Gameplay Journal Entry #7

The first game that comes to mind when it comes to expression of a social and political values is Detroit: Become Human. The game revolves around three characters dealing with the issue of highly intelligent androids. Each character is in face an android themselves. You experience their life being persecuted, building relationships, and an overcoming of their programming literally and figuratively. The values in this game focus a lot on what it means to be human and why this implies entitlement to rights. Obviously it also deals heavily with the dangers of AI and the advancement of technology on our society. Each different character has valid stance and allows the player to experience it firsthand. This reminds me of why Bogost says that games create a vantage point for social topics,

“…such games can have a political impact because they allow players to embody political positions and engage in political actions many will never have previously experienced, and because they make it possible for players to deepen their understanding of the multiple causal forces that affect any given, always unique, set of historical circumstances.”(Bogost View of playing Politics: Videogames for politics, activism, and Advocacy: First monday).

I feel that Detroit: Become Human is very successful in communicating this idea of humanity. The mechanics of the game are centered around the players choices which affect the narrative, much like Bandersnatch. The choices make the experience successful because it allows you to live the consequences of your own actions on other peoples lives.

Works Cited

Bogost, Ian. View of Playing Politics: Videogames for Politics, Activism, and Advocacy: First Monday. firstmonday.org/article/view/1617/1532.