsoft, and more recently the US Army, which have possible negative social connotations associated with them, have gotten involved in computer games.

24. Privacy Questions • What data is ethical to collect without the user’s knowledge? To collect with consent? • If the user’s gaming experience can be improved by collecting personal information, how much is harmless?