In this talk, Sicart explores challenges posed by digital play technologies, from games to gamified services. The study of the ethics of digital play has often focused on the representational aspects of video games, or on the negative effects of excessive play in players. In this talk Sicart discusses other topics in an attempt to expand our understanding of the ethical challenges of digital play. The talk will address topics ranging from gamification and the economics of games, to automation and the role of play in shaping digital culture.

Miguel Sicart is an Associate Professor at the Center for Computer Games, IT University of Copenhagen. His research has focused on the ethics of digital games and game design. His more recent work explores the nature of play, with a particular interest in the ludic aspects of computational technologies. He is the author of The Ethics of Computer Games, Beyond Choices: The Design of Ethical Gameplay, and Play Matters (The MIT Press, 2009, 2013, 2014).