Video: Navigating the moral maze of the new games business

Games are continually criticized for their portrayal of violence and women, as well as their supposedly addictive nature.

Games are continually criticized for their portrayal of violence and women, as well as their supposedly addictive nature. But with the advent of free-to-play, for the first time ever the industry is discussing the ethics of a business model.

In this talk from GDC 2014, game industry consultant Ben Cousins examines the morality of all past and present games industry business models and tries to answer three questions: Is free-to-play inherently more unethical than other business models? Are there any changes we need to make as an industry to avoid unwanted government meddling? Is there a template we can apply to a game while it is in development to make sure that it doesn't cross any unwanted ethical boundaries?

It's a frank, forward-looking talk worth watching for all developers, regardless of whether you're interested in the free-to-play game market. The free video (embedded above) of 'Is Your Business Model Evil? The Moral Maze of the New Games Business' is now available to watch hereon the GDC Vault.
About the GDC VaultIn addition to this presentation, the GDC Vaultoffers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

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