Video Games

In this module we will investigate the impact of video games through some video and text narratives. The goal is to think about the implications of video games for society and the role of developers in creating these digital artifacts.

Activity 1 :

Respond to the two discussion questions based on the narratives you have read/viewed:

What kind of positive effects can video games have on players?

What is the evidence that 'gaming addiction' is a disease?

Activity 1 wrap up

Virtual Line Up

View results of the Virtual Line Up and respond after you have read the following four narratives:

• New York Times Magazine: Can you really be addicted to video games? (2019)

• China introduces restrictions on video games for minors, NPR (2019)

(see email attachments for short articles referenced below):

• AARSETH et. al. 2017. Scholars’ open debate paper on the WHOICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal

• Przybylski, Weinstein, and Murayama. 2017. Internet Gaming Disorder: Investigating the Clinical

Relevance of a New Phenomenon

Warmup: Kahoot !!!! Video Games by the Numbers (or https://kahoot.it/ Game PIN: 08491357) (10 minutes)

Activity 1 Follow-up: Small Group Discussion Prompt with shared doc reporting (10 minutes)

Why might video games be different from other non-digital games we play?

• How do they introduce new ethical issues that did not exist before the advent of game played using computing tech?

• How does the scale (size), scope (variety), span (production), and speed (innovation) of the video game technologies industry make them different than other non-digital games we play?

Whole group report out/discussion (10-15 minutes)

Activity 2 Breakout room reading, prompts, and discussion (20-30 minutes)

• How does engaging with online video games shape our relationships with others -- inside and outside the games? (Rooms 1 and 2)

• Should game companies be responsible for monitoring and maintaining a certain level of conduct and behavior in their multiplayer experiences? Why or why not? If they should, how could they do so in an effective way? If they shouldn't, how should we fix the problems that currently plague multiplayer games? (Rooms 3 and 4)

Whole group report out/discussion (10-15 minutes)

Read Gotterbarn and Moor (2009) Virtual decisions: video game ethics, Just Consequentialism, and ethics on the fly. ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society 39(3):27-42 DOI: 10.1145/1713066.1713068

ANSWER THE FOLLOW QUESTIONS AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE ARTICLE (see email):

Follow up to Activity 2 Questions (Form)

Part 1: Reactions/Discussion of Gotterbarn and Moor (2009)

Read: American Psychological Association 2020 Resolution on Violent Video Games

Part 2: Got a Question? Pass it on

Part 3: Why is this my problem?

Read: ACM Code of Ethics (2018)

Want more?

Movies/Series Related to Impact of Video Games:

Black Mirror: Playtest (2016)

Black Mirror: Striking Vipers (2019)

Ready Player One (2018)

Post Module Assessment:

Ethical Issues in Video Game Technologies