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Social impact of video games
The impact of gaming on society
The impact of gaming on society
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Sony vs Connectix
Introduction
Reverse engineering has become a controversial topic in the software industry. In 1999, Sony filed a suit against Connectix alleging copyright infringement concerning a Macintosh emulator of the Sony Playstation known as the Virtual Game Station. This emulator allows Macintosh users to play Playstation games without a Sony Playstation. A federal judge ruled in favor of Sony, and issued an order that Connectix halt its sales of the emulator. The next year Connectix appealed the ruling, and the Federal Court of Appeals reversed the original ruling. Video game business in the United States alone is a billion dollar industry and legal decisions such as this one have huge ramifications not just for the game industry, but for the entire software industry as well. In order to determine the right decision, one has to examine different ethical perspectives ranging from determining what action results in the most happiness of the stakeholders involved to what inherent rights each individual stakeholder is entitled to.
Background
Sony is the creator of the Sony Playstation. Video game console manufacturers generally use the console as a loss leader and hope to profit on their gaming platforms by selling licenses to produce games to software manufacturing companies. Thus, Sony created a barrier of entry in console manufacturing because other hardware manufacturers would have to be willing to lose money per hardware unit sold in order to compete with Sony. Also, such a manufacturer wouldn’t receive the software game revenues that Sony receives, which gave Sony what seemed to be a monopoly on the Playstation platform. The Sony Playstation consists of hardware components and software components. The software component is the Sony BIOS, which is resides in read-only memory. Sony holds a copyright on the BIOS.1
The Connectix Virtual Game Station emulates the functionality of the Sony Playstation. A consumer could purchase a Playstation game, load it into his Macintosh CD-drive, and play the game using the Virtual Game Station. Connectix created the emulator by purchasing a Playstation, copying the contents of the BIOS into the memory of a Macintosh, and observing the input into the BIOS and the output of the hardware.
Many people agree that Sony’s Playstation 4 is better than Microsoft’s Xbox One and vice versa. I have been gaming since I was seven years old and still am today. The first gaming console I ever had was the original Xbox. Throughout the years though, technology has improved vastly. The last generation of game consoles gave the industry a much needed boost and gave the consumer another commodity. With the eighth generation of consoles just arriving, a lot of people are wondering which console to buy. There is, however, more than just the choice of games. There’s differences in processors, graphics cards, hard drives, design, operating systems, ports, versatility, stability, controllers, and, of course, the games.
Abstract: After a significant amount of debate and lawsuits about copyright and ethical issues surrounding VCRs in the 1980s, manufacturers and content-providers began to relax as consumers widely purchased the devices and in turn, began renting more videos. In the end, everyone won as VCRs created a new movie rental market and also benefited consumers. But these days, technology does not need to be revolutionary to scare people and cause controversy; it only needs to be evolutionary. In 1999, two companies - TiVo and Replay - introduced a slightly fancier VCR-like device called a digital video recorders (DVR) or a personal video recorder. While the DVRs may not seem much different from VCRs, they are causing lawmakers to look at past copyright cases all over again in a new light and also are managing to wreak havoc on past fair-use and privacy precedents. This paper explores the ethical and privacy considerations with regard to DVRs and how small increments in technology can generate a large amount of controversy.
Bank, David. "Why Software and Antitrust Law Make an Uneasy Mix," The Wall Street Journal, October 22, 1997, p. B1.
In an attempt to decrease competition in the computer technology industry, Microsoft had violated the Sherman Antitrust. In the 1998 case of U.S. vs. Microsoft, the Microsoft company was charged for anticompetitive and monopolistic practices that violated antitrust laws. The plaintiff had claimed that Microsoft had engaged “in a series of exclusionary, anticompetitive, and predatory acts to maintain its monopoly power” (Excerpts) which went against Section 2 of the antitrust law. Microsoft had also allegedly violated Section 1 by “tying its browser to its operating system and entering into exclusive dealing arrangements” which was ruled as a “combination… in restraint of trade or commerce” (Excerpts). The Court ruled against Microsoft, exemplifying the ability of the Sherman Antitrust to curb unethical and illegal monopolistic operations even in modern
The computer industry’s dependency on new programs and innovative software has led to the protection of intellectual property becoming a topic of fierce debate in the field. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, this issue spurred numerous lawsuits, thereby forcing the courts to set precedent and guidelines about how to prove copyright infringement of software. Many of these cases were in regards to copyright infringement of graphic user interfaces, or GUIs; which consist of the visual cues and representations seen through a particular program or software. GUIs, in essence, determine the “look and feel” of a program. The dilemma that the computer industry faced was how similar one interface has to be to another to constitute copyright infringement. The response to this dilemma would also serve as the response to other issues faced by the industry at the time: Should computers, similarly to automobiles, have a standard “dashboard” (a.k.a. GUI) to enable computers to be more efficiently used (Markoff)? What is the balance between the sharing of information that promotes innovation and the protection of intellectual property?
“On Tuesday, November 2, while the rest of the country was voting, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, the landmark case in which the state of California is petitioning for the re-instatement of a California law banning the sale of deviant or morbid violent video games to minors” (Macris). This case is a current example of the opponents of video games trying to prove video games are a bad influence on children and teenagers. Violent video game opponents have always tried to disprove the positive effects of video games. They also have been known to make up and mislead with tales of terrible side effects. This essay will prove to the reader that many of these various statements against video games and their creators are false. Contrary to opposition arguments, video games actually present benefits to gamers by reducing stress, providing entertainment, and helping to develop motivation that could not otherwise be achieved through conventional means.
Video games can be seen in both a positive and negative light. Video gaming has become a popular activity for people of all ages, yet many fear the aftermath they can ensue. Many children and adolescents expend large amounts of time playing them. Video gaming is a multibillion-dollar industry – bringing in more money than movies and DVDs. In fact, the PlayStation 2 was the first video game system to integrate DVD mechanics. It was originally intended to exist as a CD add-on to complement the Super Nintendo, but due to licensing difficulties Sony chose to develop the PlayStation as its own distinctive system. Video games have become very sophisticated. Some games connect to the internet, which can allow children and adolescents to play online with unknown adults and peers. The
Video games have been a rapidly expanding industry since their inception in the 1970s. Along with their growth have come concerns about violent video games and their effects on aggression and violence in young people. The endless numbers of school shootings have pushed this issue to the forefront. These events brought about the question: do violent video games induce aggression in youth? That’s the question I set out to answer by looking at research. The research shows that there is a link between playing video games and increases in aggression in adolescents. What implications does this fact have ethically? It means that video game producers and distributors need to be held responsible for their releases and the way they end up in the hands of kids.
Owning a gaming computer is one of the best investments a person can make in their life. Having a gaming computer can greatly influence one’s entertainment ranges and personal hobbies. Every gamer or anyone who occasionally games should have a gaming computer instead of a gaming console. A gaming console only provides people with basic programs and simple user interface while a gaming computer can be used for any needs one need. A gaming computer is one’s own cable box but better. Having a gaming computer you can have it fully customized to fit whatever theme you would like it to fit, can run many programs and other applications faster than a console, and can be loaded with a plethora of multiple useful programs one can use.
Because of its intangible nature, and particularly the increase of the digital domain and the internet as a whole, computers and cyber piracy make it easier for people to steal many forms of intellectual property. Due to this major threat, intellectual property rights owners’ should take every single measure to protect their rights. Unless these rights are either sold, exchanged, transferred, or appropriately licensed for use in exchange for a monetary fee, they should be protected at all cost. In order to protect these rights, the federal and states governments have passed numerous laws and statutes to protect intellectual property from misappropriation and infringement. “The source of federal copyright and patent law originates with the Copyright and Patent ...
Asian countries have never been unfamiliar with gaming software. From the very beginning when Japanese companies developed various game councils, Asian countries, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, became large markets for computer and video games. In addition to the spread of gaming system technology in Asia, countries like Taiwan, China, and South Korea that have abundant labor resources have developed sufficient, but inexpensive computer components and software in recent decades. Online games have existed in Asia since more than a decade ago, but did not come to the mainstream of software development until early 1997. Online games became mainstream with the introduction of the Internet café. Although some reports show that the appearance of Internet café and online games seems to promote the development of computer software design in Taiwan and increase the revenue for several computer component companies, it brings new social problems. There exists a management crisis of the cafés, and censorship or copyright problems with software. While the Taiwanese government is trying to eliminate the problems by putting more restraints on this modern business, it also has the dilemma not to violate people’s freedoms and rights. In this paper, I will first discuss Internet cafés in Taiwan and the famous (or infamous) online game known as “Heaven.” Then, I will present some ethical issues brought about by this new high-tech business and the opinions voiced regarding the pros and cons of the governmental regulations. Finally, I will also discuss my points of view concerning to this matter.
In the editorial “Video Games Pro Con”, author Steven Markoff gives a compelling argument and uses many ethos and logos. The information he uses helps his argument and his information is current. Using the “(2008) study Grand Theft Childhoo...
Microsoft has a lot to gain from outsourcing the Xbox production to Flextronics. Microsoft’s core competency is producing software, not hardware. So by the Law of Comparative Advantage, it is best for Microsoft to let someone, who is good at producing hardware, produce the Xbox. Flextronics not only offers their expertise in hardware, but also their network of connections worldwide which reduces production costs, thus making the market value of Xbox lower and more affordable. Because of Microsoft’s web-based information system, they are able to share information with Flextro...
This case study will examine the moral issues of intellectual property rights and the effects they have on society. There are many varying stances on the subject of intellectual property, with people opposing either or both of intellectual property ownership and creative commons for various reasons. Mandatory copyrighting and patenting of inventions and published works has the potential to majorly restrict advancements in science and culture.