The Coming Sh*t Storm? Game Design and Research Ethics after Facebook

Panel introduction at FDG 2018 on the new ethical issues and challenges around game data and engagement optimisation in games.

Transcript

1. the coming sh*t storm?
   Game Research and Design
   Ethics after Facebook
   Sebastian Deterding, Anders Drachen, Catherine Flick,
   Ben Medler, Lies van Roessel, José Zagal
   Foundations of Digital Games 2018
   August 8, 2018
   c b
   

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2. it started with a tweet …
   

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6. meanwhile
   

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9. the issue, as framed in current media
   • New business models harnessing usage time
   (acquisition, engagement, retention) +
   • New data-driven design methods +
   • Companies working with scholars to harness
   psychology, profiling, personalisation =
   • “Addiction by design”
   

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10. an ethical reckoning in industry & academia …
    

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11. … leading to calls for principles, procedures, training, …
    

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12. … given more teeth by recent regulation.
    

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13. and in games?
    

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14. well, not quite.
    

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15. in the media
    

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16. among players & devs
    

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17. the issue, as framed by current media
    • New business models harnessing usage time
    (acquisition, engagement, retention) +
    • New data-driven design methods +
    • Companies working with scholars to harness
    psychology, profiling, personalisation =
    • “Addiction by design”
    ?
    

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19. “It really isn’t hard to discern where EA’s priorities truly lie
    when they’re so intent on hiring researchers to find the
    best mathematical way to manipulate players rather than
    just passionately making games that are fun and engaging
    by design”
    yongyea, ea wants to get rid of fair matchmaking …, 2018
    

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21. the issue, as framed by current media
    • New business models harnessing usage time
    (acquisition, engagement, retention) +
    • New data-driven design methods +
    • Companies working with scholars to harness
    psychology, profiling, personalisation =
    • “Addiction by design”
    

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22. So where is our moment of
    moral reckoning around
    data-driven engagement
    design?
    

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23. What are the ethical implications of mass
    psychological profiling, personalisation, and
    engagement optimization in games?
    What is good ethical practice for private game
    companies collecting human subject data, and
    academics collaborating with them?
    that’s what we are here to discuss.
    

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24. BIG
    caveats
    

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25. #1 cambridge analytica mostly succeeded in selling itself
    

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26. #2 no solid evidence base that tech/social media use is
    addictive or causes mental ill-health
    

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27. #3 ditto for gaming addiction
    

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28. little evidence
    =!=
    little moral relevance
    

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