"What if We're on the Wrong Side?": Police Brutality, Protest, and Player Culpability in Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human

<p>Choice-based video games have often been called “interactive movies” for their unique position as a genre that lets players craft a unique story by making decisions that alter the game’s narrative. Two well-known examples in this genre, Quantic Dream’s <em>Heavy Rain </em>and <em>Detroit: Become Human, </em>offer a variety of possible story lines and outcomes for players to experience. However, because these two narratives are steeped in themes of police brutality, systemic racism, and protest, the way a player shapes a story does not exist in a relatively “moral-free” vacuum. Rather, the legal and social precedents that are often used to absolve police misconduct of blame by indicating an absence of choice are accentuated in these two video games. Through the lens of ludonarratology, which emphasizes both the played experience and the narrative of a video game, I will explain how both <em>Heavy Rain </em>and <em>Detroit: Become Human </em>demonstrate both the presence of personal choice and the institutional frameworks which inhibit agency in order to maintain power. In addition, the racial tones of <em>Detroit: Become Human </em>offer at times subversive readings of police brutality while maintaining dominant narratives of protest that protect white comfort.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Ludwig, Karmann E

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Lesley Larkin

• video games
• ludology
• narratology
• racism
• civil rights
• police brutality
• choice-based games
• African American Studies
• Digital Humanities
• Other Film and Media Studies
• Race and Ethnicity

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/707

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1748