Video Game Developers and Ethical Obligations

This is the main question: Do game developers have ethical obligations?

Now main problem with the question is how simple it was to answer: Yes. What would've been more interesting is all the other moral and ethical questions that have permeated the industry throughout the years.

For example:

1. Violence and video games
2. Women's portrayal in video games
3. On-disc DLC or Day One DLC
4. DRM (Such as always online or limiting installs)
5. Sexuality in games (homosexual relationships in games)
6. Sex in games in general
7. Censorship in games
8. Incorrect information conveyed 
9. Inappropriate ways and unethical methodologies used

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• Now apply the main question to these following ones:

1) What are the main arguments from both sides of the issue?

2) Which ethical theory plays a more prominent role in the issue, Social Contract theory or Divine Command theory? Explain.

3) Explain Utilitarianism and show what a Utilitarian response to your question would look like? Could a Utilitarian argue for both sides of the issue?

4) Explain both versions of the Categorical Imperative and show what a Kantian response to your question would look like.

5) Explain Care-ethics and show what a feminist response to your question would look like.

6) Explain your own answer to the question and how it relates to the ethical theories from the course. Are you a multiple-strategies Utilitarian, a Kantian Absolutist, a blend of Social Contract theory and Care-ethics, or something totally different?

So while this is a rather simplified look at ethics and morals and how they relate to video games, it does bring up a the fact that video games are no longer the 'kids toys' that they were marketed as back in the 80's and that there are a lot more mature and important issues that now come along with our pastime.

Ethics is hard. It’s damn hard. And the difficulty is primarily in it’s application.