PBS Idea Channel

PBS asks if buying Call of Duty poses a moral dilemma (video)

Join independent journalists and industry decision-makers at GamesBeat NEXT, returning to San Francisco November 2–3. The event brings together 500 executives, founders, investors and tech leaders shaping the $200 billion interactive economy for candid discussions on gaming, entertainment, technology and AI, plus executive networking and opportunities to build partnerships and close major deals.

PBS Idea Channel

Games can’t escape the gun issue. That’s partly because the media looks for a scapegoat when confronted with difficult tragedies, but it’s also because so many games prominently feature firearms.

PBS stepped up to take on the issue of guns in games in its Idea Channel webseries. The show posed an interesting question: Is buying Call of Duty a moral choice?

Idea Channel suggests that because the developers of realistic military shooters license real weapons from real gun manufacturers, anyone who buys a Call of Duty or Battlefield is vicariously funding companies like Colt and Bushmaster.

Obviously, this is only a potential quandary for individuals so fundamentally opposed to guns that they believe no one should profit from gun sales. Gun enthusiasts don’t see an issue with directly giving money to firearm companies, so they won’t care if they indirectly fund them.

Despite the touchy subject, it’s a well-reasoned argument that is worth watching: