Are you afraid of robots? The fear that maybe our technology might just have enough conscience in order to turn on us? What if you didn’t have to imagine it? In 2018, a game would be released that changed the way many people would view their technology.
“Detroit Become Human” is a challenging, touching and inspiring decision-based story game that takes place in the year 2038. The game starts off in an elevator while watching a man flip a coin. Or so we are led to believe. The camera then pans to an LED chip implanted on the side of his head, hinting that he is not a human. This is in fact an “android,” as they call it in the game. He is also the first of the three main characters we’ll see who’s name is Connor.
Making this character and any others was no easy process. The developers “QuanticDream” used an animation process called “Motion Capture.” This is the process of taking many tracking devices and placing them on the body in order to get better details in the face and body movements.
“I really enjoyed my role in the game,” said Bryan Dechart, who is the voice and face behind Connor. When asked about deeper details into Connor and his personality, if you chose to follow the deviant path, he stated that, “I believe Connor is touch starved,” due to his off personality and how he bonds with Hank over the course of them working together .
In a YouTube video with famous YouTuber “Jacksepticguy,” Bryan stated that in order to get one scene out of the way, “We would have to stand in a spot and then take a step to the left. Once that was finished we had to go back and reshoot the scene but this time taking a step to the right” in order for the player to go as they please.
The game had much support including Content Director Andy Heartup. Heartup stated that “Detroit” was “utterly delightful.” When asked about further opinions on the game, he stated, “It’s an interactive story capable of provoking genuine, honest and varied emotions.”
The other two characters, Kara and Markus, play a big role in the game as well. While Kara sacrifices her life to protect the daughter of an abusive drunk, Markus takes on a more independent role leading the androids to freedom and victory after becoming conscious of how badly they are mistreated.
Image from Steam
Many people believe that the moral of the story is racism, slavery and/or civil rights, but that isn’t the case. This story is about sacrifice and the struggles of what you have to give in order to get. This beautifully made game manages to mix a touch of reality into the life of a sci-fi-dystopian world, while also tying in important topics such as discrimination, abuse and mistreatment. “Detroit” shows the hardships of a mother in Kara’s gameplay, while showing perseverance and struggles in Markus and Connors.
