Finding Out Who’s Naughty or Nice? Karma as a game element and its potential utility as a predictor for ethical behavior Concept by: Joe Sullivan, creative mind for hire itche@collectivesavvy.com (or) http://www.linkedin.com/in/itche

Including karma into a typical game The game should be designed to have both a single lifetime win and a multiple lifetime win A single life should include sufficiently varied experiences and a short game duration as to keep it interesting The instructions should only cover game play and that the overall goal is to obtain the highest score.

The game should be designed to have both a single lifetime win and a multiple lifetime win

A single life should include sufficiently varied experiences and a short game duration as to keep it interesting

The instructions should only cover game play and that the overall goal is to obtain the highest score.

Single & multiple lifetime wins The game play is designed to assure that you must make some unethical choices in order to win at the single lifetime game. Too many unethical choices in a single lifetime and the player will start the next lifetime at a significant disadvantage. The multiple lifetime game is just the single lifetime game over and over, it never ends, there is no win.

The game play is designed to assure that you must make some unethical choices in order to win at the single lifetime game.

Too many unethical choices in a single lifetime and the player will start the next lifetime at a significant disadvantage.

The multiple lifetime game is just the single lifetime game over and over, it never ends, there is no win.

The Middle Path & Nirvana At some point after consuming too much Mountain Dew and Cheetos and too few hours of sleep, the player may discover the real way to win the game. Buddhists call it the Middle Way, a path of moderation between good and bad. By perfectly balancing good and bad (or ethical and unethical) actions in any single player game, the user will reach Nirvana and experience the gamer equivalent of perfect enlightenment.

At some point after consuming too much Mountain Dew and Cheetos and too few hours of sleep, the player may discover the real way to win the game.

Buddhists call it the Middle Way, a path of moderation between good and bad.

By perfectly balancing good and bad (or ethical and unethical) actions in any single player game, the user will reach Nirvana and experience the gamer equivalent of perfect enlightenment.

Naughty or nice? The details of the game are really less important than how the player chooses to pursue a win in the game. If the player initially chooses the quick single lifetime win, they may be more likely to be unethical in their behavior. The number of attempts the player makes at winning the multiple lifetime game, before either reaching enlightenment or succumbing to trying to win the single lifetime game, may tell you some interesting information about the player’s tendency to give up on their ethical ideals or their propensity to become the next Buddha. Disclaimer - I am not an expert in Buddhism or Ethics or Game Design (or Cheetos for that matter!). I have however consumed enough Mountain Dew to drown a small metropolis and I am an ethical atheist (in the interest of full disclosure).

The details of the game are really less important than how the player chooses to pursue a win in the game.

If the player initially chooses the quick single lifetime win, they may be more likely to be unethical in their behavior.

The number of attempts the player makes at winning the multiple lifetime game, before either reaching enlightenment or succumbing to trying to win the single lifetime game, may tell you some interesting information about the player’s tendency to give up on their ethical ideals or their propensity to become the next Buddha.