Playing Detroit: A Ruined Video Game City

[Alexandra Biedenbach]

“Playing Detroit: A Ruined Video Game City” is a multi-modal examination of video game representations of the city of Detroit using the platform Sway. Firstly, it discusses the necessity of maps within video games, and the ways in which these maps are displayed. From here, this work next begins its in-depth analysis of three video games each of which places a large focus on Detroit. The games selected for this analysis are 1988’s RoboCop, 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and the 2018 game Detroit: Become Human. By highlighting commonalities within each game’s representation of Detroit, specifically: the dilapidated nature of building and the racist portrayal of people of color, this work analyzes how these grossly negative representations effect the global perception of Detroit.

 Moving from here, the topic of the “Grand Narrative” (here meaning a narrative of a place which is so dominant that it resists change or contrary evidence) is used in relation to these video games. The questions is then raised as to why game developers may believe that a player may be immersed in a futuristic city full sci-fi wonders, but to depict Detroit as anything other than full of crime and dilapidated would be immersion breaking. The answer, it concludes, is due to the dominance of this “Grand Narrative.” This work concludes with a discussion on how for many players of these games, their experiences with the city are entirely limited to this gaming network, and that this constant bombardment of negative imagery and rhetoric changes the way in which they perceive the city and the people within.

In preparation for this talk, I recommend watching trailers for both Dues Ex: Human Revolution ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5KWLqUewc) and Detroit Become Human (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAmKdZdfV1c)