Worksheet 9 – Ethical Issues

Find two examples of ethical issues in digital media from the last 10 years the
more recent the better. For each issue you will need to state:

• The type of media product involved

• The ethical issue (Explaining why it is an issue)
• The effect of ethical issue on the product
 E.g. did sales go up/down, age rating imposed etc.
• The regulatory body involved (if any)
• Legal action taken (if any)
• The outcome (e.g. a fine, cancelation, nothing)

Type of Media Video Game- Bully

Explanation of the The game was the centre of a lot of controversy during release as it is
ethical issue focussed around a schoolboy named Jimmy Hopkins who is enrolled at
Bullworth Academy; a school filled with bullies and corrupt teachers.
The effect the issue The game was labelled as a disgrace by newspapers such as the Daily Mail
had on the product and banned in countries such as Brazil.
The regulatory body Classification boards generally restricted Bully to a teenage audience: the
involved and what US-based Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) classified the
game with a T rating,[65] the British Board of Film Classification gave it a
legal action was
15 rating, the Australian Classification Board rated it M,[66] and the New
taken Zealand OFLC restricted it to persons 13 years of age and over.
The outcome In 2007, Yahoo! Games listed it as one of the top ten controversial games
of all time however other than this no other outcome can be found.