ethics/gaming

I believe that playing online games can create ethic communities. When people are online playing a game they don't criticize one another about how they look, or who they are. It's not about if you are popular, or wearing the right clothes. You see and play with one another, and help each other out. You play the same game, and you are willing to help others, and they help you. You get to see and understand a little better how gaming can be a little different than school life or other places.

Ethical Communities

With any type of community there will be those who behave in a manner that is not ethical. I believe that online communities do have a ethical basis, but that it's up to the members of the community to conduct themselves in that manner. I think that the same applies to "real" life as well. I think that you see benevolence in many cases online as you don't necessarily know the people who are benefiting from the service. I recently read an article that stated we are much more likely to offer $5.00 to a homeless person than we would be to our neighbors. The reasoning behind this we that we would be offending our neighbors on a personal level that we do not have that fear of offending the homeless person whom we probably will never see again.



In our reading the Ethics are pretty cut and dry so that everyone understands the "rules" to abide by. I think that this is similar to "real" life as well. I think that a major difference would be that in the "real" world we have a checks and balance that i think it would be difficult to have online. In the "real" world we have a penal code and law enforcement officials. In a sense I think it would be more difficult online to have the same sort of "law enforcement."

Avatar Selection and Society: How they Relate

Based upon the reading of the Proteus effect, it seems apparent that avatar choice is an important aspect of online gaming. Ideally, one would think that an avatar would be chosen to represent either a person's personality or be similar to their own appearance. However, the Proteus effect demonstrates that avatar choice can be parallel to social standards.
For example, as noted by the article, correlations are made between being tall and attractive. This is a very common stereotype of American society. However, it plays a part in much of everyday life. Everything from dating to job success are affected. For example, television, magazines, the internet and other forms of media all portray the "perfect" man or woman as being tall and slender.
In relation to occupations, many higher-level jobs are generally held by individuals who are physically attractive. Furthermore, most actors and actresses are usually attractive as well.
As for dating, this is pretty apparent. Individuals are consistently worried about their appearance, as well as comparing themselves to others. In addition to this, those people who are attractive tend to be more likely to find a partner than those who are less attractive.

Ethical communities

In my opinion I don't think that online games can cause ethical groups to form. How can they really just based on ethics isn't it more time and place? Of course there are group of friends that play online games together. Obviously groups and factions are formed on online games but i dont think that they are based on ethics. I do think that the writer has looked to much into online gaming. I do think that when groups battle against other groups there is a ethical conection.

Ethics in gaming

I do believe that the virtual community can help foster ethical behavior and bring people together. Too often people get caught up in differences between themselves and someone else- (he's not cool, she's not pretty, etc) without seeing them for who they are- a human being just like us.

Because games are played using avatars, people can't make judgments about other gamers as readily, because their true identity is hidden.

Also, because we are in the virtual world and our identity in the game is not identifiable, we might be more willing to help people. It is a curious commentary on our culture that we are sometimes unwilling to help others in real life, yet online we are more likely to lend a helping hand.

Rules in these games also encourage ethical behaviors among players, so yes, I would say that ethical behaviors are taught by gaming networks.

Ethics

I think that games can create a sort of community. There are people who know each others skills and they are benefited by staying together. I see nothing wrong with it. I wish that I could join one for the sake of having some help in figuring out the game. I hitnk that rules are a good thing to have becasue while a community is good it can also be bad. Players can take advantages of tohers and they can be very mean. Just like in the real world players can no include others and hurt feelings. In a community there also can be an unfair advantage in fights. To my knowledge everyone has the option to join a guild but it is a choice. Those who choose are held accountable and so there is an atmosphere of prespect. I don't think religion has anything to do with it. It is players coming together to play a game and meet a purpose.

Ethical Communities

I believe that some online games can create ethical communities. I feel it also depends on the type of online games that can be able to attain this. If the people that play have a good strong base of ethics in the real world then it will carry into the virtual one, but someone that has no respect for rules and regulations or authority than why would they change for virtual reality. I guess that if they did it would be only because they are being watched or regulated and would be banned from playing. So I do agree that online gaming is not to be thought of as a place to be teaching ethics but how to abide by them.