Why It's OK to Be a Gamer

Why It's OK to Be a Gamer defends gaming through a virtue theoretic approach, introducing the philosophy of video games in a humorous and lively way with lots of engaging examples.

Sarah C. Malanowski is Instructor of Philosophy at Florida Atlantic University, USA. She specializes in philosophy of cognitive science and biomedical ethics, and her work has appeared in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, Synthese, Bioethics, Journal of Medicine & Philosophy, and Neuroethics. Sarah is also a dedicated World of Warcraft player and a casual player of many other video games, and enjoys building cosplays for video game conventions. Nicholas R. Baima is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, USA. He specializes in ancient philosophy and ethical theory, as well as Destiny 2. His work has appeared in journals such as Ancient Philosophy, Phronesis, Journal of the History of Philosophy, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, and Journal of Value Inquiry. He is the coauthor, with Tyler Paytas, of Plato's Pragmatism: Rethinking the Relationship of Ethics and Epistemology (Routledge, 2021).

Introduction; 1. Fatality! On violence and gaming; 2. The virtuous and vicious gamer; 3. Raiding, virtue, and best buds; 4. Hooked on gaming; 5. Gaming your way out of the cave: the intellectual and aesthetic value of gaming; 6. The life well-played.