Despite the emergence of computer games as a dominant cultural industry (and the accompanying emergence of computer games as the subject of scholarly research), we know little or nothing about the ethics of computer games. Considerations of the morality of computer games seldom go beyond intermittent portrayals of them in the mass media as training devices for teenage serial killers. In this first scholarly exploration of the subject, Miguel Sicart addresses broader issues about the ethics of games, the ethics of playing the games, and the ethical responsibilities of game designers. He argues that computer games are ethical objects, that computer game players are ethical agents, and that the ethics of computer games should be seen as a complex network of responsibilities and moral duties. Players should not be considered passive amoral creatures; they reflect, relate, and create with ethical minds. The games they play are ethical systems, with rules that create gameworlds with values at play. Drawing on concepts from philosophy and game studies, Sicart proposes a framework for analyzing the ethics of computer games as both designed objects and player experiences. After presenting his core theoretical arguments and offering a general theory for understanding computer game ethics, Sicart offers case studies examining single-player games (using Bioshock as an example), multiplayer games (illustrated by Defcon), and online gameworlds (illustrated by World of Warcraft) from an ethical perspective. He explores issues raised by unethical content in computer games and its possible effect on players and offers a synthesis of design theory and ethics that could be used as both analytical tool and inspiration in the creation of ethical gameplay.
The Ethics of Computer Games
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"Miguel Sicart's The Ethics of Computer Games is a thoughtful and nuanced investigation of a topic of great importance. Sicart weaves together insights and influences from several fields, providing an erudite (and also approachable) introduction to the subject. This book will be valuable to educators who want to target ethics in their Game Studies curriculum, as well as to journalists, parents, and others who have ethical concerns about games."--Katherine Isbister, Polytechnic Institute of New York University
About the Author
Miguel Sicart is Associate Professor at the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen. He is the author of The Ethics of Computer Games (MIT Press).
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Do digital games make us moral zombies? Are gamers mindless slaves to the game's design?
August 9, 2012
Format:Paperback
Miguel Sicart takes a comprehensive look at ethics and morality in computer games.
The book was prompted by the PC game Deus Ex (Ion Storm) issued in 2000. Apart from its diverse and absorbing game play, this action role play game is commonly praised as a fascinating dystopia with an ethical game design. Unlike many other action-based computer games, Deus Ex succeeds in the feat of making gamers reflect on their own actions. According to Sicart, this kind of ethical thinking, as well as the question of motives that comes with it, is just as significant in Deus Ex as its firearms. Viewed in this way, the game becomes an ideal example of how ethical awareness of responsibility plays a considerable role with respect to game-play strategies and the game design.
To start with, Deus Ex presents itself as yet another average first-person shooter set in a bleak sci-fi world, yet even in the first few missions the player's alter ego is confronted with increasingly difficult decisions. Soon, hints and indications display the goals and motives of the player in a different light: the gamer is shown the questionable nature of some of his/her actions. The ethical game design of Deus Ex forces the player to become aware of his role as a moral decision-maker.
Starting from the moral challenge manifested in Deus Ex as a result of the game objectives, this analysis considers the design framework on the one hand and highlights the game experience on the other. Sicart takes on the challenge of a comprehensive academic study on ethical game play and game design - the book's theoretical foundation is laid by linking philosophical theories such as constructivism and information ethics, which are in places extremely demanding in terms of language and content. In fact (and as predicted by the author), the philosophical debate in Sicart's Game Ethics requires a high degree of concentration. However, these rather more difficult-to-digest theoretical chunks are simplified by concrete examples in clear case studies (e.g. on Bioshock or MMORPG representative World of Warcraft) as well as a debate on ethical problems.
The socio-cultural significance of this philosophical analysis can primarily be seen in Sicart's conclusion, which states that video games should not just be reduced to their economic role (they have recently become the biggest branch of the entertainment industry). Rather, games should be viewed as an expressive mediator of communication and creativity in the 21st century. For Sicart, computer games are above all infospheres with set rules, in which interaction takes place. Players are thus in no way mindless zombies, but operate on a moral level and are responsible for the decisions they make in the game. As per Sicart's definition, these "virtuous players" are not only responsible for their actions within the framework of the game design; they also have the capacity to decide which games are played at all. Players therefore by definition have moral positions of responsibility and thus also co-form societal values. Consequently, computer and video games also have the ethical power and responsibility to influence social debates. Nowhere else, according to Sicart, are there similarly unique and interactive contributions such as the ideas realised in the virtual worlds of digital games. Creative and societal conflict with new technologies is an essential structural trait for further cultural development and, by implication, also allows for the evaluation of a new dynamic culture of interaction.
Conclusion: Despite computer and video games nearly having achieved becoming a fixed part of the dominant general culture, the question of ethics in digital games has to date been a poor cousin of Game Studies. The Ethics of Computer Games is not always simple, yet nevertheless worth reading as it offers a well-founded access point to understanding ethics and morality in computer game playing. Game Ethics is currently only available in English, but non-native speakers with knowledge of the language will also be able to tackle it. It is worth it, as Miguel Sicart's insights not only show us how we play, but also highlights games' potential to demand "ethical" game design. The player himself primarily holds the reins in such an ethical and thus engrossing game play - "It is our game now".
The book was prompted by the PC game Deus Ex (Ion Storm) issued in 2000. Apart from its diverse and absorbing game play, this action role play game is commonly praised as a fascinating dystopia with an ethical game design. Unlike many other action-based computer games, Deus Ex succeeds in the feat of making gamers reflect on their own actions. According to Sicart, this kind of ethical thinking, as well as the question of motives that comes with it, is just as significant in Deus Ex as its firearms. Viewed in this way, the game becomes an ideal example of how ethical awareness of responsibility plays a considerable role with respect to game-play strategies and the game design.
To start with, Deus Ex presents itself as yet another average first-person shooter set in a bleak sci-fi world, yet even in the first few missions the player's alter ego is confronted with increasingly difficult decisions. Soon, hints and indications display the goals and motives of the player in a different light: the gamer is shown the questionable nature of some of his/her actions. The ethical game design of Deus Ex forces the player to become aware of his role as a moral decision-maker.
Starting from the moral challenge manifested in Deus Ex as a result of the game objectives, this analysis considers the design framework on the one hand and highlights the game experience on the other. Sicart takes on the challenge of a comprehensive academic study on ethical game play and game design - the book's theoretical foundation is laid by linking philosophical theories such as constructivism and information ethics, which are in places extremely demanding in terms of language and content. In fact (and as predicted by the author), the philosophical debate in Sicart's Game Ethics requires a high degree of concentration. However, these rather more difficult-to-digest theoretical chunks are simplified by concrete examples in clear case studies (e.g. on Bioshock or MMORPG representative World of Warcraft) as well as a debate on ethical problems.
The socio-cultural significance of this philosophical analysis can primarily be seen in Sicart's conclusion, which states that video games should not just be reduced to their economic role (they have recently become the biggest branch of the entertainment industry). Rather, games should be viewed as an expressive mediator of communication and creativity in the 21st century. For Sicart, computer games are above all infospheres with set rules, in which interaction takes place. Players are thus in no way mindless zombies, but operate on a moral level and are responsible for the decisions they make in the game. As per Sicart's definition, these "virtuous players" are not only responsible for their actions within the framework of the game design; they also have the capacity to decide which games are played at all. Players therefore by definition have moral positions of responsibility and thus also co-form societal values. Consequently, computer and video games also have the ethical power and responsibility to influence social debates. Nowhere else, according to Sicart, are there similarly unique and interactive contributions such as the ideas realised in the virtual worlds of digital games. Creative and societal conflict with new technologies is an essential structural trait for further cultural development and, by implication, also allows for the evaluation of a new dynamic culture of interaction.
Conclusion: Despite computer and video games nearly having achieved becoming a fixed part of the dominant general culture, the question of ethics in digital games has to date been a poor cousin of Game Studies. The Ethics of Computer Games is not always simple, yet nevertheless worth reading as it offers a well-founded access point to understanding ethics and morality in computer game playing. Game Ethics is currently only available in English, but non-native speakers with knowledge of the language will also be able to tackle it. It is worth it, as Miguel Sicart's insights not only show us how we play, but also highlights games' potential to demand "ethical" game design. The player himself primarily holds the reins in such an ethical and thus engrossing game play - "It is our game now".
Format:Paperback
In The Ethics of Computer Games, Miguel Sicart has succeeded in creating a balanced core work that will form a solid basis of any future discourse on the subject. Using various approaches (value ethics, information ethics, ludic hermeneutics and so forth) he exceptionally well illustrates the key issues of a very challenging area. What struck me as particularly fine is that unlike so many other game scholars, Sicart is always sharp enough to point out where the limits of his analysis lie, avoiding overt generalizations. Likewise, the fact that he is fluently able to combine material that is directed towards scholars as well as parts obviously written for designers makes the book a necessary read for an audience much larger than just researchers. It is also a treasure trove for those interested in facets of game studies other than just ethics, due to its well-grounded nature. The only thing I saw as clearly missing was a Wittgensteinian differentiation between "rules" and "natural laws" and their impact, but as Sicart effectively addresses the issue within his view on how rules may differ, it is not a big omission.
This is a book that should be included in the mandatory reading list of any serious course on game studies or design.
This is a book that should be included in the mandatory reading list of any serious course on game studies or design.
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