Virtual decisions: video game ethics, Just Consequentialism, and ethics on the fly

Acm Sigcas Computers and Society 39 (3):27-42 (2009)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Video games are ethically controversial. Some video games are effective training tools for learning various skills and approaches to problem-solving, but some video games are notorious for promoting discriminatory and barbaric behavior. We consider such ethical pros and cons of video games, but we also present a more fundamental ethical issue about video games. Most video games have a bias toward self-centered decision-making. Often the decision-making driver is not the impact of the decision on society but rather the quantity of rewards for their individual character. This bias can be an obstacle to employing good ethical analysis and good ethical decision-making in video games. In this paper we discuss the ethical theory of Just Consequentialism and show how it can be used to introduce ethical values into video game design and how it can be useful for ethical decision-making, even rapid ethical decision-making, in both virtual world and real worlds.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Analytics

Added to PP
2013-11-01

Downloads
105 (#154,158)

6 months
5 (#246,492)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

James H. Moor
Dartmouth College

References found in this work

What is computer ethics?James H. Moor - 1985 - Metaphilosophy 16 (4):266-275.
The ethics of representation and action in virtual reality.Philip Brey - 1999 - Ethics and Information Technology 1 (1):5-14.
Just consequentialism and computing.James H. Moor - 1999 - Ethics and Information Technology 1 (1):61-65.
Reason, relativity, and responsibility in computer ethics.James H. Moor - 1998 - Acm Sigcas Computers and Society 28 (1):14-21.
Locating the wrongness in ultra-violent video games.David I. Waddington - 2007 - Ethics and Information Technology 9 (2):121-128.

View all 6 references / Add more references