The social effects of games have been long debated, from controversial violent and rules-free gameworlds to how games reinterpret and represent history, reality and social relations, thereby creating potentially problematic ideologies and ideas that may have a direct impact on individuals’ lives, their social interactions and the understanding of their position in the world.

This course discusses various ethical and bioethical themes in game narratives, game-playing and game-designing, exploring issues as well as potentialities in and around games. Students will also gain practical skills and insights from anthropological and sociological approaches to gamers’ behaviours and choices in order to better understand both game designers’ and gamers’ choices, intentions, motivations, as well as responsibilities in designing and playing games.