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Videogame Regulation Is Everyone's Business

Posted by simoniker on from the except-the-cat's dept.

Thanks to the International Game Developers Association for their editorial discussing why game developers should collectively take a stand against negative views of gaming. The writer, IGDA program director Jason Della Rocca, suggests: "The perception that games are 'bad' for us stubbornly persists, and we have yet to find effective ways to change people's minds on this issue. Game makers may be biased toward games' 'good' qualities, but you'd be surprised how many developers simply don't care about the issue of public perception, don't have an informed opinion, or believe it is all a big waste of time - even to the extent of questioning the need to fight government regulations." He concludes with a message to game developers: "In the bigger picture, resolve to push boundaries and innovate... We need not put a stop to games with violence, but we need other avenues beyond violence as a design crutch."

1 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. Should Vegetarians Play Video Games? by cgenman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Apparently, vegetarians should stop watching Matlock, too. I guess Matlock doesn't eat babies.

    Matthew Elton
    Department of Philosophy
    University of Stirling

    1. An Absurd Question?
    Many video games feature animated agents that the player attacks with the aim of maiming or
    killing. Less dramatically the animated agents may be treated instrumentally, herded or goaded
    with no regard for potential suffering, injury, or death. Such activity would be utterly
    unacceptable if directed at people. And for many, but clearly not all, it would be repugnant if
    directed at animals. For simplicity, if not accuracy, let me call those who do take the latter
    attitude ?vegetarians?. In this paper I want to raise the question of whether such vegetarians
    ought to refrain from playing video games on the grounds that the animated agents in the game
    require of us the same sort of treatment as animals do in our natural environment. Should, that
    is, vegetarians play video games?
    My answer may strike some readers as absurd, for I shall argue, with some important
    qualifications, that vegetarians should not play video games. That is, I shall argue that
    between real animals and some of the animated agents that feature in video games there are no
    differences that make a moral difference, and hence no ground for a difference in treatment. Of
    course, many readers may share with me the overwhelming intuition that there must be some
    relevant difference, and this may suggest that there is something awry with my arguments.
    But if this is so, I shall at least have shown that the relevant difference is not obvious, and,
    hence, that the vegetarian has work to do in justifying her playing of video games.

    If you can't see where this is going already, you can view the rest here

    --
    The ______ Agenda