FTL: Trolley Problems in Space (Video Game Analysis)

FTL: Trolley Problems in Space (Video Game Analysis)

In which I commit war crimes to the sound of breezy chiptune.

FTL: Faster Than Light may be known more for its pitch-perfect mechanics and design than its stance on morality, but in this video I'll be uncovering its secret ethical wisdom. What does FTL think is morally right? How can we find out? Why have I put so many references to long-dead British comedy shows in a video for a global audience?

This one took far longer than it should have done, and honestly I'm not 100% happy with it. But that might just be me. Hopefully you can find enjoyment and enlightenment in it and I can move on to other things.

Get music to use in your videos with Epidemic Sound (use this referral link to support me):
https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/cnceag/

Special thanks to MantisManMike for his FTL event testing mod:
https://subsetgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=123150

Three articles on slavery in FTL:
https://christophersawula.com/2013/08/03/slavery-and-ftl-faster-than-light/
http://ontologicalgeek.com/moral-choice-in-ftl/
https://tom-jubert.blogspot.com/2014/02/what-did-ftl-say-to-you-about-slavery.html

On the Kestrel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywy_uVU_Xmw

0:00 Intro
2:08 Part I: That Captain Kirk Feeling
12:35 Part II: The (Right) Right Stuff
24:20 Part III: A Streetcar Named Gunfire
35:19 Part IV: The Cosmic Casino
44:12 Credits

RIP Bigby 0:22 - 0:23

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SOURCES

FTL and its development:
https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/3/12/4090522/the-opposite-of-fail-the-story-of-ftl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Um97AUqp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-qkoaeGrw
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ftl-faster-than-light-soundtrack-ben-prunty/

Tom Jubert's involvement:
https://www.study.eu/article/make-games-dude-tom-jubert-on-how-to-become-a-game-developer-interview
https://sites.google.com/site/tjubert/irrational
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-writing-in-ftl/

Philosophical ethics:
http://www.justethics.com/Articles/ArtMID/2952/ArticleID/20/Intro-To-Normative-Ethics
https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195325911.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195325911-e-1
https://rjh221.user.srcf.net/courses/normativeethics/
https://people.umass.edu/klement/160/intro-et.pdf
https://towardsdatascience.com/trolley-problem-isnt-theoretical-2fa92be4b050
https://opentextbc.ca/ethicsinlawenforcement/chapter/2-1-major-ethical-systems/
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/kants-axe
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-effect/

Applications of philosophical ethics:
https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/talk-psych-blog/the-trolley-problem-meets-covid-19/ba-p/10737
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetstemwedel/2015/08/23/the-philosophy-of-star-trek-the-kobayashi-maru-no-win-scenarios-and-ethical-leadership/?sh=163e21825f48
http://journal.sjdm.org/17/17207/jdm17207.html

Slavery in FTL:
https://christophersawula.com/2013/08/03/slavery-and-ftl-faster-than-light/
http://ontologicalgeek.com/moral-choice-in-ftl/
https://tom-jubert.blogspot.com/2014/02/what-did-ftl-say-to-you-about-slavery.html

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FOOTAGE

Can be found here because the credits are too long to fit:
https://pastebin.com/A7N5Da9E

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MUSIC

Can be found here because the credits are too long to fit:
https://pastebin.com/A7N5Da9E

FTL: Faster Than LightSubset GamesVideo essay

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