I just finished reading the book (integrity) by Stephen L. Carter and
while it may sound completely boring, I challenge you guys to listen to my
argument of why this book actually changed many of my long-standing
perspectives towards certain moral issues and how it has the utmost relevance
in thinking about the games we play. Typically games are seen as fun activities
that, for the most part, lack the seriousness often associated with concepts
such as moral codes and integrity. Yet, instead of simply evading and excluding
this topic, it needs to be brought into the realm of games. Games often teach
important values and, in the case of war games discussed by Major Jonathan
Liscombe, they also can teach critical tactics for survival. Thus, it can be
extrapolated that the lack of integrity in many games today will also serve as
a teaching method; however, not for worthy causes, but rather, adding to the
ills of modern society.
Carter
describes integrity as involving three necessary steps: discerning what is
right and what is wrong (moral reflectiveness); acting on what you have
discerned even at a personal cost (steadfast, keeping commitments); saying
openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong (unashamed
of doing the right thing). I have never really looked at integrity in this
light. To be honest, most of my assumptions regarding integrity involved
academic misconduct. Yet, integrity permeates much further than just the realm
of academics; it is part of everyday life tasks, it is in the public and private
sphere, and more specifically, it should be just as much part of games as
well. An example that resonated with me was Carter’s description of living a
non-integral life, which he explained as the opposite of integrity. Carter
said, “If integrity has an opposite, perhaps it is corruption-the getting away
with things we know to be wrong” (13). This idea really got me thinking about
cheating in games and how this can be considered living a non-integral life. In
many games today, especially with the immense amount of video games and
Internet games that consume our lives today, “getting away with things we know
to be wrong” is actually quite easy. When I was playing words with friends the
other day on my Iphone, I stumbled upon a button that allowed me to cheat: with
one click the computer gave me a word to use, and I didn’t have to think
of any myself. I kept wondering if my opponent would be able to tell that I did
this. I felt guilty because I knew I was cheating; yet, I was getting away with
it. Additionally, this example also says something more important about the
nature of games today: If games are supposed to be fun, elective activities we
choose to do, why do we feel the need to cheat so much?
Carter’s
novel really made me reflect on the relative lack of integrity in our society. Ask yourself
how often you actually take the time to morally reflect on an act or a move in
a game before you execute it? Furthermore, are you constantly committed to this
move even if it is possibly causing you to lose? And lastly, are you willing to
publicly state and defend this act of yours? While I definitely agree that
Carter’s definition of integrity may be a bit exhaustive and unrealistic in our
everyday life, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to at least try to incorporate some
of these aspects into our everyday thoughts. I think that once it becomes more common
knowledge, once integrity is truly engrained in our minds, then they will naturally
become a part of and move into the realm of games. However, because integrity is
such an evaded issue in society, we learn to also avoid these issues in our
everyday activities, especially in regards to games that are deemed “fun and enjoyable.” I
think a major challenge posed to all of us will be to make integrity become
common knowledge, where instead of having to consciously assure ourselves and check that
we are living an integral life, we will instead have to consciously force
ourselves not to live an integral life if we so choose. It may sound corny, but integrity
should be the rule, not the exception.
By: Taylor Rothman
***Note: If you want to read the book, here is the information:
Carter,
Stephen L. (integrity). New York: BasicBooks, 1996.
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