Kant’s Categories of Practical Reason and the World of Video Games: A Reflection on the Relationship between Moral Lawfulness and Causality in the Decision-Making Systems of Interactive Narratives

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor of Department of Media Arts, IRIB University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Objective: This study adopts a philosophical and interdisciplinary approach to examine the relationship between the fundamental categories of Kantian practical reason such as the good will, duty, autonomy, and moral lawfulness and the decision-making structures within digital interactive narratives. The main question is whether these categories, which constitute the foundation of moral agency in Kantian ethics, can be meaningfully realized in environments where causality is not natural but rather artificially constructed and programmed.
Methods: Using an analytical-interpretive method and a comparative reading of philosophical concepts, the research explores the relation of these concepts to choice-based digital structures. Special attention is given to situations where decisions are made not out of inclination or consequences, but from a commitment to respect for the moral principle.
Results: The findings indicate that although the full realization of practical reason in digital structures faces significant limitations due to predesigned frameworks and restricted freedom, these environments offer opportunities for the internalization, exercise, and critical reflection on moral concepts. Interactive narratives create structured scenarios that invite players to confront experiences of duty-bound decision-making.
Conclusions: Video games, therefore, are not spaces where Kantian practical reason is fully actualized; rather, they provide platforms for rethinking the relationship between reason, freedom, and morality in artificial worlds. Such interactive experiences open new avenues for contemplating moral agency under redefined conditions of causality and action.

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References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 19, Issue 52 - Serial Number 52
Articles
52 Autumn 2025
November 2025
Pages 241-258

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