Mirrored morality: An exploration of moral choice in video games

Andrew J. Weaver, Nicky Lewis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

88 Scopus citations

Abstract

This exploratory study was designed to examine how players make moral choices in video games and what effects these choices have on emotional responses to the games. Participants (n=75) filled out a moral foundations questionnaire (MFQ) and then played through the first full act of the video game Fallout 3. Game play was recorded and content analyzed for the moral decisions made. Players also reported their enjoyment of and emotional reactions to the game and reflected on the decisions they made. The majority of players made moral decisions and behaved toward the nonplayer game characters they encountered as if these were actual interpersonal interactions. Individual differences in decision making were predicted by the MFQ. Behaving in antisocial ways did increase guilt, but had no impact on enjoyment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)610-614
Number of pages5
JournalCyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume15
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Communication
  • Applied Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Science Applications

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