White-Collar Criminality Within the Video Game Industry

Abstract

Edwin Sutherland’s concept of white-collar crime remains incredibly influential in contemporary criminological research and thought. Sutherland’s work was critical of several of the most influential industries in the United States, highlighting both their criminal and unethical conduct. Today, the video game industry has garnered tremendous influence over society and until recently, has seemed to escape criminological critique (other than for that of the potential negative effects of violent games) and white-collar crime theoretical inquiry. This study aims to change that, as we analyze the video game industry for its involvement in many traditional (and some more contemporary) forms of white-collar crime. More specifically, we discuss overpromising, broken games, and price gouging.