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Despite the emergence of computer games as a dominant cultural industry (and the accompanying emergence of computer games as the subject of scholarly research), we know little or nothing about the ethics of computer games. Considerations of the morality of computer games seldom go beyond intermittent portrayals of them in the mass media as training devices for teenage serial killers. This exploration of the subject addresses broader issues about the ethics of games, the ethics of playing the games, and the ethical responsibilities of game designers. It argues that computer games are ethical objects, that computer game players are ethical agents, and that the ethics of computer games should be seen as a complex network of responsibilities and moral duties. Players should not be considered passive amoral creatures; they reflect, relate, and create with ethical minds. The games they play are ethical systems, with rules that create gameworlds with values at play. Drawing on concepts from philosophy and game studies, the book proposes a framework for analyzing the ethics of computer games as both designed objects and player experiences. After presentin core theoretical arguments and offering a general theory for understanding computer game ethics, the book offers case studies examining single-player games (using Bioshock as an example), multiplayer games (illustrated by Defcon), and online gameworlds (illustrated by World of Warcraft) from an ethical perspective. It explores issues raised by unethical content in computer games and its possible effect on players.

Digital games tend to follow one of two trends when presenting game information to the player. The game may present game information in a naturalistic way as part of the imaginary universe presented by the game, avoiding symbolic or abstract representations that seem alien to the fictional world. Alternatively, the game may use graphical augmentations such as superimposed information, menus, and icons that points directly to important information. In Gameworld Interfaces, Kristine Jørgensen investigates different approaches to designing the game interface. She argues that gameworlds are not governed by the pursuit of fictional coherence but by the logics of game mechanics, and that this is a characteristic that distinguishes gameworlds from traditional fictional worlds. For this reason, one approach to interface design is not superior to the other as long as relevant game information is effectively communicated in a way that makes sense to the particular game situation. Gameworld Interfaces is a study of audiovisual computer game interfaces and how they interact with the gameworld. The book presents a theory of game user interfaces and considers the implications of this theory for game design based on interviews with game interface design teams, extensive interviews and observations of players, and many hours of gameplay.