The Doctor Will Be You Now: A Case Study on Medical Ethics and Role-Play

In the field of fertility medicine, technology has vastly outpaced our ethical, legal, and social frameworks leaving us in a quagmire of gray morality. Seeds is a role-playing game and ethics simulation about Assisted Reproductive Technology and its effect on 21st century medical decisions. Players play the role of a fertility doctor and must make difficult ethical decisions through courses of treatment while balancing economic, emotional, and scientific concerns. With Seeds, the goal is to foster meaningful decision-making that may transfer from the game world into the real world through stimulating roleplay and by creating a safe space for exploration of ethical issues. This chapter offers critical reflection on the design choices made in the process of creating this ethical exploration space on the subject of Assisted Reproductive Technology. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-120-1.ch017