Regulatory, Legal & Ethical Issues in Gaming, Animation and VFX

Regulatory, Legal & Ethical Issues in Gaming

Regulatory

Ever since the beginning of video games, there has had to be restrictions on who can play what. These are now known as age restrictions. In the majority, these are well used and fair. However, there are problems. There are different policies all around the world depending on which country you live in, and difference policies for all states in the USA (The ESA).
Legal

However in the UK, we don't have this. Our computer games are e-rated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification).
Developers of games are definitely affected by legal issues. Lawsuits could set-back, or even bankrupt studios for as small as saying one wrong word.
Ethical

The main areas that  ethical debates revolve around are:
Violence (Graphic, physical, sexual, non-physical)
Rating (how regulation is applied?)
Education(do games educate? Should they be relied upon?)
Stereotyping(Age,race,gender,disability,class)
Addiction(how do gamers become addicted? What does the industry do to help this?)
It becomes the responsibility of both the industry and the consumer to be aware of the issues in gaming and act accordingly.
Legal & Ethical Issues in Animation

Legal

Copyright and Ownership
Globally, copyright laws deal with a very basic yet important issue – who owns the idea, characters, shapes,objects,graphics.
Trademarks and Branding
Trademarks and branding are synonymous terms, as both refer to giving your business a unique name and ethos that stands you apart from your competitors in hte industry that your business belongs to.
Defamation and Causing Disrepute
When the reputation of an individual or an organisation is damaged – so much so that livelihoods are lost – then defamation has occurred.
Ethical

Intellectual property
Nondisclosure
Image content
Business ethics
Trust
Privacy
Truth
Data Protection
Privacy is a big thing in animation. For the members of staff involved in the film, and the high ranking businesses. Somebody has the role of keeping their personal lives safe and not to broadcast any of this information.
Regulatory Issues in Visual Effects

Regulatory

Unpaid overtime
Miscalssification of employees
Illegal usage of billing purposes
Non-existent transferable healthcare benefits and savings plans