This resource is based on the approaches to ethics outlined in the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics’ Framework for Ethical Decision Making.

The sexuality involves in the video game is a morality problem. It utilizes women as mere sexual tools to men’s insatiable which effect status of woman in the sociality. For example, the game Rapelay encouraged the player to force the woman they rape to have an abortion is reinforces rape culture.

From a Utilitarian Perspective
Some players and developers argue that video games are better at teaching logic and problem solving skills than many school curriculums. And undeniably, video games bring players pleasure. How would be weigh these benefits against the potential harms that have been attributed to games, such as addiction, gender stereotyping, and the promotion of violence?
From a Rights Perspective
Are video games a form of speech, and if so, do they come under the protection of the right to free speech? Should we try to regulate this 'speech' if it degrades women? If it leads to violence? How can we defend the access of adults to whatever forms of speech they choose to hear while simultaneously protecting children from exposure, especially when gaming is such a popular activity for kids? Should it be a crime to sell games with adult content to children? Should content be regulated?

From a Fairness Perspective
Currently, video games appeal overwhelmingly to males. Only 7-8 percent of video game developers are women. Are women being excluded? Is this a problem? In some video games, the only female characters are prostitutes, and the games sometimes encourage killing them. How does this shape the players' views about women? How do questing games portray men, and is that a stereotype?

From a Common Good Perspective
What effect does video gaming have on the community? At what point-five hours a week? 25 hours a week?-does gaming interfere with people's obligations to their families and communities? Is gaming an asocial activity, or does it involve players in a different kind of community? Can true communities exist online? Do game developers have any obligation to make the on-line experience less addictive?

From a Virtue Perspective
Understanding that there are only 24 hours in a day, how much time should you fill up with video games, and what kind of person will that make you? Is there anything inherently more virtuous about reading than about playing video games? What difference does the content make? Does playing violent video games make you violent? Does playing violent games desensitize you to violence? Let's say the violence has no effect on you but you know that for some subset of the people playing video games, all the gore brings out an inclination to violence-should their access to the games be restricted, and how? Should young children be allowed to play violent games?

This list of questions was prepared by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics for a presentation Nov. 29, 2005, in conjunction with the 'Game On' exhibit at the Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, Calif.

Nov 29, 2005

When the two shooters in the 1999 Colombine massacre were found to have been been avid players of the first-person shooter (FPS) video game Doom, video games went from simply being a form of entertainment, to being the center of a worldwide ethical debate. I must admit that I normally pay very little attention to ethical debates, but this issue strikes a chord with me. As someone who has played video games all of my life, I find this debate especially interesting. I played video games since the age of 6, many of which were violent, and I never exhibited any violent behavior. Sadly, anecdotes carry little weight in the academic world.

Even with my own anecdotal evidence aside, yy initial reaction to the issue has always been that it is not unethical to market video games to young children because 1) evidence is inconclusive as to whether or not exposure to violent video games actually makes children more violent (see articles that are in direct contradiction to each other), and 2) it is the responsibility of the parents to decide what media their children are exposed to. However, just because my initial reaction is that it isn’t unethical, doesn’t mean that it really is. In order to make a more sound decision as to whether or not the marketing of violent video games to minors is ethical, I would like to apply a few ethical frameworks to this situation.

Utilitarianism

Often summed up as, “the greatest good for the greatest number”, utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of the action to determine whether or not it is ethical. In the case of marketing violent video games to children, it is difficult to apply this framework because the consequences of marketing video games to children are hazy at best. The research that has tried to determine causality between playing violent video games and exhibiting violent behavior has been mostly inconclusive, so it is hard to make a judgment based on this particular consequence (which is arguably the most significant one).

Some other consequences that should possibly be considered are: the increased revenue that comes to video game production companies by marketing to children, the increase in time children spend playing video games (and therefore not outside), and (arguably) mass desensitization to violence. The latter two consequences have a negative affect on many, while the former consequence (of making more money) is beneficial only to a select few who work in the video game industry. Because these consequences are mostly negative and (potentially) negatively affect a great number of people, one might conclude that marketing video games to children is unethical.

Is Cheating In Video Games Ethical Essay Example

What would Kant say?

Is Cheating In Video Games Ethical Essay Examples

Immanuel Kant’s believed that a person should never view other people as a means to an end. In the case of marketing video games to children, it could easily be argued that the makers of violent video games are using children as a means to end (making money). Kant probably would think that this is not ethical. Furthermore, he believed that a person shouldn’t do anything that he/she wouldn’t want to become universal law. If we imagine that the people who are marketing violent video games to children have children themselves, we can then question whether they would want their children to be exposed to violent video games. The answer to this question varies on a case-to-case basis. Certainly there are some parents who wouldn’t mind, but there are still others who would not want this. If there are video game marketers who fall into the latter category, their actions are probably not ethical by Kant’s standards.

So is it ethical?

Is Cheating In Video Games Ethical Essay Template

Obviously, the determination as to whether or not marketing violent video games to children is ethical or not is subjective. If it wasn’t, the debate would not have raged on for the past 15 years. Although many people, like myself, may have strong initial reactions to this ethical question, using ethical frameworks can shake our opinions and even change them. While I am not fully swayed on the issue, putting this debate to the test of these ethical frameworks has had a major effect on how I approach this issue.