The Skinny on Some Video Game Ethics

Ethics. All people have a set of ethics, but the word lies most prominent in the business realm. Ethics are defined as, moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. We have heard about all the scandals in the business world. Martha Stewart, Lance Armstrong, Worldcom - people have partaken in schemes that have hurt the company's finances and/or reputation. Sometimes companies themselves organize tall tales to intrigue the consumer, roping them into buying a product that may not have what is promised. Video game corporations are no exception. They may have little halos when providing the consumer with a great video game, but there have been some cases where these companies have toyed with the faith of loyal consumers. Listed below are some of the major lies video game companies have resorted to:

The face I'd make upon hearing such a lie.

Lying About Game Information

Peter Molyneux, creator of the Fable series, needed a way to entice fans to the first entry to the series. What better to entice them than to all out lie and say that the characters in Fable will be able to have children. Upon release, there was no sight of a system where a character could have demon spawn that potentially ruled the word. Though the lie did not deter players from departing from Fable, Molyneux still lifted his hand to the faces of players that believed his word. Capcom has also fallen under being shady, for they have withheld content already on the disc, locking the content behind a pay wall. Rule of thumb, though this has happened countless times, do not lie or be sneaky with your loyal fans.

I honestly didn't know this game had multiplayer.

Multiplayer

There are plenty of games that boast immersive multiplayer, but a lot of the time, the multiplayer is just pretty tacked on. Just Cause 2, Tomb Raider, Dead Space 2, BioShock 2. BioShock 2 had multiplayer? Weird. A lot of these games have tacked on multiplayer that aren't really tied to the main storyline. Just for some quick mayhem that dissipates with time.

I know this is a shooter, but when do I get to shoot anything?

Cinematic Trailers

This has been a bad offender as of recent. You see lots of emotional scenes with explosions, displaying the next gen graphics or CGI cutscenes. However, what spectators probably questioned after each trailer was, "What's the gameplay?" Yeah, these trailers are packed full of action, tension, and awesome music. Then 'lo and behold, we have some type of unexpected gameplay. In a bad way. Some games even unfolded the entire plot - beginning, middle, and end - through cinematic trailers with barely any gameplay. Talk about disappointment.

Unlike this review, some reviews out there are abundant with false positive statements.

Reviews

This is evident and totally unacceptable when companies pay people to write positive (or even negative when concerning a rivalry company) reviews. I feel that it is also unacceptable for people to actually accept the money to write these types of reviews. Reviewers should only base the verdict upon their own analysis and findings, but apparently that has earned them the pink slip. Though false reviews happen all the time, it is unethical, which ultimately leads to disappointment if the game turns out to be poor.

I had to buy a Vita October of 2012...

Sony Failing to Provide the Promised Experience for Vita

This is a tad more recent, but Sony has recently lost a lawsuit, settling Federal Trade Commission charges. The company made claims, between late 2011 and early 2012, that the Vita boasted game-changing technological features. Sony failed to keep its promise of full remote play for the Vita, a feature in which players could play their games on the PlayStation 3 and then engage in cross-platform by continuing the PlayStation 3 "on the go." Sony also boasted that 3G would allow static, stable multiplayer access for many games. First, not all games supported cross-platform play between the PlayStation 3 and the Vita, and second, not all Vita games supported multiplayer (actually, most haven't). Fortunately, the customers who purchased a Vita between late 2011 and mid-2012 will receive either a $25 cash or credit refund, or a $50 merchandise voucher for select games/services.

What a bullshot piece of work there.

Bullshotting

Incredibly common, bullshotting reeks of poor sleaziness, but at the same time most businesses resort to this tactic. So what exactly is bullshotting? Coined by Penny Arcade a few years ago, bullshotting is to manipulate a screenshot to make it appear more appealing. Think about McDonald's. Those deluxe cheeseburgers that are golden and oozing with flavor? Well, what you see in advertisements is not the real thing. The ads have been Photoshopped to appear delicious and appetizing. This may or may not be big news to people, but it's the truth. Video games are no different in the world of marketing. The screenshots from Far Cry 4, for instance, may be touched up and appearance blemishes may be removed. The graphics appear more vibrant and vivid, with softening around the edges. Turns out, what is seen in the screenshot doesn't always reflect the actual image. In fact, a good portion of the time, a screenshot that is doctored never reflects the actual image you would see in the game. So, though consumers probably are aware, never believe the screenshots you see from marketing sources.

These are just several of the ways companies have cut corners or have managed to sell more of a product. Though not all companies and people are corrupt in the video game industry, some companies may just use a naughty tactic or two to sell the product. I do believe these strategies are pretty unethical, and I do disapprove of them, hence the emphasis of them in this article. I suppose it goes to show that do not believe anything that can appear to be visually brilliant and sounds amazing.