Kotaku: Ethics

A Video Game That Helps People Forge Stronger Relationships...With Pigs

Mike Fahey — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

We breed them, kill them, cook them. Millions of man-hours have been spent flinging Angry Birds at them, but has anyone ever tried playing video games with them? A team of livestock ethics researchers and game designers in the Netherlands is doing just that with Pig Chase. More »

The Authoritarian Control of Labor in Tiny Tower

Jen Schiller — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EDT

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While playing Tiny Tower, do you worry about your Bitizens' happiness, or ignore them in favor of staffing your shops? Blogger Jorge Albor at popmatters.com examines the Marxist implications of doing well in Tiny Towers. More »

Portal 2's Purpose is Joy. What is the Purpose of Your Favorite Game?

Joshua Wise — Mon, 02 May 2011 11:00:00 EDT

Portal 2's Purpose is Joy. What is the Purpose of Your Favorite Game?" alt="Click here to read Portal 2's Purpose is Joy. What is the Purpose of Your Favorite Game?" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/05/small_aristotle_prior_to_the_bust_of_homer-1600x1200-19205.jpg"/>

Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, plainly states that the aim, end, or goal of a thing is its good. Each thing is directed toward some greater good, and we, as people must seek to understand what that good is. The efforts of the Nicomachean Ethics are to understand the good and attain it, not for an individual alone, but for a whole people or state. More »

The Case Of The Identical Rabbit Games

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST

There are two ways to buy a game about a violent rabbit on Apple's Mac store. You could pay the game's creators $10 or you could buy the version that is making them angry. That one costs two bucks. More »

Teaching Robots To Behave Ethically

Mike Fahey — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:30:00 EST

While other researchers are busy teaching robots how to lie, professor Susan Anderson and her husband Michael have taught a robot how to behave ethically. I know which team is getting my research dollar. More »

Can Harry Potter Help Redeem Video Gaming's Soul?

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:00:00 EDT

There are two ways that video games might corrupt the people who play them. More »

Kick-Ass and the Ethics of Gameplay

Tanner Higgin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EDT

The Need for Videogame Literacies More »

Electronic Arts Tests Journalists' Greed With Cash

Brian Crecente — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Not one to back away from controversy, Electronic Arts today mailed out real checks payable to game reviewers for $200. More »

Eidos Trying To Fix Tomb Raider: Underworld Metacritic Scores

Mike Fahey — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:20:00 EST

Eidos UK's PR firm has confirmed that British sites planning on posting Tomb Raider: Underworld reviews with less than an 8.0 score are being asked to hold off posting them until Monday. The news originally game from a twitter post from Gamespot UK journalist Guy Cocker, relaying a call he received voicing that very request. A representative from the PR firm Barrington Harvey spoke to Videogaming247 this morning.

"That's right. We're trying to manage the review scores at the request of Eidos." When asked why, the spokesperson said: "Just that we're trying to get the Metacritic rating to be high, and the brand manager in the US that's handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don't put people off buying the game, basically."

Well that certainly makes sense. We wouldn't want low review scores putting people off. More »

Game Reviewers' "Seven Deadly Sins"

Leigh Alexander — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:20:00 EDT

You guys are so mean to game reviewers. In sincerity, though, as games themselves seem to be creatures of far more depth than they once were, the role of the game reviewer has come under increasing scrutiny. I like to think that we're all trying to do the best, most ethical and most useful work we can, and so there's been a lot of talking amongst ourselves in the games press about what the ideal way of doing our jobs is. More »

Good Reviews First Please

Mike Fahey — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Over at MTV Multiplayer, Stephen Totilo is hip-deep in Reviews Week, his week-long look at all things having to do with game reviews, from advertising concerns to stupid PR tricks, such as the following More »

Defining Plagiarism in Video Games

Maggie Greene — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Plagiarism is one of those serious issues that has laid low a number of people who 'should know better'; over at Only a Game, the question of plagiarism in games is raised — what constitutes plagiarism? How do we define it? Is it even really an issue? Looking at some of the "match 3" games (Puzzle Quest and the earlier Bejeweled), as well as some other common threads, Chris Bateman has this to say: More »

IGN Editor Fires Back On Exclusive GTA IV Review Flak, Ethics Concerns

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Variety's Ben Fritz opined in his column The Cut Scene last week that the concept of an "exclusive" review, specifically the case of IGN's Grand Theft Auto IV review, was something he found troublesome. His entry on the matter read that Fritz seemed less concerned with the 10 out of 10 score, but that IGN securing an exclusive review—as it often does with game announcements, media and interviews—was the thing ethically troubling. (We suggest you read Fritz's original post, lest we misinterpret it in some sort of telephone game.) More »

Can Game Critics Cheat? Ethics In Reviewing

Maggie Greene — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:30:11 EST

Chris Dahlen has an interesting post up on the issue of cheating in video games, in particular whether game reviewers can (or should) cheat. Of course, anyone is capable of cheating their way past a tough spot, but should reviewers be held to a higher standard? Dahlen points out that reviewers who admit to taking shortcuts or blowing past extra features or side quests tend to cause people to throw a fit; on the other hand, is galloping through a game at a blinding pace good for anyone, reviewers especially? Is there any hard and fast rule for this sort of stuff? More »

Dan Hsu On Industry Blackballing and Ethics

Maggie Greene — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:30:11 EST

GameDaily's 'Media Coverage' section has an interview up with Dan Hsu, editor in chief of EGM, on the plight of game journalists and sites getting frozen out by companies as punishment. We recently mentioned Hsu's blog entry that called out Ubisoft, Sony's sports game division and Midway's Mortal Kombat team for practicing this sort of freeze out of media outlets in punishment for '"candid reviews" and "less-than-totally-positive previews."'. Hsu hastens to point out that this isn't a regular occurrence, but it does happen. What's a blackballed media outlet to do? More »

1Up Shows Support For GameSpot Reviewers

Brian Crecente — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:00:56 EST

In the growing wake of the controversy surrounding GameSpot's alleged firing of editorial director Jeff Gerstmann comes a little bit of surprising solidarity. More »

Tabula Rasa's Ethical Parables

Mike Fahey — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:30:19 EDT

If you thought game developement was all fun and...games, you'd do well to remember the example of the Tabula Rasa dev team. They had to write an essay on the use of ethical parables present in the gameplay of Rochard Garriott's new MMO, detailing the insertion of heavy moral dilemnas into standard mission-based gameplay to give the world a more epic, lively feel. Eschewing what they call the "static, boring type of storytelling," the TR team wanted to give the players decisions with long-term consequences in the game. The essay in its entirety appears after the jump, and I really do feel for the poor bloke who had to piece this together. Even talking about someone else writing an essay makes kicks my lazy procrastinating gland into high gear. More »

Thompson Ethics Trial Set

Brian Crecente — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:00:46 EDT

Everyone's favorite crazy attorney is once more facing a hearing for his bizarre and unethical behavior in the court room. More »

Feature: The Florida Bar's Many Jack Thompson Imbroglios

Brian Crecente — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:00:35 EST

By: Brian Crecente (Art by Fahey) More »

EA Punishes Spanish Site For Negative Comments

Brian Crecente — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:00:02 EST

Well this isn't very nice. More »

Lawyers Attack Game Site For Academy Awards Comparison (It Didn't Make)

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 03:22:24 EDT

The Academy Awards. Hollywood's opportunity to bask in itself and spend loads of money on limos, parties and wooing Academy members to vote for "important" motion pictures. Last week, Gamasutra ran an article, which compared a planned Japanese game award show to the Oscars. The Academy's sue-happy lawyers jumped down Gamasutra's throat: More »

Square Asks For Embargo on Published Game

Brian Crecente — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 22:00:03 EDT

Kotaku graduate and big-headed leader of the 1Up news crew Luke Smith just gave Square-Enix a public dressing down for an absurd email the publisher sent out to some game writers reminding them what not to cover. More »

Casamassina Reminds Us He's an Ass

Brian Crecente — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 01:41:04 EDT

Well there you go, I made the mistake of assuming that something posted on one of IGN's blogs was in fact based on reality and not just a pathetic cry for attention. Boo me. More »

Hudson's E3 Escorts

Brian Crecente — Mon, 22 May 2006 09:00:09 EDT

Simon over at GameSetWatch writes about a nasty little rumor that has been making the rounds since before E3. Word had it that Hudson Entertainment was offering attractive woman as "personal assistants" to the editors of top gaming publications. More »

PGR3's Free Caddy Pack Hits In May

Brian Crecente — Mon, 01 May 2006 10:03:49 EDT

A Cadillac marketeer sent me more details about the upcoming car pack that Cadillac will be giving to Project Gotham Racer 3 gamers. More »

Preview Ho: Gamespot/Gamespy

Brian Crecente — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:31:45 EST

By: Wagner James Au More »

25 to Life Writer Feels Moral Dilemma

Brian Crecente — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 11:00:53 EST

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The author of the script for 25 to Life, the poorly reviewed and controversially violent shooter, claims that he experienced a moral dilemma after writing the game. P. Frank Williams talked to the London Free Press about it, but the article doesn't really go into any details about what moral dilemma, exactly, he experienced. More »

Spike TV VGA Vote Opens Today

Brian Crecente — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 18:47:48 EST

Apparently I m now part of the Spike TV VG Awards Council. That means that I am one of "over 200 video game industry writers/reporters from media companies" I get to vote on the winners for the award show and wear a spiffy robe. Actually, I m not quite clear on the robe thing, they never mentioned one, but I plan on wearing one anyway. More »

A Cynical Journalist and the Game Industry

lsmith — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 16:40:25 EDT

Over at Game Daily sits an Op-Ed piece that places the journalist and game industry PR at odds. Pseudonym Jezebel Sinclair's ire with game industry PR isn't really wrought out of wanting free stuff, but rather out of wanting to simply have games to write about in a timely fashion before the kids over at Gaming Age label it "teh old." More »