This episode examines, through the lens of Aristotelian virtue ethics, how roguelike video games, such as Cogmind, can foster personal development and self-understanding through training our ethical and intellectual virtues. Roguelikes provide more than entertainment; they offer a space to practice virtue, teaching resilience, adaptability, and growth through the careful deployment and interaction of game mechanics. Drawing on Aristotle’s teachings on virtue, this analysis suggests that engaging with roguelikes helps cultivate a virtuous character and imparts valuable life lessons, revealing how gaming can serve as a pathway to self-improvement and deeper self-awareness.

Watch the video version on YouTube here.

Credits
Written and presented by James Cartlidge
Produced by Greta Rauleac
Original music by James Cartlidge

Breaking the Game is a YouTube channel and podcast series about philosophy and video game studies. It aims to facilitate discussions about games, the games industry and philosophy with wider audiences. It mainly (though not exclusively) focusses on the indie games sphere, and current and future philosophical topics include phenomenology, existentialism, political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of mind/consciousness, cognitive science, psychoanalysis and psychology. It is based on the postdoctoral research of James Cartlidge.

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