Computer Game Ethics - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 24
About This Presentation
Title:

Computer Game Ethics

Description:

Computer Game Ethics ... it is a virtual identity they temporarily adopt. This virtual identity exists in an intangible world that is not comparable to reality ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:167
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 25
Provided by: Jos632
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: 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 wouldnt 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
Game Addiction
  • He even left Thanksgiving dinner before pie was
    served to come home and play.
  • A post on EverQuest-Widows

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
  • MMPORGs, 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
    users knowledge? To collect with consent?
  • If the users gaming experience can be improved
    by collecting personal information, how much is
    harmless?
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com