SAA

VIDEO GAMES AND ARCHAEOLOGY
Figure 2. In Destiny, the collection of “engrams,” artifacts that are identified by a “Crypto-archaeologist,” are the main means of economic progression.
Through the sale of the looted objects, the player gains money and items to aid in game progression. It’s virtually impossible to opt-out of the system.
researching archaeologist is more complex. Does an individual
participating in an in-game looting scenario condone the
practice overall? Is it a tacit encouragement to loot outside of
the in-game scenario? Is it, even, perhaps a violation of the
ethical codes of professional archaeological societies?
Another area of concern relates to interactions with representations
of native populations. Is it the ethical responsibility
of the researcher to note any occurrences of colonialism,
racism, or ethnocentrism in the narrative or game environment?
If such issues of design or narrative are present, do
archaeologists ignore them in favor of obtaining data
through play, or do they choose to refrain from engaging
with created worlds that promote the misrepresentation of
indigenous peoples (Figure 3)? As with the question of
engaging in looting behaviors, there are legal, social, and
professional ramifications for archaeologists who perpetuate
negative interactions with indigenous peoples in the material
world, but how should those relationships be negotiated
in digital space, where the indigenous group may not have
any recourse to protest their representation?
Single-player games can prompt, through play, questions
about appropriate and inappropriate uses of violence, the
presence of the objectification of women in modern and historical
narratives, and the expression of political ideologies
via the gamification of the political process. The field of
“serious game studies” has addressed some of these issues,
but as applies to players and game developers, not those who
research within the game itself (Sicart 2013). If an action
taken in a game would be unacceptable to undertake as an
action in a traditional field environment, is it ethically permissible
to undertake that action when researching in a dig -
ital space? Working within a single-player environment
doesn’t limit the need for ethical guidelines, it refocuses
them on the acts of the researcher in relation to a static environment,
an environment in which they can interact but cannot
necessarily affect change. The researcher can’t change
the narrative or the world of study outside of interactions
considered and allowed by the world’s creator, the game
developer. This limits what the researcher can do and makes
it her choice as to whether or not to participate overall.
Researching in a Multiplayer Environment
Working within a multiplayer environment provides a more
traditional ethnographic fieldwork experience. Although
some of the issues related to interaction with the game world
November 2016 • The SAA Archaeological Record
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