Predicting Moral Responses in Video Games: A Theoretical Integration of Moral Emotion Research With Video Game Play

• In Event: Emerging Methods and Measures in Game Studies

Abstract

There is a current flurry of research interested in examining the potential for video games to serve as “moral sandboxes” that influence moral emotions and moral judgments, and their subsequent effect on moral values. This research, however, is in danger of reaching a theoretical block as moral theory has not been completely integrated with the specific attributes of video game play. The current paper seeks to provide such an integration. The paper describes the theoretical underpinnings of current moral psychological approaches, with a focus on moral emotions, and combines these understandings with known mechanisms related to video game play. These mechanisms include character actions (both non-playable characters and the player character), narrative (linear vs. open-ended), view (first-person, third-person, god’s view), and game play interaction (motivations). Through this combination, the paper presents nine testable hypotheses that could guide future research examining moral judgment and video game play.

Authors

• Matthew N Grizzard, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Alexandra Plante, U at Buffalo

• Julia Kristine Weiss, U at Buffalo

• Zed Ngoh, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

• Jialing Huang, U at Buffalo

• Eric R Novotny, University At Buffalo

• Brian M. Lowe, SUNY Oneonta