Games & Virtual Worlds Series

Ethics, Morality, Violence & Realism

Understanding Games: How Video Games & Board Games Work

Michael Filimowicz, PhD

Published in

Understanding Games

8 min readJan 3, 2023

Game designers must consider the ethical implications of the actions and choices that players can make in the game. This can include the representation of violence and other controversial themes, as well as the portrayal of characters and their behaviors. Game designers must also consider the moral values that are represented in the game, and whether these values align with the values of their intended player audience.

The context of a video game world can produce its own social norms, values, and ethics, which may be different from those found in the real world. This can be the result of the game designer’s choices in creating the game world and its characters, as well as the actions and choices that players can make within the game. This can also occur when the game world is set in a fictional or fantastical setting, or when the game world has its own internal logic and rules that differ from those of the real world.

For example, some games may present a world in which violence is a necessary or acceptable means of achieving a goal, while in the real world, violence is generally considered to be unethical and wrong. Other games may present a world in which certain social norms or values are inverted or reversed, creating a game world that is very different from the real world.

Here are a few examples of games that have ethics and values that are different from those found in the real world:

In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the player is able to choose from a range of different moral paths, such as siding with the lawful and honorable guards or joining the thieves guild. In this game, the player’s moral choices have consequences within the game world, and the player must navigate their own ethical and moral values within the context of the game.

BioShock presents the player with ethical dilemmas that are based on real-world moral and ethical issues. In this game, the player must consider the consequences of their actions and choose between different moral paths, such as sacrificing one’s own well-being for the greater good or prioritizing one’s own interests over the needs of others.

The Fallout series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the player must navigate a harsh and dangerous landscape in order to survive. The game presents a world where violence is often necessary in order to defend oneself, and where ethical and moral dilemmas are common.

The Last of Us is set in a world where a deadly fungus has wiped out much of the human population, and the player must navigate a world where resources are scarce and survival is a constant struggle. This produces moral quandaries which may be upsetting in real life.

In addition, game designers must also consider the potential impact that the game’s content may have on players, especially younger players. This can include the potential for players to be influenced by the game’s themes or actions, or the potential for the game to be used as a means of escapism or catharsis.

Ethics and morality can also be relative concepts that can vary depending on the context and cultural perspective. What is considered ethical or moral in one society or culture may not be considered so in another. This means that the ethical and moral content of a game may be perceived differently by different players, depending on their cultural background and personal values.

This can create challenges for game designers, as they must consider the potential cultural and personal differences that can affect the way players perceive the ethical and moral content of their games. Game designers should be sensitive to these differences and strive to create game worlds that are appropriate for their intended player audience.

The Magic Wand

In the book Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence, Gerard Jones discusses the concept of the “magic wand” as a metaphor for the power that children’s media and play have to shape their beliefs and values. Jones argues that media and play serve as a “magic wand” that can help children make sense of the world around them and develop their own identity. He asserts that children use this “magic wand” to explore different ideas and try on different roles, and that this process is crucial for their psychological and emotional development. Jones also discusses the potential negative effects of media and play, including the influence of harmful stereotypes and the desensitization to violence, and he offers strategies for parents and educators to help children use their “magic wand” in a healthy and constructive way.

The allure of the the magic wand — whether embodied in a game gun, sword or fireball blast — is not the violence, but the power at a distance and the inherent confidence this inspires.

But we shouldn’t also forget the very real connections between games and violence, which can be found in the earliest historical origins of games. As Carolyn Miller notes in Digital Storytelling:

The earliest games were developed not for idle amusement but for serious purposes: often to prepare young men for the hunt and for warfare. By taking part in games, the youths would strengthen their bodies and develop athletic skills like running and throwing. By playing with teammates, they would also learn how to coordinate maneuvers and how to strategize. Over time, these athletic games evolved into formal competitions. Undoubtedly, the best known of these ancient sporting events are the Greek Olympic Games. We can trace the Olympic Games back to 776 BC, and we know they continued to be held for more than 1,000 years.

Realism

The role of realism in video games is to create an immersive and believable experience for the player. Realistic graphics and game mechanics can help to suspend the player’s disbelief and make the game world feel more tangible and lifelike. In training contexts such as cockpit simulations for airplane pilots, realism is critical for accurately representing the real-world environment and helping the user learn and practice important skills.

However, approaches to realism in video games can vary widely depending on the genre and target audience of the game. Some games, such as realistic military shooters, may strive for a high degree of realism in the depiction of violence and the behavior of characters. Other games, such as fantasy or superhero games, may take a more stylized or exaggerated approach to realism in order to create a distinct visual identity or to support the game’s narrative or themes.

One challenge of realism in video games is that it can be difficult and resource-intensive to create highly realistic graphics and game mechanics. This can limit the types of games that developers can create, and may also create a divide between games with more advanced graphics and those with simpler graphics.

Another challenge is that realism may not always be appropriate, particularly when it comes to depicting violence in games. For instance, when showing violence in games for children, developers may choose to use more stylized or abstract representations of violence in order to avoid disturbing or inappropriate content. Additionally, some players may be more sensitive to realistic depictions of violence and may prefer games with more stylized or abstract representations.

Bibliography & Further Reading

A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design by Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark
A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach by Michael Sellers
An Introduction to Game Studies by Frans Mayra
Basics of Game Design by Michael Moore
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier
Board Game Design Advice: From the Best in the World vol 1 by Gabe Barrett
Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: an Encyclopedia Of Mechanisms by Geoffrey Engelstein and Isaac Shalev
Character Development and Storytelling for Games by Lee Sheldon
Chris Crawford on Game Design by Chris Crawford
Clockwork Game Design by Keith Burgun
Elements of Game Design by Robert Zubek
Fundamentals of Game Design by Ernest Adams
Fundamentals of Puzzle and Casual Game Design by Ernest Adams
Game Design Foundations by Brenda Romero
Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton
Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design by Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans
Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames edited by Chris Bateman
Games, Design and Play: A detailed approach to iterative game design by Colleen Macklin and John Sharp
Introduction to Game Systems Design by Dax Gazaway
Kobold Guide to Board Game Design by Mike Selinker, David Howell, et al
Kobold’s Guide to Worldbuilding edited by Janna Silverstein
Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, 2nd Edition by Scott Rogers
Narrating Space / Spatializing Narrative: Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet by Marie-Laure Ryan, Kenneth Foote, et al.
Narrative Theory: A Critical Introduction by Kent Puckett
Narrative Theory: Core Concepts and Critical Debates by David Herman, James Phelan, et al.
Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, Fourth Edition by Mieke Bal
Practical Game Design by Adam Kramarzewski and Ennio De Nucci
Procedural Storytelling in Game Design by Tanya X. Short and Tarn Adams
Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing by Wendy Despain
Rules of Play by Salen and Zimmerman
Storyworlds Across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology (Frontiers of Narrative) by Marie-Laure Ryan, Jan-Noël Thon, et al
Tabletop Game Design for Video Game Designers by Ethan Ham
The Art of Game Design, 3rd Edition by Jesse Schell
The Board Game Designer’s Guide: The Easy 4 Step Process to Create Amazing Games That People Can’t Stop Playing by Joe Slack
The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott
The Grasshopper, by Bernard Suits
The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies by Bernard Perron and Mark J.P. Wolf
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory by David Herman
The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten
Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design by Gordon Calleja
Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick
Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG edited by Wendy Despain
Writing for Video Games by Steve Ince
100 Principles of Game Design by DESPAIN

Games & Virtual Worlds Series

Ethics, Morality, Violence & Realism

Understanding Games: How Video Games & Board Games Work

The Magic Wand

Realism

Further Reading & Exploring

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Bibliography & Further Reading

Written by Michael Filimowicz, PhD