Value violence and the ethics of gaming

Authors: Michael Goerger

Publish Date: 2017/02/06

Volume: 19, Issue: 2, Pages: 95-105

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Abstract

I argue for two theses First many arguments against violent gaming rely on what I call the contamination thesis drawing their conclusions by claiming that violent gaming contaminates real world interactions I argue that this thesis is empirically and philosophically problematic Second I argue that rejecting the contamination thesis does not entail that all video games are morally unobjectionable The violence within a game can be evaluated in terms of the values the game cultivates reinforces denigrates or disrespects Games which present violence in ways that disrespect objects of values are more objectionable than violent games that reinforce or cultivate those values The resulting analysis evaluates games on a casebycase basis and pays particular attention to the representational context of the violence

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