By Kemper Koslofski, Hailey Newell, and Oakley Tate
Background of Creators:
Detroit: Become Human is a AAA game created by Quantic Dream, released in 2018, and set in futuristic Detroit in 2038. It is a single-player, action-adventure game where there is unrest between androids, a machine or robot with a human appearance, and humans as the player is tested with various moral dilemmas. This game includes several famous actors, such as Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), and Valorie Curry (Twilight). Detroit was released the same year as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a branching interactive narrative on Netflix, and Detroit is still one of the most intricate branching narrative games to date. In 2018 it was nominated at The Game Awards for Best Narrative, Best Performance, and Best Game Direction; however, it lost to Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War, which was tough competition. This game that broke ground on branching narratives in the game industry allows the player to make life-and-death choices that affect the three main, playable android characters and the city of Detroit in its entirety. Morals will be tested as the game lets the player discover what it means to be human from the eyes of an outsider, a machine, and decisions will make all the difference as the outcome of humanity rests on the player’s shoulders. Game Description: Detroit: Becomes Human is the story of three separate androids who are facing challenges living in a world of humans. The first android is a cop-like, deviant android hunter named Connor. He is particularly unique for the fact that if he is killed, he will be rebuilt and sent back into the field. The second is an android named Markus owned by a famous Detroit painter, Carl Manfred. Markus acts as Carl's companion and caretaker, which builds a strong bond in their relationship. Carl’s son is jealous of this bond, creating part of Markus’ conflict at the beginning of his storyline. The last android is a housekeeper named Kara whose owner is aggressive and abusive to her and his daughter. Each android plays its part in the android revolution and the player makes the choice whether to help the androids achieve sentience and freedom or stay on the side of humanity. Themes: This game is focused on discrimination and oppression in the future that stems from the greed of humanity. Androids in a sense represent the struggles minorities face in the present day. Markus’ storyline as a revolutionist, whether successful or not, Connor’s own sentience and Kara’s freedom all depend on the choices of the player. These decisions can change the course for these parallels, making one’s own adventure in the game a completely unique experience to them. Should you help the androids because they are playing as the androids? Should you help them because you think it is the right thing to do? Should you put yourself in humanity’s shoes as you are a human yourself? These are the tough questions someone would have to ask themselves when the difficult subjects are thrown upon the player.
Experience:
Detroit is a game solely based on the decisions a player makes. Part of the game’s mechanics, on top of the branching choices, are percentages that the game will give the player when making a decision. It will clue the player in on certain likelihoods of things that might happen or the feelings of characters. There are quick-timed events (QTEs) in which you act in defense of the character, buttons need to be pressed in a small time frame in order to act. In this game, there are many instances where the narrator is faced with ethical choices as well. The 3D environment in this game lets players discover, sometimes, only what they go looking for. This becomes a really important aspect of major choices in the main storyline as well.
Detroit utilizes extremely realistic graphics to form this more intensive experience, created by using motion capture with actors. To implement motion capture they use a software called Maya. They use Maya due to its versatility. With it, they can download plugins, code their own plugins, create tools, and edit the graphics all the way up until they release the game. They send the motion capture straight through Maya which allows them to create game elements seamlessly. This seamless transition allows the artists to spend less time designing and exporting assets, and more time increasing the quality of the game.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe are the students of "Digital Literatures" at Millikin University. These are some of the digital narratives that entice, inspire, and challenge us. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|