Detroit Become Human: A Robot's Heroine's Journey
In a world set in 2038, Detroit Become Human is a story about a society that has adapted to intelligent service robots, taking on a vast spectrum of roles, spanning from construction workers to serving as a replacement for children. The game starts at a police investigation, where you play as an intelligent robot (named “Connor”) who is tasked with negotiating with a rogue android who has broken through their program and has taken a human child hostage. After this initial interaction, you, the robot, are assigned to a human detective partner to solve why there is a sudden uprise in “deviant” robots. The game's premise is entirely a choose-your-own-adventure, but unless you deliberately try to change the story, it follows a similar path. Through different experiences, the robot you play as, Connor, becomes increasingly unstable until he becomes a rogue android.
Detroit Become Human is very representative of Victoria Schdmidt’s Heroine’s Journey of finding self-identity in all three of the characters you can play as. One of them even matches better with the model because she is a female, but I feel that Connor is the one to talk about because his journey of self-identity from his robot identity (feminine) to his human-like identity (masculine) is a much more vast change than the other two characters.
After that first police investigation, Connor and the human he was assigned to Hank, are investigating a murder caused by another deviant android. Connor can move around semi-freely, taking samples and reconstructing the crime scene just as he was made for. Even when they find the deviant who murdered the human and it begs for Connor to not reveal his cover, Connor still alerts the police to its location, just as he's supposed to.
Betrayal/Realisation
Connor consults the personified version of his software named Amanda, and within his “mind” she asks Connor about the deviant he had just encountered and his relationship with Hank. Amanda enphasizes that deviants are on the rise, and he is the one to stop them. Connor has this realization that he has a duty to uphold far greater than he imagined, and that his software is encouraging him to not create relationships with people around him (stay machine-like).
Awakening/Preparing for the Journey
Hank meets up with Connor in the police headquarters and is told that they are in charge of trying to figure out why androids are becoming deviant. This is the first time Connor has been inside the police headquarters, so he prepares for the journey by finding a desk and trying to get to know Hank. Connor is given access to a database of android cases and selects one to begin their investigation.
After investigating two other androids, both of which Connor was either stopped or chose not to capture, Connor consults the personified version of his software to figure out where hes going wrong. His software, Amanda, asks him why he let them get away, why isn’t he living up to his objective, and many more questions testing his identity as a machine. Connor replies with much unsureness, as he doesn’t know why he is failing. His instability of his identity only increases further as Amanda tells him that if he can’t progress his objective, he will be replaced.
Eye of the Storm
Tensions are high as Connor continues investigating deviants apart of an uprising rebellion. It leads him to a broadcasting studio where the rogue androids have broke in to broadcast their message of freedom. One of these rogue androids attacks Connor, who tries to take it in alive. However, when Connor connected with its mind to try and get information, it eliminated itself. This moment is when Connor’s identity as a machine really dwindles, as he says “I felt it die, just as if I was dying.” and rethinks his own mortality. From this point on, Connor’s speech is more fluid and “human-like.” which really shows the growing human identity hes changing to.
Death All is Lost
Just before Connor and Hank solve why androids are becoming deviant, the FBI takes over and cuts them from the case. Connor’s ties to upholding his objective are completely severed. It is because of this that evidence of Connor acting on his own really shows. When consoling Hank after they were let off, Connor decides to investigate the evidence they have on his own. From this act of deviancy, he discovers where the rebellion is hiding: a place called “Jericho.”
Support
After infiltrating Jericho alone, Connor finds the rebel leader, Markus, and contemplates eliminating him to stop the rebellion. Markus spots Connor and begins to talk to him, encouraging him to join the rebellion. He tells Connor that the rebellion is made up of his people and that they are also fighting for his freedom. Connor gives in to Markus’s support and joins the side of deviants.
Rebirth- the Moment of Truth
As he's trying to join his programming tries to take over, but he breaks through and accepts that he is a deviant. He’s experienced human-like qualities all throughout his journey, but this is the moment where he fully breaks through and states that “I am ALIVE.” After joining the rebellion he heads to an android plant, where he meets the machine version of himself. Connor eliminates the machine copy of himself and awakens the other androids in the plant to deviancy.
With strength in numbers, Connor and Markus lead the rebellion for android freedom. As, they are people too. They are no longer machine, they are alive. Connor’s program tries to override for one last time and within his mind he eliminates any part of him that is machine, and accepts his human identity.
Conclusion
While not following the feminine hero attribute of the Heroine’s Journey, Detroit Become Human does a phenomenal job articulating the steps of the Heroine’s Journey that is completely unique. Connor’s identity going from machine (feminine) and entering situations that cause him to present human-like attributes (masculine). The game is a whole is so cleverly written that it really sucks you in, whether its watching the game or playing it. I highly recommend checking it out!
Quantic Dream, Detroit Become Human, May 25, 2018, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Hello Alyssa, I really liked how you linked the feminine and masculine to the robot and human side respectively. I think that you did a good job articulating how Connor was struggling with his self identity and the steps that caused him to become more human (masculine). I think that it's quite interesting that he completely got rid of his feminine side with virtually no chance of returning.
ReplyDeleteUp until now I never really thought of game storylines following the heroine's journey outline, but I guess you've proven that it's possible. I think that all the scenes in the game that you've identified form perfectly with the stages of the heroine's journey. The Death stage you talk about seems like a common theme throughout a lot of games. You've made me think about connecting things other than literature to these story outlines.
ReplyDeleteThis representation of the Heroine's Journey is really interesting because it shows a non-traditional character going from the feminine to the masculine in a unique way. I think it is interesting that you framed the robot becoming masculine once it became human, showing that his true self is human masculinity. I wonder, though, if you had not considered the feminine as his robot life and the masculine as his human life, would this fit better into the Hero's Journey than the Heroine's Journey.
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