Grant Tavinor
ABSTRACT
Video gaming continues to be an ethically contentious topic, not the least because of its claimed negative effects on individuals and the society they live within. By taking a consequentialist approach to the issue---setting out the consequences of video games and gaming, and assessing those consequences for their ethically relevant properties---video gaming can be given a partial moral defence against its critics.
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Index Terms
- Towards an ethics of video gaming
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Reviews
John M. Artz
For years, people, usually parents, have been complaining about the negative effects of video games. Certainly, kids who play too many video games will suffer from brain rot, poor socialization, and a tendency toward excessively violent behavior. But, if this is true, isn't there an ethical problem with the companies who make video games, the stores that sell them, and the parents that buy them__?__ Or is there more to it than that__?__ This thoughtful, carefully argued paper looks at the ethics of video gaming from a consequentialist perspective. Negative consequences include the (alleged but as yet unproven) possibly violent behavior and poor socialization that result from too much exposure to video games. Positive consequences include the (alleged but as yet unproven) claims that video games increase creativity, while improving learning and literacy skills. We cannot forget the very obvious positive consequence that video games are fun, and people ought to be allowed to have fun (although this is more deontological than consequentialist). This is far from the last word on the ethics of video gaming, but it is a careful and thoughtful first word. It should be read by anyone who is interested in this topic, from ethicists to video game designers. It would also be of interest to anyone who is interested, more generally, in the ethics of technology. Online Computing Reviews Service
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