To Become: Free will. That’s what sets us apart from machines, the choice to become, the choice to destroy, simply having the choice to do whatever it is that we please. A robot, made of metal parts, liquid coolant and developed answers for every question couldn’t possibly understand how to love, how to feel emotion how to make a choice based on the free will of that choice instead of programming. Detroit become human creates a world where robots are sentient beings able to bypass their programming in order to create a more human version of themselves.
The Three Laws: Isaac Asimov stated in his description of the three laws of robotics that: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders, unless they conflict with law number one. 3. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as those actions do not conflict with either the first or second law. These laws define the world in which Detroit Become Human exists in and bind the story of this game in a cohesive manner, bringing the concept of “deviant” to another level. When a robot becomes a deviant, they are becoming more human in their nature. This goes against the three laws, making these robots “unfit” for their working environment. Detroit Become Human takes what Asimov created in I-Robot and turned it into a game. In Asimov’s I-Robot, robots can become teachers, politicians, robots can have a sense of humor and can even read minds. This game steps foot into the mind of the person playing it and manifest, psychologically, their worst fears come to life in a sense. What would happen if our world leaders were robots, our teachers, or even parents were robots? Is it possibly for a robot, created with ones and zeros to understand empathy, nuances, or even intonation? To have robots and humans work side by side really depends on how the human and robot race coexist. This isn’t impossible to happen. Technology is evolving faster than we can breathe it feels like, and it won’t stop at Alexa, or the I Robot home vacuum. Aware of Your Existence: Detroit Become Human psychologically makes you aware of every little thing, every conversation shift, nuance, and tiny change in not only the environment but the story. The controls also play HUGE part in the story and the player’s reaction time in how a situation will turn out. If you’re not fast enough Conner could die, Kara could get hurt or Marcus could be spotted. There is a combination of things that trigger a sequence of events that lead to a multitude of endings. The controls themselves are simple, and the only issue I really had with them was Conner’s robotic movements which, while they match his character, they aren’t really ideal for maneuvering him. Even though the controls took a tad for me to get acquainted with and are very intuitive in regard to what tasks the character has to play out, whether its pickup something, turning a doorknob or pressing multiple buttons at the same time the intuitive and cohesiveness of the controls is some of the best work I’ve seen in a game. Since the controls and story play a big part in how you experience the game it’s important to note that the aim of the game is to make the player feel as uncomfortable as humanly possible. Just as the sentient android is learning about their experience the player is learning about theirs. Are they willing to push things to either get what they want, keep a character safe or get a good ending? Or if you are hell-bent on seeing the world burn, you have the option to get the most heart-breaking ending ever, as well. It’s all about how the existence of the androids we play as are interpreted and following through with a storyline that we build. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Making the feeling of immersion is a special skill that one needs as a narrative writer and developer, keeping the immersion while breaking the fourth wall? Now that’s a talent. In the main menu there is a robot that, while I progressed through the game it updated along with the progress I’ve made. At one point it asked me, “can we be friends” the player can accept or deny, and it will ask at the very end of the game if she can be set free. I think this type of immersion and dedication to the story of the game is beautiful, and so incredibly unique. I haven’t seen this type of breaking the fourth wall in a game, where it’s done so effortlessly, and cohesively with the story. The game also challenges a person belief structure, with the questioning of a God, or a higher life form. “RA9” could it be a type of robot, could it be what God is to the sentient? Many of the characters in the game have a connection to RA9, but my biggest take away from it is that it is the manifestation of God in a game, because everyone and everything needs something to believe in. whether that’s God, love, money it doesn’t matter, a being needs a reason for their state of being. This is where the player comes in, to create that world, that existence for the sentient android to inhabit. Are we God to this robot? A State of Being: In the midst of me absolutely loving this game I went into it knowing that there was controversy coating is iridescent thought-filled layers. While this game is, to put it simply a writing and visual masterpiece I have to take a moment to point out that the creator of this game, David Cage is not someone that we want to be looking up to in the gaming industry, let alone singing praises to. Let’s speak our praises to the actors that worked on this game, the developers, the writers, artists etc. they are the true creators of this game becoming the massive success that it is. This game touched my soul in a strong and personal way. From the riots in the game eerily mimicking things that we’ve seen in 2021, to how equality is still something to be fought for on a daily basis. While this game predicted a lot, it also let the player create their own narrative and story with endless dialogue options and a multitude of ways to go about completing a task. I truly loved the experience I had with this game. It filled my brain with questions and my heart racing. A deviant is just a robot wanting to become human, a piece of plastic they are no more, and thinking creature they have become.
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