Why Detroit: Become Human's tough abuse scene needs to be tackled

Detroit Become Human is currently under fire for its portrayal of domestic abuse, but here's why PSU thinks video games should embrace controversial topics.

[freshslicepizza]

It needs to be done well and so far David Cage has yet proven he is good at making well written stories.

[Nyxus]

Whether something is well done or not is quite subjective.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed , I'm happy that they're doing it at all it seems like there are so many subject matters that many game developers are scared to tackle in regards to narrative so I'm happy that we have a few developers that are not scared to push those boundaries.

[Eonjay]

Is there a 'right way' to tackle abuse? Somehow I doubt that.

[GottaBjimmyb]

Yes, because non-sensical fantasy violence is great, but aactually bringing light and a platform to domestic abuse and child abuse, and suddenly everyone is upset. Let's all go back to ignoring real issues and representing them and go back to complaining that too few games have women antagonists, because that is the real issue that needs to be addressed.

Whether the display is good or bad is regardless, the point is it will be a way to inform people that these issues exist and have people pay more attention to these issues and proactively involve themselves in fixing them.

The point of having these things in movies, games, and other culture and entertainment pieces is to raise awareness and create discussions on how we CNA be better and keep this from happening, but then you have these Sows who will cry all day about minor or non-existent issues, but then suddenly hate representation of human rights issues when it is something that is actually relevant and important.

[Eonjay]

I disagree. I don't think all forms of violence in art need to be informative and I don't think there is a way to mess this up in the context of the story. There is a scene for a previous trailer showing the girl with Kara and other Androids. This combined with info fro the newest trailer tells more about Kara than the abuse. The abuse itself is not the story only one piece.

[GottaBjimmyb]

@edmix "The abuse itself is not the story only one piece."

Never said it was, just said it being represented is important

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't think all forms of violence in art need to be informative"

Never said anything otherwise here either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of your response made very little sense, in relation to what I said, so not sure how to respond there.

[ravinash]

Let me just sweep this under this rug... don't you know it ties the room together.

[SolidStoner]

Everything needs to be censored and limited, just so all lazy weak people can not see the truth.. we have to live in isolation and lies, so we all are empty, happy and stupid! While other BIG part of the world are starving and having constant war!

[NordicRainy]

Well that I'd say is up for debate.

[freshslicepizza]

Then debate away. He pokes at subject matters and likes to craft games which falls into multiple choice directions. Trying to bridge storytelling and gameplay which often don't feel organic. On top of that his writing is often subpar which is needed because the gameplay is often quite limited.

[Babadook7]

@pizza

Who would you say is better than Cage at branching story telling? I’d say he’s amung the best as evidenced by heavy rain. Up there with telltail games and supermassive.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I believe it needs to be done unapologetically you don't look at a movie or a book and then try to say that it should be done a specific way just to make people feel good

[Seraphim]

the problem is that with a book the reader can sugar coat it or make of it what they will. Only their imagine can perceive what's been written. However, when you see it now it gets real and can be taken offensively. I do agree with you though. It needs to be done unapologetically. Again, I think an issue is being made where in fact there should be none.

[jznrpg]

Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit were great , Beyond was decent

[TricksterArrow]

This game is not being written by Cage.

[Liqu1d]

You wouldn't know moldybread since you've never played their games.

[freshslicepizza]

I played Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit but thanks for asking.

[CoinOrc]

Heavy rain and Fahrenheit have well written stories.

[NordicRainy]

Fahrenheit was good for the first half or so, but then pretty much completely falls apart sadly.

[nicsaysdie]

Are you saying he HAS proven himself? If so you should've left ou "yet".

[2pacalypsenow]

After the torture scene is GTA 5 and the Saw video games.

This should not be an issue.

[Skankinruby]

^^^^THIS.......where the hell were all the easily offended mouthy people as GTA 5 continues to break sales records? David Cage is a smart developer not afraid to touch sensitive subjects carefully, good for him

[Many-hat5]

Sensitive issues, that he probably knows very little about. And no. I don't know that for a fact, but somebody actively involved in this kind of work would be unlikely to recommend this action. As can be seen from the reaction by organisations who do know what the hell they are talking about.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

By the way they make it sound, an uninformed person might go in thinking that this is a game where the purpose is to go around abusing children or something.

Has any of the game's critics ever stopped to think and maybe ask themselves if David Cage himself was a victim of child abuse/sexual abuse or some other form of abuse as a kid? Or maybe he grew up with friends or other family members who were abused, etc....? Because for me, I see a clear pattern here: SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!
Heavy Rain-- deals with a man that abducts and kills kids, and wanting to see how far a parent would go to save their kid.
I haven't played Beyond Two Souls, so I won't speak on it.
But here again, we are exposed to certain aspects of that horrible reality again, though to what extent is yet to be determined.

So I find a bit strange that some are actively trying to sensor this man's creative work while other mediums are free to explore the very same topics to whatever creative degree they desire. Furthermore, we don't even know if he himself was a victim of said subject matter. Lol.

Just imagine you're a child who went through such hell... You somehow manage not to take your own life and do your best to become a productive member of society. After years of schooling and working, you manage to own your own gaming studio and you're making games about subject matters that are IMPORTANT to you. Only for others to tell you're doing it wrong/not allowed to EVEN though they've yet to play the game you've worked so hard on...

[meka2611]

There actually was, just think most people didn't care because it's GTA. And it got shadowed by the whole mom's ban the game from target in Australia.

[BIGBOSS08]

Lol yeah first thing i thought too. Not to mention all the other general violence in GTA V. I don't understand where all this is coming from all of a sudden but I guess it comes with the modern Internet age. Anything can be overblown these days thanks to the Internet.

[Ceaser9857361]

Like R*, Sony and QD shouldn't care what such people thinks... i personally cant wait to get my hands on it.. so ya like me there are many more who would love to play this game and we don't give a rat's ass why a certain UK MP thinks that way..

[C-H-E-F]

bruh i forgot about the Saw game, and yeah definitely people for some reason don't realize M for Mature means 17+ gamers same as rated R movies. So either you don't buy it for your 10 year old or you do and complain but that's no reason for you to come for the game because you have poor judgement on what your child should be exposed to.

[isarai]

One organization not understanding a medium =/= controversy, also it's not using child abuse as a marketing ploy, it's a plot element, an essential part of the story. Why is it perfectly ok for any other medium to use this subject and most times even be praised for it, but when a game does it "OH! you're just objectifying abuse for merketing!! no way video games can cover serious and sensitive subjects. they're just for kids!" i hate when people who have no idea on a subject pokes their nose where it doens't belong.

You know what? i've been through some very rough times like anyone else, and quite a few times games have helped me get through those times by including very relate able parts. One such example is when my grandmother passed, we were very close and i was stuck in depression. During that time i started playing through Severed, and it hit REALLY close to home, and eh melancholy ending of it all just forced me to contemplate how life just has to go on and there's really nothing you can do to change what happened. OH! But nope, it was just using death as a marketing ploy!

[Hardiman]

So let me get this straight, its ok for films, tv shows, songs and books to tackle sensitive issues but For games it's off limits.

This is ridiculous it's part of the narrative and from what I've seen it's handled very well.

I swear almost everyday someone is offended or has to find something to rage against!

[_-EDMIX-_]

Absolutely agreed

I'm actually tired of Gamers on this site desperately trying to keep gaming on training wheels.

They love complaining about this game having a scene about domestic violence and then they complain about The Last of Us 2 having gruesome violence and then they complain about Far Cry 5 having American religious terrorist completely ignoring that that actually happens in real life in the United States.

I mean dear God that's like saying we shouldn't have anything racially-charged in the color purple let's just completely ignore all of American History to make a few people feel better I mean even as an African American I could openly say they're not doing anything for me by trying to sugar coat the history in fact I would argue they hurt any viewpoint towards historical or reference accuracy by trying to sugar coat it hide reality

it's why I was perfectly fine with how many times the N word was used in Mafia 3 in fact I was completely okay if they went further because that is how it was.

So the way I see it is I'm not angry at any book or film that wants to display rape domestic violence murder political racial or even religious tension simply because they're referencing real Concepts.

To ask any artist to sugarcoat this or to censor their game to make people feel better I believe it's the wrong way of going about it because we don't sit there and ask are filmmakers or authors to do that with their work so why on Earth are we trying to hold gaming back by such stupidity?

I feel we're going to look back at history and realize Sony Computer Entertainment was one of the few publishers that was looking to push gaming Beyond what people believe that could be.

And I believe that means the narrative must be absolutely Unapologetic and raw.

Be like "we're going to make a remake of the remake of Straw Dogs better take out that rape scene we don't want to offend anyone" lol

[jznrpg]

A lot if gamers rather play Halo 7 and CoD 20 instead. I like games that go in different directions

[DaGreatOne]

*slow claps*

[ameliabaz]

I don't see how its a bad thing to portray domestic abuse. If anything it might help abused kids and teens who play the game who don't have their own Kara to protect them IRL. They can escape to a world where they do have someone there to help them through it.

[LucidIllusion]

Special kind of retarded embedded into some people.

[ps5fanboy]

Rip head off option? Is a game...t2 secret unlock...take him to mexico camp and torture him ,then rip legs ,use clothes .
Welcome to my day today.

[theshredded]

David cage games are atmospheric as f* that's for sure and what makes them better is that he tackles stuff that people are afraid of tackling.

[jonnyvito]

Well said.

[Scatpants]

David Cage is a heavy handed hack writer.

[sampsonon]

and think, somewhere sometime a child that is being abused or has a friend that is being abused might play this game and decide to make the right decision to get help.

a parent might see themselves in the abusers role for the first time and try to get help.

[senorfartcushion]

It's art, go away. You're speaking in a language that the craft doesn't agree with.

[Ninjamonkey82]

Remember it wasn't long ago all this was taboo even to air out your grandfathers generation would have lived with the abuse brushing it under the carpet. Even some believed who would listen to me thats the adult im the kid, Etc what makes your generation better is the ability not to hide and voice your concerns. Be that for the better are worse. Every medium possible is a voice when its getting the word out about abuse. I praise any developor thats willing to push the envelope.

[Many-hat5]

It's a poor choice. Yes, these topics need to be discussed and considered, but video 'games' is probably not the best medium, imho. If you feel that strongly, then maybe you should get involved and try to make a real difference. It's very easy to make 'statements' about such topics.

[meka2611]

Ok so how should it be done then? Doesn't matter the medium, to me no subject is off lines, hell just look at movies. There are some really crazy ones out there.

[ClayRules2012]

Just like with movies & tv shows, video games are a form of entertainment, much more so “in my opinion” onsidering your in control so much of the time. When game creators tackle real issues like what David Cage is doing with Detroit, and child abuse, it makes me genuinely more interested in the game. Why? Because it’s something that I’ve not seen done before. And, something good could come out’ve someone seeing that scene in the game. It might help them to speak up & let them inform someone this is happening to them, someone they know, and so one. Quantic Dream has handled HR & Beyond, I firmly believe it’ll be another emotional, powerful, and unforgettable experience.

When I think back to Heavy Rain, I remember some of my friends thought the idea of 4 characters searching for a young boy who could die in a given time, I’d he wasn’t saved, was a stupid idea. I told them this at the time “Why do you guys look at video games as just shooters, and blowing stuff up. Video games are an art form, that can ( if done right ) make you feel emotionally invested in the experience far greater than any movie or tv show can. I failed to save Shaun, and was genuinely an emotional wreck. I refused to kill a drug dealer in order to get more clues as to the location of where my son was being kept. On top of that, Ethan ( the Dad ) killed himself in a cutscene. I couldn’t believe it & it made me question whether I’d be a good father. How far would you go to save your child” clearly I wasn’t willing to go far enough. As much as i wanted to save Shaun, this man has kids too. I felt bad about killing him, but was gonna do it, until i saw the picture he showed me of his 2 Kids. His kids will miss him. How can i do this to him lol. Seriously. Now, yes, it’s a video game. But to make me really question this idea was really inspiring & eye opening.

As a 29 year old gamer, I personally wanna see more grounded, realistic, moving, powerful, and meaningful storytelling from the video game industry.

[plmkoh]

How is this domestic abuse when the killer is a robot?

[ecchiless]

better yet, when is not even real....

Is sad that ppl cant see the diference between what is real and what is not.

[Ceaser9857361]

The killer was TOD, the sickening father and the robot Kara which will be controlled by us will have to save the little girl. Its a choice based game and those who are offended by this type of game needs to STFU and carry on with their lives..

[ecchiless]

Sadly some ppl gonna moan and bitch about this game, never understood those kind of ppl.

[Ceaser9857361]

exactly ecchiless
Since they cant make a difference in real life or ban tv shows or movies so they are now trying to grab some attention here...

[Twinblade]

People need to grow their balls back and stop taking those bitch pills.

[TheOttomatic91]

Good on you PSU I'm with you 100%

[Ceaser9857361]

Nailed it..

Director David Cage summed it up perfectly with this: “What's important to me, and what's important in Detroit, is to say that a game is as legitimate as a film or a book or a play to explore any topic such as domestic abuse.”

In conclusion, there's people (usually who have/would never touch a game in their life... funny that) who still think gaming is for children and therefore should not tackle serious real-life topics that are, unfortunately, harsh reality for so many.

If they actually do the research not only will they understand the context of this particular scene in Detroit other than "trivialising" domestic violence, but also the VAST majority of the gaming demographic are adults that pump money into an industry that makes more money than TV and Film COMBINED!

And speaking of which, what about TV and Film? You might as well ban EVERYTHING that gets aired after 9pm if this is how petty campaigners and politicians are gonna get.

This campaign against games is nearly as old as I am and the industry has only gotten stronger... you lost... get over it!

[OB1Biker]

Seems they are assuming a lot but has anyone seen the whole game anyway? Context is important. Cage is totally right when he says they wouldn't question it in movies.
In any case he already managed to have people talk about important issues and spread awareness of it.
It's also another case demonstrating video games have still a long way to go to be recognized.

[Edito]

Not all games are for children's to play and you and anyone else think that every game is for children's then you need to be RE educated because we are not in the Atari era for quite sometime we are in a era that games are feeding Hollywood industry with matured content.

[GameHead85]

People would bitch if they were hung with a new rope. There is game scenes out there that are much much much worse then this and I don't see people complaining about those.

[Kornholic]

What? Adult people can't handle adult content and themes in a game targeted for adults?

[senorfartcushion]

Every fictional story deserves to be told.

[xtheblackparade]

Not everything needs to be happy and joyful, people need the dark from time to time. Let them have it.

[inxine]

its funny how everyone is against this scene but straight out killing people in CoD, or Uncharted or ANY game where you slaughter people the hero has never met before, is A-OK. the hypocrisy of it all haha.

[darren_poolies]

I don't understand why it's OK for literally any other form of media to tackle these sort of subjects but not games?

[bigmalky]

The answer to all these offended people that are still hanging on to a hobby that they are only doing so they can have attention by complaining...

Go and do something else, you obviously don't enjoy gaming like the rest of us.

Maybe go and watch My Little Pony, or learn to knit, or something that can't possibly trigger you.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Lol david cage isn't a good writer so at this point the abuse scene is just shock value.

[Kocurstvo]

In Wolfenstein 2 there is a scene containing abuse of children as well. The game needs to be deleted from the universe!!!

[C-H-E-F]

why these articles need to go somewhere in a corner or a closet...

This game is rated M for mature 17+, this is seen in movies EVERYWHERE, even kids being murdered, sex trafficking etc. found in pg 13 movies, rated R movies even USA tv shows such as law and order available for ANYONE to watch. So nah, this game is perfectly fine. For someone reason idiots think that kids should play mature rated games.

[Ryuujinjakka]

What a bunch of crying babies...

[NickAwesome]

No, stop censuring everything, if you don't like it play something else!

[Hugodastrevas]

Press F to beat a kid to death

[CrimsonWing69]

I’m glad movies don’t go through this sh*t nearly as much.

[EatCrow]

Why should it be under fire when it represents 99% of abuse cases.
Many people keep pointing at religious organizations when that only comprises the 1% more important would be to focus on the more prevalent issue which is domestic abuse that have no religious ties. I think it's super important since it's been widely ignored.

[SethBrundlefly]

Age rating + Free speech

It's not really rocket science.

[JMyers]

Isn't the game an 18? There is worse than this on TV rated 15.

[Puertorock77]

Don't understand why this is an issue. It's always gaming that gets the spotlight when something pertaining to violence is shown. You don't see movies and TV shows get criticized.

[Thomaticus]

I think this is an agency that exists and have administrators who are paid to be outraged at things for attention. You have to ask.. who are the people at the head of these agencies? Who is Andy Burrows? Any video game that trivializes or normalizes child abuse, neglect or domestic violence for entertainment is unacceptable,’’ said the NSPCC’s Andy Burrows in response to Detroit: Become Human’s showing at Paris Games Week back in late October. You can substitute the Any "video game" and substitute any other media.. any movie, any book, any music, any person, any "thing." Burrows doesn't (seem to ) understand that games is an art, is a media for telling stores just like books and movies do.

I've played video games almost all my life, and have had professional experience working with child abuse. I think if I was working at the NSPCC and had to make a statement, my primary concern would be making sure that the ratings issues by the ESRB accurately reflected the content of the game and that parent are aware of the content so that they can make a good decision in selecting software for their children. It seem that every person who is an "advocate" of anything is always on the hunt looking for the next antagonist, the next threat, the next thing to point to as the cause of the societal issue that they're advocating against.

From what I observed from the trailer... same trailer that he watched I didn't see any trivialization or normalization of child abuse. It's not like the game is saying hit your child for 50 points, place the child in hot water for 100 points... It's really about a domestic abuser who is violent towards his maid (who has essentially taken the role of his wife (perhaps ex wife) and violent towards his own daughter. So far I see a great story that gives a glimpse into the future of how robots may be integrated into our society.

That's enough rambling... I'm going to preorder this game now. I didn't see the October trailer until today, but honestly this game look amazing and really seems to solidify the newer Interactive Drama genre of gaming.

[Kosic]

I hadn't seen the trailer before. Checked it out this morning. It looked gripping from a thriller point of view. Only thing that got me was the dads vocal acting didn't quite connect in some scenes (where he flips the table, his acting fell flat ).

I played Heavy rain for the crime thriller experience and the story was really gripping. Being based on something that could really happen made it feel more real. (Something you expect from a movie, where boundaries are less of an issue).

[Phantom68]

Art is art and does not need any tacking done. People may have a view if something is art or not or whether is well done or not but it does not need tackling.

[WelkinCole]

Its a game. It is not real. As for the issue its self. Yes great if it can get more attention from it through gaming. However I don't play games to solve world issues. I play games for fun.

[Knightofelemia]

Its a game there are worse things on the on tv and in the movies

[michellelynn0976]

Of course abuse should be tackled. Be a parent and actually monitor what your kids are doing. Hiding them from subjects will not make em go away.

[frostypants]

I don't get the controversy. This game clearly portrays this violence as a BAD thing. Meanwhile, nobody seems to complain about games where people are exploded/shot/dismembered en masse, minus any moral angle. It is so damn hypocritical. What, violence shown in a much more personal context, and is shown as something tragic = bad? But wonton violence that is explicitly encouraged = A-OK? What the hell is wrong with people? If people truly think violence is bad, this is the sort of portrayal they should be applauding.

[PsBoxGamer]

It's a damn game made for adults. If they can't handle some of the stuff in it they have the choice to simply skip it and not buy it.I'm looking forward to it as is,nothing watered down.

[Mr_Luke]

There are games with worse scenes and with bigger moral impact, in a bad way. But if they think it's too much, they could put a warning. I'm tired of movies changed for this "good people", censors and such. There are the "R" rated, "18" rated, "M" rated and whatever just for that.

“Any video game that trivializes or normalizes child abuse, neglect or domestic violence for entertainment is unacceptable,’’

So it's acceptable to smash human skeletons and destroy internal organs in Mortal Kombat? Or kill all those mutated babies in Silent Hill in the school? We hear about worse things in the TV News. We see them everyday. And this is just a game with mature content! Really..

[agent4532]

Why are games still perceived as children's entertainment or toys????

[pinkcrocodile75]

Leave the heavy subjects to film, theatre and books, leave these subjects to the professionals Gaming is where subject meets interactive. You tell the story of Oscar Schindler, you don't play it.