What the Experts Say 2

Ethical Issues

In order to get a deeper understanding of the subject, I have read a scientific article, the link to the website is provided below. I definitely recommend you to read it in case you are interested. Professor Prithwijit Das and others talk about their concerns related to augmented reality video games.Prithwijit, Zhu, McLaughlin, Bilgrami and Milanaik (2017) state: “Given the widespread use of video games among children and adolescents, the health implications of augmented reality technology must be closely examined.” Further in the article he goes into the history of augmented reality video games and their positive implications. But, of course, there are negative consequences too. What I think is most remarkable is that Prithwijit et al addresses next to the physical and mental safety issues, also the ethical issues. These issues are based on the violation of one’s privacy. We already knew that Google is also tracking your preferences and expenses. But an augmented reality video game has the ability to track players in real time. On top of this, a big part of the players are children, who are very vulnerable to advertisements. Prithwijit et al (2017) state: “As seen with Pokémon GO, children may be encouraged to make unhealthy choices and their location data can be used to harm them”. If you ask me, this is pure manipulation of children in order for a company to make more money. And this is just one of the concerns of these video games.

References:

(Prithwijit, D., Zhu, M., McLaughlin, L., Bilgrami, Z & Ruth, L. 2017, June. Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents. 
https://searchproquestcom.unyp.idm.oclc.org/docview/2124653734/2E79C7CE1C184B38PQ/7?accountid=17238)