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Videogames and the Ethics of Care

Authors:

José ZagalAuthors Info & Claims

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, Volume 3, Issue 3

Pages 69 - 81

https://doi.org/10.4018/jgcms.2011070105

Published: 01 July 2011 Publication History

Abstract

Videogames have the potential to create ethical experiences and encourage ethical reflection. Usually, this potential is understood in the context of the dominant moral theories: utilitarianism and Kantianism. However, it has been argued that a complete moral theory must also include the concept of an ethics of care. This paper utilizes the ethics of care as an alternative lens for examining the ethical frameworks and experiences offered by videogames. The authors illustrate how this perspective can provide insights by examining Little King's Story and Animal Crossing: City Folk. Little King's Story's fictive context, gameplay, and asymmetrical power relationships encourage the player to care for the citizens of his or her kingdom. In Animal Crossing: City Folk, the player is a member of a community that encourages him or her to care for his or her neighbors as part of a larger interconnected social ecosystem. Both games encourage players feeling an emotional attachment to the game's characters, and the value placed in these relationships becomes the motivation for further ethical player behavior. The conclusion outlines future research questions and discusses some challenges and limitations of a care ethics perspective.

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Cited By

Kammermann BTürkay SJohnson DTobin S(2024)Do videogame rewards influence players’ subsequent prosocial engagement? A preregistered partial replication study on the role of reward and reasoningInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103143181:COnline publication date: 1-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103143
Martinez JWindleharth TLi QBhattacharya APearce KYip JLee J(2022)Joint Media Engagement in Families Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons during the COVID-19 PandemicProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35129476:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 7-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3512947
Kammermann B(2021)Videogame Rewards and Prosocial BehaviourExtended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3450337.3483521(405-406)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3450337.3483521
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Videogames and the Ethics of Care

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cover image International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations Volume 3, Issue 3

July 2011

90 pages

ISSN:1942-3888

EISSN:1942-3896

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IGI Global

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 July 2011

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Cited By

Kammermann BTürkay SJohnson DTobin S(2024)Do videogame rewards influence players’ subsequent prosocial engagement? A preregistered partial replication study on the role of reward and reasoningInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103143181:COnline publication date: 1-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103143
Martinez JWindleharth TLi QBhattacharya APearce KYip JLee J(2022)Joint Media Engagement in Families Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons during the COVID-19 PandemicProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35129476:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 7-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3512947
Kammermann B(2021)Videogame Rewards and Prosocial BehaviourExtended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3450337.3483521(405-406)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3450337.3483521
Iten GBopp JSteiner COpwis KMekler E(2018)Does a prosocial decision in video games lead to increased prosocial real-life behavior? The impact of reward and reasoningComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.03189:C(163-172)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.031
(2015)Moral positioning in video games and its relation with dispositional traitsComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.06950:C(1-8)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.069

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