However, the same rules don't apply to other behaviors. These are all essentially fake experiences that don't mirror real-world ones in any meaningful way (a controller is not like a gun an in-game 'high' is not like doing drugs, etc.). I don't think the act of shooting virtual guns at enemies made up of pixels and animations leads people to cause harm in the real world or that taking virtual drugs in a game leads to real drug abuse. I don't believe that games like GTA cause real-world violence or transform players into misogynists. While it might not be as bad as real gambling, it still strikes me as a bad idea with potentially bad consequences. Allowing players to purchase chips is worse. Honestly, a game with only virtual chips (that you can only earn via gameplay and can't purchase with real money) would still be something of a 'gateway drug' for addicts or potential addicts. Yes, the game is 18+, but I'm not sure that makes it any better. There's no doubt that this would be a more addictive, potentially life-ruining experience for many players.īut even having the option to gamble real money in a virtual in-game casino, even when it never results in actually earning real winnings, poses its own ethical issues. That's probably a good thing-after all, if you could gamble real money for virtual chips and then cash that out for real money it would quite literally be gambling.
