Difference between revisions of "Ethics in Computer & Video Games"
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| − | It is fun to play a killer or a thief, to get a sense of the thrill | + | It is fun to play a killer or a thief, to get a sense of the thrill or experience, even though in real life it carries a different meaning. One might ask: Is it ethical to play such games? Does that affect our sense of ethics in virtual and real life? |
With computers becoming commonplace in United States households, the implications of violence in video games need to be taken into consideration. The increasing presence of violence in popular video games such as ''Street Fighter'' and [[Call of Duty]] seem to promote masculinity and power in regards to gender and character issues. <ref name= "Powerplay"> Janzten, G., & Jensen, J. "Powerplay - Power, Violence and Gender in Video Games." Department of Communication, Aalborg University. 1993. Web. 28 November 2011: 368-385. </ref> It is difficult to pin a specific meaning to violence in video games when there is little distinction between the isolated and independent concepts of violence in the many contexts it is portrayed in within video games. While there are times when violence is coherently placed in a game to follow the structure of the narrative, there are times when "meaningless" violence occurs and we need to understand whether the meaningless violence enhances the entertainment value of the game or whether users are using violence in video games as an outlet to display power and masculinity. Violence seems to appear even more in advertisements for video games. In a study conducted by Dr. Scharrer at UMass, results show 55.8% of game advertisements contained violence, an average of 2.5 weapons appeared per advertisement, and males outnumbered females by more than 3 to 1. While Scharrer's study did not conclude that violence in video games affect our ethics in virtual and real life, she did suggest that user identification was critical to how violence in video games affected their sense of ethics in real life. The more someone identifies with an avatar in a virtual environment, the more likely they will unconsciously process gender and male violence stereotypes in their schema and knowledge structures. <ref name="Scharrer"> Scharrer, E. "Virtual Violence: Gender and Aggression in Video Game Advertisements." Mass Communication and Society, Fall 2004, Vol. 7, Issue 4. Web. 28 November 2011: 393-412. </ref> | With computers becoming commonplace in United States households, the implications of violence in video games need to be taken into consideration. The increasing presence of violence in popular video games such as ''Street Fighter'' and [[Call of Duty]] seem to promote masculinity and power in regards to gender and character issues. <ref name= "Powerplay"> Janzten, G., & Jensen, J. "Powerplay - Power, Violence and Gender in Video Games." Department of Communication, Aalborg University. 1993. Web. 28 November 2011: 368-385. </ref> It is difficult to pin a specific meaning to violence in video games when there is little distinction between the isolated and independent concepts of violence in the many contexts it is portrayed in within video games. While there are times when violence is coherently placed in a game to follow the structure of the narrative, there are times when "meaningless" violence occurs and we need to understand whether the meaningless violence enhances the entertainment value of the game or whether users are using violence in video games as an outlet to display power and masculinity. Violence seems to appear even more in advertisements for video games. In a study conducted by Dr. Scharrer at UMass, results show 55.8% of game advertisements contained violence, an average of 2.5 weapons appeared per advertisement, and males outnumbered females by more than 3 to 1. While Scharrer's study did not conclude that violence in video games affect our ethics in virtual and real life, she did suggest that user identification was critical to how violence in video games affected their sense of ethics in real life. The more someone identifies with an avatar in a virtual environment, the more likely they will unconsciously process gender and male violence stereotypes in their schema and knowledge structures. <ref name="Scharrer"> Scharrer, E. "Virtual Violence: Gender and Aggression in Video Game Advertisements." Mass Communication and Society, Fall 2004, Vol. 7, Issue 4. Web. 28 November 2011: 393-412. </ref> | ||
Revision as of 23:12, 9 December 2011
Contents
Ethics in Computer & Video Games
Why should we care?
The virtual reality of games is worthy of ethical consideration, according to Edward H. Spence. Virtual environments possess many qualities that allow for dilemmas which must be considered when speaking of ethics. Some examples include virtual behavior, identity, and trust in virtual environments. Without well-defined policies designed to encourage desired types of behavior while discouraging others, the behavior of users in games becomes unpredictable and can lead to unfavorable behaviors such as virtual rape, griefing, and identity theft. These types of behavior have the potential to deter users from playing online games and cause information entropy within the world of gaming.
Applications
To address ethical problems, people have devised several solutions. In computer games, a code of ethics (Terms of Use) is commonly employed to address such issues as griefing and online cheating. Other people, like computer game theorist and researcher Miguel Sicart, suggest that it is not so much a system of regulation that is needed to enforce ethics in virtual environments, but, among other things, a feeling of personal responsibility and moral integrity by the players themselves.
Ethics in game development
In developing and advertising games, specific audiences are usually targeted, and to conform to ratings (Everyone, or Mature). If developers succeed in this goal, more people will prefer their product, bringing in more profit. If players play by the rules, then cheaters would not scare off everyone else, meaning more subscribers will sign up and play, and thus a larger profit would be made. Therefore it is to developers' advantage to devise some sort of ethical guidelines.
Violence in games
It is fun to play a killer or a thief, to get a sense of the thrill or experience, even though in real life it carries a different meaning. One might ask: Is it ethical to play such games? Does that affect our sense of ethics in virtual and real life? With computers becoming commonplace in United States households, the implications of violence in video games need to be taken into consideration. The increasing presence of violence in popular video games such as Street Fighter and Call of Duty seem to promote masculinity and power in regards to gender and character issues. [1] It is difficult to pin a specific meaning to violence in video games when there is little distinction between the isolated and independent concepts of violence in the many contexts it is portrayed in within video games. While there are times when violence is coherently placed in a game to follow the structure of the narrative, there are times when "meaningless" violence occurs and we need to understand whether the meaningless violence enhances the entertainment value of the game or whether users are using violence in video games as an outlet to display power and masculinity. Violence seems to appear even more in advertisements for video games. In a study conducted by Dr. Scharrer at UMass, results show 55.8% of game advertisements contained violence, an average of 2.5 weapons appeared per advertisement, and males outnumbered females by more than 3 to 1. While Scharrer's study did not conclude that violence in video games affect our ethics in virtual and real life, she did suggest that user identification was critical to how violence in video games affected their sense of ethics in real life. The more someone identifies with an avatar in a virtual environment, the more likely they will unconsciously process gender and male violence stereotypes in their schema and knowledge structures. [2]
See Also
References
- ↑ Janzten, G., & Jensen, J. "Powerplay - Power, Violence and Gender in Video Games." Department of Communication, Aalborg University. 1993. Web. 28 November 2011: 368-385.
- ↑ Scharrer, E. "Virtual Violence: Gender and Aggression in Video Game Advertisements." Mass Communication and Society, Fall 2004, Vol. 7, Issue 4. Web. 28 November 2011: 393-412.
