Ethical Issues within the games industry

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sktseany

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#1 sktseany
Member since 2007 • 51 Posts

Hi, Im fairly new to the Forums but have been an avid Gamespot user for sometime. For my Media Games Development coursework at Sixth Form, i need to gather primary research from people like you guys. Basically an online debate.

Please can i any of you what are your thought on the ethical issues game developer face?

-Are the current legal ethical rights within games too much?

-Is there too much racism still being portrayed?

-Is the banning of violent games such as Manhunt acceptable even though 18+ year olds are responsible enough?

What are your thought on the ethical issues faced by developers and the game industry as a whole?

Thanks guys

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thattotally

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#2 thattotally
Member since 2008 • 3842 Posts

I'm not sure whether or not this topic is allowed...

But I will say that "ethics" have no business in the world of making money. Companies need to make a profit, and money is the only thing that influences everything in this world. So trying to determine what's "right" or not is just hypocritical. Like the 18+ ratings and whatnot.

Just what I think based on the happenings of everday life.

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Polybren

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#3 Polybren
Member since 2004 • 1678 Posts
I think there's just the right amount of racism being portrayed? Seriously, I think this topic is better handled with a one-on-one approach rather than the fire-and-forget forum post. Do a bit of legwork and find people that have already posted about stuff like this, then maybe PM them and see if they're interested in helping you out?
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frostybanana

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#4 frostybanana
Member since 2010 • 5523 Posts
Yeah, I think you need to be a little more specific in terms of what you're referring to and the arguments that are being made. It's not structured enough for an open ended forum.
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Treflis

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#5 Treflis
Member since 2004 • 13757 Posts
Is there too much racism still being portrayed? Still? ... Is it Jack Thompson that's the leder of the course you're attending?
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Black_Knight_00

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#6 Black_Knight_00
Member since 2007 • 78 Posts
- Define legal ethical rights, please. Legal and ethical don't always mean the same - I don't really see much racism in the games I play, except GTA, which is a mocking criticism of society though, so I won't call it real racism. People who cried racism over RE5 and FarCry2 are just bigots. - I think developers should limit how much gore they put in their games, I don't like where the industry is going with this, but this is personal tastes. My solution is: the ESRB should be an enforced law: if you're underage you can't buy the game. Stores who do not comply get heavily fined and underage kids caught playing the M game online get their accounts banned and even IP temporarily banned. Extreme? Yes it is, but there would be no need to censor and ban games this way.
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muthsera666

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#7 muthsera666
Member since 2005 • 13271 Posts
But I will say that "ethics" have no business in the world of making money. Companies need to make a profit, and money is the only thing that influences everything in this world. So trying to determine what's "right" or not is just hypocritical. Like the 18+ ratings and whatnot.thattotally
Are you serious? Yes, Boss Tweed should make a comeback. Monopolies and trusts are the best for the general populace...
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gamer_10001

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#8 gamer_10001
Member since 2006 • 2588 Posts

Another thing you can think about is charging for "DLC" when the code for it is already present on the disk, and all the download does is unlock it. If you bought the disk then you should have access to all the content on the disk. I'll let others expand on why this is ethically right or wrong for I do not feel like typing a paragraph this late at night.

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muthsera666

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#9 muthsera666
Member since 2005 • 13271 Posts
Another thing you can think about is charging for "DLC" when the code for it is already present on the disk, and all the download does is unlock it. If you bought the disk then you should have access to all the content on the disk. I'll let others expand on why this is ethically right or wrong for I do not feel like typing a paragraph this late at night.gamer_10001
This I agree with. Providing the same content via download isn't as much of a smack in the face as is paying to unlock information on a disc you already bought.
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woonsa

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#10 woonsa
Member since 2008 • 6322 Posts
Money doesn't care about ethical issues.
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RK-Mara

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#11 RK-Mara
Member since 2006 • 11489 Posts

I'm not sure whether or not this topic is allowed...

But I will say that "ethics" have no business in the world of making money. Companies need to make a profit, and money is the only thing that influences everything in this world. So trying to determine what's "right" or not is just hypocritical. Like the 18+ ratings and whatnot.

Just what I think based on the happenings of everday life.

thattotally
What you are portraying is 19th century liberalism.
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thattotally

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#12 thattotally
Member since 2008 • 3842 Posts

I'm not portraying it, America is. Would you say I'm incorrect in this notion? Current events seem to prove otherwise.

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muthsera666

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#13 muthsera666
Member since 2005 • 13271 Posts
I'm not portraying it, America is. Would you say I'm incorrect in this notion? Current events seem to prove otherwise.thattotally
The economic display by America and the correctness of it are two far different discussions.
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Blakechin93

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#14 Blakechin93
Member since 2011 • 25 Posts
When it comes to violence in video games, I dont find it very offensive, this all depends on the game itself, if it is a game like call of duty, then this type of violence is acceptable, (come on your in a war zone, its not fun) I feel that some games step over that mark, for example Modern Warfare 2, the mission 'No Russian' which consists on a group of four men, entering a Russian airport and shooting all the inocent people, this I feel is stepping over the line, when it comes to violence in video games, yes the other mission on the game a slightly more acceptable, but this mission is on the darker side. The only thing I agree when it comes to this mission is that Activition have issued a warning to players before they play the mission, players are given the option whether they want to play the mission or not before hand (This is their way of getting around ethical obligations). Also another game that crossed that line of violence is Medal Of Honour which contains missions where you play as the Taliban and kill British soldiers, this cause a huge disruption in the population, this was due to the fact that this game was released when the conflict in Afganhistan was still raging on, thai made the game more open to comments about this section of the game