Catalyst • Junior Secondary Curriculum • Handbook 2021
Discovery
Course Year 9
The Ethics of Games
Whether it is a game of football, netball or
cricket, a board game or a video game; games are a
significant aspect of what it means to be a human
person. The types of games we play and the way we
play them says something about whom we are and
what we value. To some, games are a means to an
end, a way of achieving certain goals or outcomes;
whether that be to get stronger through training on
the sports field, becoming a more tactical thinker
by playing chess or relaxing in front of a screen. For
others the benefit comes from the enjoyment one
gets out of the game or the sense of achievement
in winning. Games raise many interesting ethical
questions including doping in sport, cheating,
fairness, discrimination, the use of and portrayal
of violence in sports games and video games, the
commercialisation of sports and games and many
more. This course seeks to address some of these
ethical issues through the study of ethics. The
study of Ethics (moral philosophy) is the branch of
philosophy that involves systematizing, defending
and recommending concepts of right and wrong
conduct. This branch of philosophy can be applied to
any field of study including Medical Ethics, Business
Ethics, Professional Ethics to name but a few.
The focus of this course is:
• Introducing students to the study of ethics and
exploring definitions and meanings of games.
• Presenting fundamental ethical frameworks such
as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue theory.
• Exploring, discussing, analysing and critically
evaluating a series of ethical issues that relate
to games primarily from the player’s perspective
but also from that of the audience/supporters.
Examples, as suggested above, may include
doping in sport, cheating, fairness, discrimination,
the use of and portrayal of violence in sports
games and video games or the commercialisation
of sports and games.
• Using a variety of stimuli, mostly current media
articles and sources, students explore these issues
and to gain an in-depth understanding and be
able to reflect on their own experiences and how
these may be resolved and approached in the
future.
For additional details about this RPE Discovery course,
please contact:
The Rev’d Canon Dr Philip Raymont
Head of Religion, Philosophy & Ethics
(08) 9377 9245
[email protected]
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