Moral Issues in Technology: The Impact of Video Games on People

The topic I have decided to discuss in this research paper is gaming and their impact on society by distracting people from everyday responsibilities. This topic is interesting due to the many concepts this topic allows me to explore. I will explore the different ethical dilemmas with video games and how they affect people individually and how they affect society. Many people believe that video games can be correlated with the real-world violence we all see every day. This topic really appeals to me because of my time playing video games. A lot of people see playing video games as “nerdy” but I can see the advantages for people with physical or mental disorders to be able to interact with people without the pressure of feeling inadequate. However, the violence in video games are increasing and becoming the norm to take over your life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of ethical issues with gaming. This topic also interests me since I am split on how I feel about it. I can see how video games can negatively affect people as well. When people are so separated from real life and miss experiences to play games can really affect society. Also showing violence in videos can make people ethically scared and un able to make moral decisions. I had a friend in high school that ended up dropping out to play World of Warcraft (WOW). He was not present in real life and let video game addiction consume him.

In the PBS Frontline documentary, Digital Nation they explore video games and how they affect modern culture and society. In the very beginning of the documentary section they are surprised to see how theses digital worlds are bring people together. Most people see video games as a way for people to isolate themselves but thinking about it in the way cell phones and social media brings us together so can the idea of virtual worlds being a way for people to complete common goals and expand their own social range. The moral problem falls on the video game creators and the parents of children who play video games. There are two ways to think about it. One is that video games are helping to stop the alienation of people who are so immersed in technology or that video games are making us morally dull and violence has become a norm.

I believe more technology will shrink the alienation that some people feel. I play a lot of video games and for a few years I play World of Warcraft. I did notice that I did not see my friends very much and my romantic life took a back seat to my computer chair. I used it to escape everyday responsibilities. Another important ethical issue is with video game creators making video games increasingly violent to keep up with an increase in over saturation of violence in our society. Some of my friends played the game and I noticed that a lot of the time I did not even play with them because I was only focused on my task in the game and if they could not help me I did not want to play with them. Another topic the documentary goes into about digital worlds is the aspect of the military using drones to conduct warfare.

I understand that this is different than video games because it is a mix of both virtual aspects and real life. The benefits of this are enormous do to the ability to separate the hardship of war to the soldier. But just like with the effects of games on society the effects of being able to conduct warfare without really feeling responsible for what your doing can be very dangerous. In a way you could say it’s almost like losing your conscious. As I researched more into video games and their effect on health I came across article entitled “15 ways video games make you smarter and healthier” The article explains just like all my other research stated video games are often portrayed as antisocial, violent, and as an addictive waste of time that encourages obesity.

Authors Spector and Loria found that the Robert Morris University started giving scholarships to people who played a game called League of Legends. Studied have shown that games that have repetitive actions help train the brain to perform better in real life. “Video game brain training has the same effect as reading a book or riding a bike and when the brain is learning, thousands of new connections are being formed. The addition of a reward system motivates players to continuously improve their skills.” The authors also go on to explain how play video games also increases reaction time.

The government has created a ratings system that is basically ratings for movies. The intent was to limit the violence and adult content shown to youth threw video games. So, the morality would be being anyone ever ready to see people dying and shooting people as the main part of the game. Playing video games can take a huge part of your life. But, just as all things are violent video games are more fun. So, should people or government step in a tell companies to stop making these games and tax them more for hurting people with things that people want. Video game makes are only making games that people want to play. The owners and stakeholders have a lot to lose if people do not buy their games. It would kill the industry. Legally there is something that could be done. Put a surcharge on violent video games. If it is deemed unhealthy and addictive why wouldn’t you put a huge tax on it like cigarettes and alcohol. Fortunately, that is unethical for now when it comes to things like video games. Therefore, there is not solution and could not possibly offer a competing alternative. The only thing that makes sense would be for parents to pay more attention to how much video games their children play and think about the ratings system that is already in place

References

1. Kidder, R. M. (1995). How good people make tough choices: Resolving the dilemmas of ethical living. New York: Simon and Schuster.
2. Spinello, R. A. (1997). Case studies in information and computer ethics. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
3. Drezen, R. (n.d.). Digital Nation. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/digitalnation/
4. Przybylski, A. K. (2014). Electronic Gaming and Psychosocial Adjustment. Pediatrics, 134(3). doi:10.1542/peds.2013-4021
5. Diplomats, M. (2016, May 10). VIDEO GAMES and THEIR EFFECT on MODERN DAY SOCIETY. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/montclair-diplomats/video-games-and-their-eff_b_9873646.html