Ethical Implications of Video Games

[Xyloxadoria 1,099]

I am in a writing class and i need a few opions form people outside my country (I live in the United States but any responses from people in the US would be helpful also) on my research topic so ive decided to post it here.

The topic i am researching is the ethical choices in video games and how it relates to culture. For example:

- Are games containing Nazis offensive to Germans

-Are games containing Vikings offensive to Norwegians

-etc

I am wanting to know if people of the culture or country of what you are killing find it to be offensive. Also are there any things you have seen in a video game that you found to be offensive because of your beliefs, values etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Vikings are much better than what the legends about them describe. They were an advanced society, in many ways superior to the Celts that they conquered.

[Larks2242 251]

Well i don't really care what is put in video games cause its freedom of speech IMO as long as you don't do it in RL i don't see the problem.

But anything terriorest releated is offensive i guess if your not taking them out, there was a big deal about that in the new Medel of Honor.

[Sam 163]

Originally posted by: Xyloxadoria

The topic i am researching is the ethical choices in video games and how it relates to culture. For example:

- Are games containing Nazis offensive to Germans

-Are games containing Vikings offensive to Norwegians

-etc

quote>

I'm not German so I can't say for sure, but I suspect Nazi references can be quite offensive to Germans, in fact I think some kinds of reference or materials are actually illegal in Germany except for scholarly or similar use. I don't know the facts so you'd have to look them up or ask some German people though.

Originally posted by: Xyloxadoria

I am wanting to know if people of the culture or country of what you are killing find it to be offensive. Also are there any things you have seen in a video game that you found to be offensive because of your beliefs, values etc.

quote>

Yes I've found quite a lot of things to be "offensive" in one way or another in games, usually to do with violence. These are my own choices and I don't expect anyone else to do likewise, but as a result I'm quite selective about the games I choose to play. Mainly I like games like Sims, SimCity, Creatures that do not require any level of violence and are fairly peaceful strategy games or at least have peaceful options. I don't normally play first person shooters or games like that. I like Neverwinter Nights and D&D games, but prefer to use low hack 'n' slash scenarios and more strategy or mystery scenarios. I also like trader type games, I think an old one was called "Elite" or something like that, where you just fly from star system to star system, trade commodities, get rich and build a better ship.

For example:

I didn't like Spore paths for predators and warriors, so almost all my games in that were played through the non-violent options. Even the religious option in civilisation I found a problem, as it was a clone of the warrior option just with different coloured "weapons". I preferred the trader option there.

I was quite unhappy when Sims 3 destroyed my Sims' school by dropping a meteor on it, killing all the town's children, I thought that was going a bit far.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Xyloxadoria

I am wanting to know if people of the culture or country of what you are killing find it to be offensive. Also are there any things you have seen in a video game that you found to be offensive because of your beliefs, values etc. quote>

I think a major component of it is the ability of the game developer to achieve total player immersion, and as a result, for the individual to project himself onto the scenario in the game.  If you feel no connection to the scenario at hand, then you're not bothered by it.  However, if you somehow see yourself in the scenario(s) in the game, then it is possible that you might be offended by the content.

[Meg 368]

I suspect that a game that is truly offensive to a specific population wouldn't be sold in that area.  or might be sold under name or version.  I know this is the case with movies.   I imagine the marketing people take a similar approach with video games.

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Scratch a Canadian and you never know what you've touched.  Canada is a mosaic of peoples, many of whom are proud of their origins.  We have 'hate laws' here that forbid things that would be considered obscene by some sectors of the population.  We have a large number of people of eastern European origin, and both Stalinist, and NAZI themes would be likely to kill sales of a game in, say, Winnipeg which has a large Ukrainian ethnicity.

We also have a very large Japanese community.  WW II references in a game and the word 'Jap' could easily get your game hounded off the shelves.  It is amazing how long some ethnic memories are.

Not so long ago, we had a member expelled from the Order of Canada for anti-Semitic and pro-NAZI remarks.  There are a lot of sensitivities here.

The interesting thing is that most of our immigrant peoples are committed Canadians, even though they honor their roots.  Sometime, you should try to visit Toronto in the summer time for about a month.  You can tour around the ethnic areas and take in a festival or two.  The Greeks, for example, get one of the main drags in the east end closed for a week for a food and wine festival with sidewalk cafes and booths.

By not insisting on our peoples melting into a common whole, I think we have achieved a very solid citizenry.  Worked for the Romans, and it is sure working for us.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Kansas!? I thought you were from Brazil!!

My only contribution here is that I think there's nuance between games like Wolfenstein 3D where you mow down hoards of Nazis, mutant Nazis, and even a Mecha Hitler, and more recent games, where everything in the game is historically accurate and realistic.

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

I don't play those kind of games.....

[Duke87 1,070]

I have yet to see or hear anything in a video game, movie, TV show, website, etc. that truly offends me. I suspect I am incapable of it.

[Chptrk 86]

I can't say I've really been offended by anything in a video game, although I don't often play games that involve things that could be taken as offensive. 

My younger brother, on the other hand, does play a few games that could be taken that way, (I'm thinking of the latest WWII Call of Duty game). First of all, I make sure to mess with the game options to turn down the violence/bad language for him. But even so, when it gets to some parts about some of the even uglier sides of things, I'll usually step in, explain to him that that was how things were, it wasn't good then, it's not good now, and he just says "okay" and doesn't let it effect him.

The way I see it, the worst thing you could do (in reference to historical actions, at least) is totally censor it because it may offend someone. "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it," is a quote that comes to mind. If you can show people what happened and educate them about it, then you turn a negative thing into a (sorry for the cliche) positive learning experiance.

[joshriddle 29]

Originally posted by: Duke87

I have yet to see or hear anything in a video game, movie, TV show, website, etc. that truly offends me. I suspect I am incapable of it.quote>

Me too. I only personally find the ones that are offensive the ones with extremely heavy language, or innapropriate conduct. Even then I never watch those.

Really I've come across a lot of offending websites---- the ones that are pirating video games or uploading things from other sites illegally as torrents.

Other than that I'm not offended too much by that stuff.

[Duke87 1,070]

You are aware of the contradiction in agreeing that nothing offends you, then proceeding to describe things that offend you, right?

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: Duke87

You are aware of the contradiction in agreeing that nothing offends you, then proceeding to describe things that offend you, right?

quote>

I love Irony

[larelo6 3]

Any video game equating Islam with terrorism feels offensive to me. Being an Indonesian muslim, relatively progressive Islam is what i see here. Well, that's my two cents.