OTT & Transmedia : Unusual ethical considerations in transmedia... by Mike Romoth

A recent post by HB Duran got me thinking about some of the ethical issues unique to new and emerging media, like video games and the immersive worlds (and universes) they create for players.

I don't think there is any other medium that involves as many thorny ethical issues. Video games can be highly addictive, and I doubt if there are many gamers who would disagree. These addictive traits can lead to the same life problems as any other type of addiction. Loss of friends. Loss of finances. Loss of housing. Loss of health. Any parent dealing with children or teens know the struggle is very real, and stories from around the world highlight the dangers. As developers, we have to ask ourselves, at what point is enough enough?

Other ethical issues arise from the types of content companies want to create. We already agree that gaming is addictive as is. But what about "games" that do more than simply entertain? We all know there are games that cater to lonely people, and the market for simulated romantic partners will certainly continue to grow. One of the thorniest ethical issues I've seen being discussed in game-dev forums is the companies that want to create simulations of dead children for grieving mothers. Kind of a shocker, but trust me, this is real. In theory, you could have your whole house scanned in for VR modeling, and the simulated children or other loved ones would age and develop over time. They could go through school, college, get married, and move away to start their own families...all inside a virtual world. You would come home, slip on a headset, and enter the world where they lived. Eventually, your virtual life with them might seem just as real to you as the world outside your door. It does not take much imagination to see the potential for abuse, both the kind we do to ourselves, and the kind done to us by others.

Another emerging ethical issue surrounds the use of highly realistic animated characters. One add-on for the Unreal Engine from Epic Games allows users to create fairly lifelike models that are fully rigged for body and facial expressions. These types of "actor creator" systems can only be expected to become more sophisticated over the coming years. Fairly soon, you will no longer be able to tell real from 3-D. On the plus side, these type of models will allow just about anyone to jump right into semi-realistic video production. One of the coolest things about these systems is you can program the model to make the exact facial expression/gesture at the exact right time over and over again without the need for re-shoots. You can have an entire, complex scene where every single actor hits their emotional marks at the exact right instant over and over. On the negative side, conventional actors have got to be scared to death. There is an old song about how "Video killed the radio stars." One can only wonder about the fate of real actors in a world of virtual superhumans who are perfect, indestructible, and as portable and accessible as any pocket device.

To end this post on a more positive note, I must say that one of the most promising trends I've seen in video games lately is a desire to explore real history rather than coming up with fanciful worlds created wholly from the imagination. The Assassin's Creed games are a prime example. I never knew that one of the best and most immersive role-playing games I would ever play was set in ancient Greece. The same can be said for the AC game set in ancient Egypt. Seeing these historical worlds brought to life made me feel so much closer to the characters and the settings. I hope to see more of real-ish human history brought to life inside video games. There are so many great stories to be told...stories full of meaning and depth. Perhaps these are examples of the types of games that fall on the good side of the ethical scale...something that does more than simply entertain.