Applying psychological theory to in-game moral behaviors through the development of a purpose-made game

Much-publicized concerns have been raised in the past about the moral content of video games, such as the Grand Theft Auto series (GTA; Rockstar, 1997-2015), which includes content and activities such as nudity, prostitution, guns, drug dealing, and driving recklessly. Kocurek (2012) draw a parallel between GTA and Death Race (Exidy, 1976), an earlier game that raised considerable controversy, as they are both based on similar acts of violence and moral violations (such as running over pedestrians and damaging other vehicles). Furthermore, Kocurek (2012) explains that the reason Death Race received this controversy is due to the type of violent content it contained. Violent content that is related to war is more social and culturally acceptable as it is a part of history, whereas violence toward innocent people, such as running over pedestrians, is outside the social and cultural norms (McKernan, 2013).