Games are continually criticized for their portrayal of violence and women, as well as their supposedly addictive nature. But with the advent of free-to-play, for the first time ever the industry is discussing the ethics of a business model. In this talk, Ben Cousins examines the morality of all past and present games industry business models and tries to answer three questions: Is free-to-play inherently more unethical than other business models? Are there any changes we need to make as an industry to avoid unwanted government meddling? Is there a template we can apply to a game while it is in development to make sure that it doesn't cross any unwanted ethical boundaries?

1. Ben Cousins, GDC 2014
Is Your Business Model Evil? The Moral Maze of the New Games Business