Detroit Become Human (DBH) is a game all about identity, so I figure- why not introduce you to it? The game takes place from the perspective of three people: Connor, an android for the investigative forces. Kara, an android for childcare. and Markus, an android for elder care.  Throughout the game you are tasked with making decisions as these characters, some are quick time events or QTE; however, most are not.  Every single choice you make in this game affects the outcome of it.  I would know, I accidentally speed-ran killing everyone because I kept making the wrong decisions. (I cried for an hour).  There’s almost a… point system of sorts in the game.  Some choices don’t matter as much; for example, as the article from SegmentNext points out in chapter one you’ll play as Connor.  Nothing will change the outcome of that chapter; however, for Kara in chapters 6 and 7, everything will be very important as Alice or Todd, the young girl she cares for and her father, can die.  Either way- as you traverse through this game, making more empathetic choices makes your droid more human.  Markus and Kara are both initially more empathetic because of their environments.  Markus cares for an old artist named Carl Manfred.  Carl always encourages Markus to feel and express emotion despite knowing that Markus should not feel those things.  He encourages expression and treats Markus as more than an android; he treats him like his son.  We see that Markus reciprocates these feelings as if you let Carl die, he is angry over it, devastated. Kara is a caregiver for a child and is innately able to express more compassion and empathy as such.  Through the game as you travel with her and Alice they become more of a mother and daughter as Kara tries her best to keep her alive and as she tries to keep Alice alive, she becomes more human than droid.  Connor is the hardest one to change as his job is to investigate crime scenes and act as more of a first responder, though his “owner” Hank very obviously would rather he act more humane.  But by the end of the game- so long as you never die as Connor, you are able to make him more human.  There are active struggles of identity in the game, even more so from Connors chapter because he wants to do right by his job and creators, but in the end (depending on your route) he can’t, but he also recognizes that androids deserve better.

Connor – Kara – Markus-

So what? This game is a wonderful thing, I think. When you look at it, it’s much like real life. Everything we do is important whether we realize it or not. Choosing to save ourselves or others, choosing where to go and when to go. Choosing how we treat others, or how we present ourselves. It’s all important and I think a game like DBH shows that very well.