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
2. it started with a tweet …
6. meanwhile
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”
10. an ethical reckoning in industry & academia …
11. … leading to calls for principles, procedures, training, …
12. … given more teeth by recent regulation.
13. and in games?
14. well, not quite.
15. in the media
16. among players & devs
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” ?
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
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”
22. So where is our moment of moral reckoning around data-driven engagement design?
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.
24. BIG caveats
25. #1 cambridge analytica mostly succeeded in selling itself
26. #2 no solid evidence base that tech/social media use is addictive or causes mental ill-health
27. #3 ditto for gaming addiction
28. little evidence =!= little moral relevance
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