Gaming Philosophy

Video games are often dismissed as mere entertainment, a frivolous pastime for children and teenagers. But to do so is to ignore the profound philosophical questions that lie at the heart of many games. From the nature of consciousness to the ethics of choice, video games are a new medium for exploring the oldest questions of humanity.

The Allegory of the Cave, Reimagined

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, prisoners are chained in a cave, able to see only the shadows of objects projected onto a wall. They believe these shadows to be reality, until one prisoner is freed and discovers the true world outside the cave. Many video games are a modern retelling of this allegory. The player, like the prisoner, is initially confined to a limited world, with a limited understanding of the rules. As they progress, they begin to unravel the deeper mechanics of the game, and in doing so, they question the nature of their own reality.

The Ethics of Choice: The Trolley Problem on a Grand Scale

The Trolley Problem is a classic ethical thought experiment that forces us to choose between two terrible outcomes. Many video games, particularly role-playing games (RPGs), are essentially a series of complex trolley problems. The player is constantly forced to make difficult choices, with no clear right or wrong answer. These choices have consequences, not only for the player's character, but for the entire game world.

  • Mass Effect: The player must choose which of their allies will survive a suicide mission, knowing that their choice will have a profound impact on the rest of the story.
  • The Witcher 3: The player is faced with a series of morally ambiguous choices, from deciding the fate of a village to choosing between two warring factions.
  • Undertale: The player can choose to kill or spare every enemy they encounter, and their choices will determine the outcome of the game.

The Nature of Consciousness: Are We All Just NPCs?

The rise of open-world games with complex AI has led to a new philosophical question: what is the nature of consciousness? The non-player characters (NPCs) in these games are designed to mimic human behavior, with their own routines, desires, and even emotions. As these NPCs become more and more sophisticated, the line between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred.

"We are all living in a simulation." - Elon Musk

This idea, once confined to the realm of science fiction, is now being seriously considered by some of the world's leading thinkers. And if we are living in a simulation, then what is the difference between us and the NPCs in our favorite video games? 

// A simple Python script to simulate a moral choice
def make_choice(choice):
  if choice == "save_the_many":
    print("You saved the many, but sacrificed the few.")
  elif choice == "save_the_few":
    print("You saved the few, but sacrificed the many.")
  else:
    print("You must make a choice.")

make_choice("save_the_many")

Conclusion

Video games are more than just a form of entertainment. They are a new medium for exploring the oldest questions of humanity. They are a way for us to grapple with the big questions of life, choice, and morality, all from the safety of our own living rooms. So the next time you pick up a controller, remember that you are not just playing a game. You are engaging in a philosophical dialogue that is as old as humanity itself.