Ethical Intention in Development: Mindset Matters

Transcript

1. Ethical Intention in Development Mindset matters. Melissa and Gregory Avery-Weir

   @playfutureproof futureproofgames.com Slides: http://fpgam.es/ethicaldev

2. Content Warning • Discussion of familial abuse with mild imagery

   and brief descriptions. • Discussion of hostile work environments with examples. • Discussion of misogyny in specific games.

3. To be an ethical person in our society, you must

   design and develop with that intention. Design such that people are enriched by using your software.

4. We are Future Proof https://futureproofgames.com Melissa Avery-Weir @[email protected] Gregory Avery-Weir

   @gregoryweir on Twitter

5. “When we play or design without being critical, we can

   defend or even reinscribe the same things that we think we are decrying... But if we do work critically as designers... we will have a chance to 'undermine that [status quo]' that keeps us in our place.” — Austin Walker. “Making and Playing Games in a Time of Political Struggle.” NYU Game Center Lecture Series. Feb 1, 2018. https://youtu.be/EM4S_dD2-Q8

6. Detroit: Become Human Quantic Dream “You have to be respectful

   because this is a game. We put a lot of passion and we’re honest and sincere. But it’s nothing compared to real issues and real people in the real world. We try to be aware of that and we want to be respectful of real things.” — David Cage. Interview with Polygon.com. June 14, 2017. https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/14/ 15796224/detroit-become-human-ps4- david-cage-interview-e3-2017

7. Paris Games Week 2017 Gameplay Trailer

8. Paris Games Week 2017 Gameplay Trailer

9. Paris Games Week 2017 Gameplay Trailer

10. Quantic Dream’s Toxic System — Matt Gerardi. “Heavy Rain developer

    Quantic Dream accused of being a hostile, sexist workplace.” The A.V. Club. Jan 15, 2018. https://www.avclub.com/heavy-rain-developer-quantic-dream-accused-of-being-a-h-1822093463 “Over the weekend, three different French media outlets reported on wide- ranging accusations of workplace misconduct at Quantic Dream… …[Cage] making racist and homophobic jokes, having ‘a lack of consideration for female colleagues,’ and making ‘inappropriate remarks about actresses in his games.’ …[co-CEO De Fondaumière] ‘hitting on staff at parties’ and making an inappropriate amount of contact when greeting employees with Parisian cheek kisses. …a specific instance of Cage busting out some ‘hilarious’ racist humor. …a collection of 600 images of Quantic employees Photoshopped into degrading and/or sexual pictures. …Cage twice told Le Monde that, despite having a workforce that is reportedly 83 percent male, Quantic Dream ‘is not a rugby locker room.’ He was sitting in front of a painting the newspaper described as ‘a penis with farting testicles’ at the time.”

11. People Can Smell Insincerity • Omikron: Nomad Soul: must possess

    a character based on David Bowie’s wife to seduce someone for the location of a factory… next door • Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit: female lead changes from tough, assertive cop to desperate sexual conquest • Heavy Rain: female lead has arbitrary shower scene and threatened with sexual violence • Beyond: Two Souls: Quantic Dream makes naked model of actor Ellen Page after she refuses to model naked

12. What does intention look like?

13. Aspects of Ethical Intention • Power imbalances you want to

    challenge: • Economic inequality • Systemic racism • Family dynamics • Behavior you want to encourage: • Kindness • Charity • Curiosity • Skills that you want to promote: • Skepticism • Community Involvement • Empathy

14. Audacious Compassion One of our intentions: to encourage compassion and

    empathy for the uncomfortable and the alien, producing a more nuanced ethical perspective. • Ossuary: Understanding the perversion of virtue and the relativism of sin • Exploit: Zero Day: Antagonists who consider themselves ethical, allies who are “inhuman” • The Majesty of Colors: Embodying an eldritch undersea monster who doesn’t understand humanity • The Audacious Compassion podcast: Monthly podcast discussing the difficulty of empathy in everyday situations

15. Results of Our Intention User feedback: • Audacious Compassion –

    we hear from real people how our viewpoints have improved their situations • We periodically get messages from game design students saying how our work is inspiring and thought-provoking Interest from strange quarters: • Professors and industry interested in Exploit: Zero Day as a teaching tool • “The Majesty of Colors” has shown up on college syllabi Community activity: • People are having ethical discussions on our Exploit: Zero Day forums Press • “The Majesty of Colors” is on a list of “Games That Make You Think About Life”

16. Other Examples: Papo & Yo “[The character Monster’s behavior] reflects

    that of [developer] Cabellero's real-life abusive alcoholic father; and that the relationship between Quico and Monster stands as a metaphor for his childhood. ‘I wanted to make something meaningful for me and for everyone else. I wanted to get this story out to the world.’” — Joe Donnelly. “How ‘Papo & Yo’ Shined a Light on Alcoholism and Mental Health.” Waypoint.com. May 4, 2017. https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/ezj4 pz/how-papo-and-yo-shined-a-light-on- alcoholism-and-mental-health

17. Other Examples: Secrets Agent “[Influenced by:] Sometimes strangeness, sometimes intimacy,

    of being told how to beat a video game by a stranger.” — Joni Kittaka. “Influences and thoughts.” “My work tends to focus on reconciling anxieties and insecurities with the desire for kindness, softness, and connection.” — Joni Kittaka. https://even-kei.itch.io/ https://even-kei.itch.io/secrets-agent http://v6p9d9t4.ssl.hwcdn.net/html/469819 /Secrets%20Agent/index.html (Chrome audio fix)

18. “When we play or design without being critical, we can

    defend or even reinscribe the same things that we think we are decrying... But if we do work critically as designers... we will have a chance to 'undermine that [status quo]' that keeps us in our place.” — Austin Walker. “Making and Playing Games in a Time of Political Struggle.” NYU Game Center Lecture Series. Feb 1, 2018. https://youtu.be/EM4S_dD2-Q8

19. To be an ethical person in our society, you must

    design and develop with that intention.

20. • Thank you to our friend Michael Stewart and CS

    Speaker Series Coordinator Ramon A. Mata-Toledo • Contact us: [email protected] • These slides: http://fpgam.es/ethicaldev • Our Works: • Ossuary • Exploit: Zero Day • “(I Fell in Love With) The Majesty of Colors” • Audacious Compassion podcast • Granny Square Colors