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"Detroit: Become Human" and the Acceptability of Violent Depictions Across Different Media

"Detroit: Become Human" is a video game made by Quantic Dream coming out in 2018. It's a choice based game shaped by the player and there has been controversy over the acceptability of it's brutal story telling/choice based outcomes. The main character may supposedly choose to act or not act in a situation that can result in the death of a child by her father's hands or the main character killing the father instead. People are calling for the scene to be taken out from the game. Some say the former outcome will fuel abusers' fantasies while others worry the latter outcome will put victims of abuse in danger by inspiring them to seek violence in return. Neither situation is unique, as in, such events have been written about and occurred in films and art before. People want to draw the line so harshly for video games and what they can portray because of the interactivity. Is it fair to treat video games so differently? Provide examples of highly controversial video games depicting violent or disturbing scenes from the past, and speculate on whether their reception will shape Quantic Dream's decisions in addressing such concerns. Are these concerns valid?

  • This is an old debate, but still an incredibly important one. Something to consider would also be to look at academic journal articles of psychology studies that have been published around the link (or absence of the link) between gaming and violence. This is a great topic to discuss. – SaraiMW 7 years ago
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  • I believe some people are so keen to start making standards now because once Virtual Reality hits mainstream and those experiences become something akin to reality, what will the psychological effects be? Can someone get trauma or PTSD simply from playing a war game? – Slaidey 7 years ago
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