ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we concerned ourselves with the manner in which characters or events within single-player gamespace are represented, the behaviours simulated and the interactions permitted. We considered whether, from a moral perspective, we should distinguish between those acts already permitted within single-player games and others – actual or hypothetical – not currently permitted or available. We concluded that there are no sustainable moral arguments for distinguishing between such acts; arguing, instead, that questions of morality are the wrong sorts of questions to ask, at least with regard to the act itself. Rather, we should concern ourselves with the psychological impact that any potential freedom from moral prohibition might have on the gamer. The question therefore becomes not so much whether, morally, we should engage in all possible actions, but whether, psychologically, we can.
