During Paris games week, Quantic dreams announced their newest game, Detroit. It is going to be based in a futuristic version of Detroit, where androids are being made available for consumer use. The game will focus on a character called Kara, an android who is able to experience human emotion.
From what I’ve seen in the trailer for Detroit, I really like the concept of the game and the story Quantic dreams want to tell. From the trailer, I think Detroit will be the most influential game for this console generation. But what kind of influence will it have? Not on graphics. The trailer does look nice, but so do all the other upcoming games coming out as well.
A future with androids
From the trailer we can see the game is going to be focusing around androids, machines created to aid humans in their everyday life. One android that stands out from others is Kara. This is because of the way she can think. She narrates the trailer, saying she wants to feel the sun on her skin and the wind on her face but the most important thing Kara talks about is fear.
At the start when Kara is made, she experiences fear. But why is this important? Why does this particular statement show how this game will be influential? Well, fear is a human emotion – a very powerful one that most people could recognize in a person’s face.
Kara can also experience other emotions. Near the end of trailer, she says she needs to escape the city, to “escape to love, to hope”. These emotions could not be perceived by a machine, but that of a conscious mind.
From the way Kara talked in the trailer and the way she can experience human emotion, we know her artificial intelligence has reached a state similar to human consciousness. If Quantic dreams is to tell a story around this concept Detroit will be very influential in that will try and tackle a philosophical question.
What does it mean to be alive?
This is an important question to ask. Is it determined by our bodies, as biological beings, or is to do with our consciousness and emotion? There is no definitive answer.
This question is getting more relevant as more advancements are being made in artificial intelligence. Now I am not saying by next week androids are going to be for sale for anyone to buy, but it may be a reality in the future. It is important that people are asking these kind of questions and are trying to understand them for when that time comes.
This is why Detroit may be such an influential game. It could lead to more people asking the question, what does it mean to be alive? This game could prompt to thousands or even millions of people to get ready for the day when artificial intelligence reaches a point of human consciousness – they will be ready to accept it, and not meet it with fear and hostility.
But of course, all of this is just speculation. It may take centuries for artificial intelligence to achieve human consciousness. For now, we can wait for Detroit to come out and wonder if artificial intelligence will ever get there.
