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Ethics Inf Technol (2010) 12:127138 DOI 10.1007/s10676-010-9222-x
Defending the morality of violent video games
Marcus Schulzke
Published online: 20 March 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Abstract The effect of violent video games is among the most widely discussed topics in media studies, and for good reason. These games are immensely popular, but many seem morally objectionable. Critics attack them for a number of reasons ranging from their capacity to teach players weapons skills to their ability to directly cause violent actions. This essay shows that many of these criticisms are misguided. Theoretical and empirical arguments against violent video games often suffer from a number of signicant shortcomings that make them ineffective. This essay argues that video games are defensible from the perspective of Kantian, Aristotelian, and utilitarian moral theories.
Keywords Aristotle Computer game Kant
Utilitarianism Video game Violence Virtual world
One of the most controversial and practically signicant topics in the study of contemporary media is whether there is a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior. In recent years, video games have replaced television, movies, and music as the primary concern. Video game violence has received a great deal of attention, yet for all the discussion of it, we know surprisingly little. The debate seems to be deadlocked, with empirical and theoretical work supporting and attacking
violent video games making little progress toward a denitive conclusion. This is for two reasons. First, the empirical studies do not consistently one side. Most suggest that simulated violence is harmful, but there is a signicant body of work reaching the opposite conclusion, as well as studies showing bias among researchers critical of gaming. More importantly, games seem to have no effect on crime as an increased propensity to aggression suggests that they would. Second, the ongoing debate about video game violence suffers from some problems of framing. Violent gaming is often made out to be a single issue, when in fact there are multiple interrelated questions that must be addressed. This essay will show that violent games are not immoral on Kantian, Aristotelian, or utilitarian grounds, except in some limited circumstances. In doing so, it will also seek to clarify the study of video game violence by illustrating the different types of critiques that opponents...