Moral decision-making in video games: A focus group study on player perceptions

Moral dilemmas have become increasingly popular in single player video games,
although it is still widely unknown why players find them pleasurable, how they process
dilemmas, and which variables affect the processing. Therefore, three different
focus groups sessions with experienced players (N = 16) were conducted. Player perceptions
of meaningful and morally relevant decision situations in video games were
grouped for topics and contextualized with theoretical background (e.g., moral disengagement
theory). Our findings support the notion that moral decision-making in
video games is a dynamic interplay between game and user-dependent variables.
Results show that in addition to interactivity, which reflects the inherent property of
video games, statements can be broadly grouped into factors that describe player
motivation (i.e., why they morally engage or disengage) and influencing factors that
shape the moral interaction itself. In summary, the present findings provide insights
into players' processing of moral dilemmas in video games.