Friday 30 March, 2018

I have enjoyed my experience with Prison Architect. Today I played through the entirety of the 3rd story chapter of the campaign. A prison riot had broken out and we had to effectively quell the rebellion as soon as possible. This involved calling in Riot Police, Firemen, and a whole bunch of staff to accomplish, however, I didn't find the story particularly engaging in this play through. It definitely feels as though the narrative was added in the end of the development cycle, but the game-play otherwise is still very fun. I think the most ethically interesting part of this game is definitely the idea that you are running a prison as effectively as possible. You're not just designing a normal prison where the well-being of inmates is considered, you are attempting to design the prison that can make the most money while spending the least. It's clear that the game encourages the establishment of a for-profit prison, and the well-being of the inmates takes a backseat to the money making scheme.

Great job! I see two possible directions from what you wrote: is the death penalty ethical and how should a prison be run ethically? I recommend choosing one of those and using the events you came across in the game as proof for supporting your argument (such as how the prison is for-profit).