Ethics: Selling Violent Video Games
Marketing Ethics
Selling Violent Video Games
1. Should Barry recommend that Take-Two go forward with the release of GTA:Vice City?
Yes, Barry should recommend that Take-Two go forward with the release of GTA:Vice City. There are many games on the market and movies that have portrayed snipers shooting people. Barry has a responsibility to the stockholders to release the game on time. He also has a responsibility to release the game to the 4 million consumers who have already pre-ordered the game
2. Given the contemplated video game is legal, is clearly market as “Mature” for audiences over 17, and is targeted for audiences not particularly offended by the themes of GTA:Vice City, is there an ethical issue of any kind in this case?
No there is no ethical issue in this case. It is a game, make believe, not real. It is being market as “Mature” so only those who are 17yrs old and over should be allowed to purchase it. It is not the companies fault that 85% of children aged 13-16 were able to purchase violent video games. That is the responsibility of the storeowners and the parents who buy for younger kids.
3. Do video games producers bear any social responsibility whatsoever for the themes of gratuitous violence they reinforce or the messages they send about the treatment of women as sex objects?
No video games are fantasy, not real. Every Law and Order show portrays violence against women, stabbings, rapes and murder. That show is in its 22nd year and has multiple spin offs. That kind of violence is unfortunately what entertains millions of Americans.
4. If the answer to question 3 is yes, what steps do you recommend be taken to improve the current situation regarding the marketing of video games in the United
Selling Violent Video Games
1. Should Barry recommend that Take-Two go forward with the release of GTA:Vice City?
Yes, Barry should recommend that Take-Two go forward with the release of GTA:Vice City. There are many games on the market and movies that have portrayed snipers shooting people. Barry has a responsibility to the stockholders to release the game on time. He also has a responsibility to release the game to the 4 million consumers who have already pre-ordered the game
2. Given the contemplated video game is legal, is clearly market as “Mature” for audiences over 17, and is targeted for audiences not particularly offended by the themes of GTA:Vice City, is there an ethical issue of any kind in this case?
No there is no ethical issue in this case. It is a game, make believe, not real. It is being market as “Mature” so only those who are 17yrs old and over should be allowed to purchase it. It is not the companies fault that 85% of children aged 13-16 were able to purchase violent video games. That is the responsibility of the storeowners and the parents who buy for younger kids.
3. Do video games producers bear any social responsibility whatsoever for the themes of gratuitous violence they reinforce or the messages they send about the treatment of women as sex objects?
No video games are fantasy, not real. Every Law and Order show portrays violence against women, stabbings, rapes and murder. That show is in its 22nd year and has multiple spin offs. That kind of violence is unfortunately what entertains millions of Americans.
4. If the answer to question 3 is yes, what steps do you recommend be taken to improve the current situation regarding the marketing of video games in the United