Industrial Zen is a secular humanist video game design company that recognizes the limitless possibilities of virtual worlds. Industrial Zen believes in ownership rights in the design community, and wish to empower employees on all levels of development. We, as a company wish to limit censorship in design and sales by following a code to guide content and conduct, and share responsibility for the unintended consequences of an informed society by expanding regulation.

Addressing Ethical Issues
Industrial Zen believes the main ethical dilemma in the video game industry is content, sales regulations, and ownership rights.

It has been argued that virtual worlds should contain all the societal ills the real world does. Industrial Zen does not agree, but does not condemn those who believe so, nor do we wish to impose our standard on anyone else. The ESRB standard for video game ratings are fine as they stand, although Industrial Zen would like to expand regulation on the content of Adult Only and Mature rated games. The second issue, sales regulations, is not in the hands of video game design, but rather the hands of the retail outlet. The last dilemma is ownership rights. When a game design is so successful that other games outright steal the programming and design similar games, using that program platform.

Industrial Zen would like to fix these problems to the best of our ability, without censorship. We feel the gamer has the right to decide their moral right or wrong, but believes some content is downright inarguable, and will limit ourselves. Industrial Zen recognizes the rights of other game designers to push the limits on content. We believe that whatever benefits the game design process, and gamer is beneficial to us all in the industry. The following is an ideal work, sales, and creative environment for the game industry. Industrial Zen, while in business, will do everything in its power to direct the industry to our ideal.

General Content Guide
Racism and sexism is to be avoided. When designing a main character, allow the gamer to create their own character, and you lose a lot of the racist and sexist implications. We suggest designing broad character sets, that use many race or sex defined attributes. If you find yourself stereotyping people or if certain characteristics cannot be shared by multiple races, or both sexes then it is suggested to try another route. Exceptions to this rule are specific side characters for game play within a storyline, although consultation is needed.

Violence is defined as content suitable by the ESRB. We believe violence to be a non-issue. Any amount of graphic violence can be justified by a moral objective, so the real issue is criminality. Video games can be as graphic and as violent as you can make them, there is no guide or limitation suggested, and current ratings should be enforced accordingly.

Criminality is untouched by the ESRB. There is no limit on criminality that we wish to impose outside of sexual criminality defined under sexual content. Industrial Zen suggests any amount of criminal behavior, whether national or personal, outside of misdemeanor crime, should automatically get the mature rating. Crime should not be suggested to children and teens as a way of solving problems.

Sexual Content Guide
Sexual content is a little more detailed than the ESRB has considered. As they define the AO rated games; these are games that contain prolonged scenes of graphic sexual content or nudity, so any sexual behavior should be allowed in the AO category. Industrial Zen realizes that sexual content is more diverse and would like to address content and the responsibilities of designing a more realistic human experience. It has to be said in all fairness, that fantasies are the things we don't do.

Sexual violence content deserves a higher rating standard, and is behavior that Industrial Zen has minimal issue with. Games that contain sexual violence should also contain programming that makes said behavior have no positive effect, or cause detrimental effects in game play.
Incest, necrophilia, fecaphilia, bestiality, and pedophilic content are inarguable paraphilias. Industrial Zen agrees that the market should decide, but has determined such content is forbidden in our game design. Topics are allowed in theme and humor only. Games that are made with this content demand a higher rating standard.

Sales Responsibility
Industrial Zen believes our customers are our employers, and any content they wish to consume is to have as much right to retail venues as any other. To have a free market, we can't just ban sales of questionable content, but instead allow the customer to decide, and adopt a sales strategy to assume responsibility.

As suggested under sexual content, there needs to be a higher or more regulated rating. Industrial Zen suggests the ESRB extends the mature rating to cover continuous sex scenes and nudity, like an R rating, 18 and over, and adapt the AO rating to cover all graphic sexual themes, and regulate sales to be 21 only. Then have retail outlets enforce the policies.

Retail enforcement should be no different then excise enforcement. Retail outlets must take responsibility for sales of restricted content by checking identification at point of sale. Damages should be enforced, both civil and criminal for adults that knowingly allow access of restricted content to children, much in the same way pornography is punishable.

Industrial Zen will adopt a responsibility in its sales as well. Games sold in any retail venue containing adult content will be wrapped in black, concealing contents. The concealing package will have printed on it, the ESRB rating along with content contained, as well as the title of game with a brief description. We would like to encourage enforcement in any way we can, and decided that a proof of age receipt must be signed at point of sale.

Ownership Rights
Industrial Zen envisions the video game industry to be part free lance, part corporate culture, a place where everyone gets rich. To continue business opportunity, design companies deserve half of all net profit as compensation for creating a creative environment, and other distribution fees. This should encourage games with mass appeal, and create an environment of profit sharing. Pay for employees should be determined by percentage of materials used, to encourage work ethic and quality in creativity.

If a style of game design is borrowed frequently, the employee whose content is borrowed should be compensated as residual, to promote and reward creativity. If the intellectual property rights are waived to the company for salary pay, the employee and design company lose residual rights as the employee sold the work, and the company is not the rightful creator. Programming and design should be freely shared through the industry so long as it doesn't affect a current project, and all games borrowing materials are not forgeries, but enhancements. This should encourage the employee to be creative and informed.

It is our hope that this environment is competitive and lucrative, free and responsible; and creates video games that are enjoyable for all kinds of people and minds.