Ben’s E3 Pick – Detroit: Become Human

It’s not often that a video game actually makes me think. I’m not referring to puzzles, maneuvers, dialogue choices or anything like that. Instead, I’m referring to a game actually making me ponder existence and the very real future. Detroit: Become Human did exactly that.

Detroit is no stranger to anyone who has been paying attention. It was announced years back and there have been pieces of it lingering around for more than 5 years. However, this was the first time we really got to glimpse a little deeper.

If you aren’t familiar, check out the trailer above. In short, there are androids who are essentially slaves to the human race – and they are tired of it. A couple go rogue and, well, we’ve all seen a million movies that start this way.

I’ll confess that when I saw some of the gameplay footage being released this year, I was a little disappointed with the style in which the gamer performs. The more I watched, the more satisfying it was to realize that the type of gameplay (essentially maneuvering and making decisions) allowed me to care more about the story than worry about my next move. Perhaps my opinion will change with more in-depth gameplay but, for now, I’m a fan.

I mentioned at the beginning that this game made me think and, while I don’t want to get too philosophical, it also kind of scared me. It won’t be too long before our technology advances to the place where it can simulate emotion and emulate human logic. In fact, it’s entirely possible we’re well on our way. So… when does a computer go from being a machine that we’ve built to a pseudo-sentient being? We probably won’t figure out the answer to that today.

Quantic Dream is developing Detroit: Become Human and they also released Heavy Rain in 2010, which is one of my favorite games of all time. If Detroit is even half as good as some of Quantic’s other work, I’ll be very happy.