The Ethics of Computer Games

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.