Video games and their expressive and interactive potential may fulfill simple needs for hedonic pleasure, but they are also suited for generating meaningful interaction and eudaimonic experiences. As moral actors, players can make their own decisions in a safe “as-if” space without direct real-life consequences. Not surprisingly, implementing meaningful eudaimonic elements based on moral decision-making has become increasingly popular. This chapter describes the role of morality in video games, together with an overview of current theories on psychological processing of moral decision-making in video games. It suggests a novel integrating approach that comprises game-related factors, personal characteristics, and moral decision-making processes and their effects on the player. The integrative model unites leading theoretical assumptions of morality in video games, but also allows for predictions when players make moral decisions or suppress their moral concerns, and how this may affect their entertainment outcome.
(A)morally Demanding Game? An Exploration of Moral Decision-Making in a Purpose-Made Video Game