The Impact of Moral Decisions in Detroit: Become Human

OR
The Thoughts that make Moral Decisions in Detroit: Become Human

Research Question/s:
A. What effect do moral decisions in interactive storytelling video games, in this case
Detroit:Become Human, have on the mind/our thoughts/our feelings?
OR
B. How do people decide what choice they want to make when they have to make a moral
decision/What causes them to make that decision in interactive storytelling video games,
in this case Detroit:Become Human?

FOR SAM: I’m still a little confused on how I should word my question, I’m a psychology major
so I just wanna know what leads people to make the decision they make. Is it for fun? What are
the effects of making the decision? Do they know what making the wrong decision leads to? Is it
possible to have more violent thoughts if you choose the violent decision, or did they already
have violent thoughts? IDK I probably need to stick to just one route, but hopefully the meeting
on Tuesday afternoon helps me put my thoughts in order.

Statement of significance:
Why is it important?:
I believe this study is important because, depending on what question I choose, for
question A, it can help researchers learn about the effects that moral decisions have on people. In
Detroit: Become Human, moral decisions are timed, and usually involve the life of a human.
Meaning, you have to decide between sticking to doing what the Androids (this is the name that
the robots are given) are designed to do, or if you’re going to let them become Deviant (this is
the name for a robot who goes against their assigned job). This means, there are situations where
you’re put on if you want to kill or spare a human life, an android’s life, whether you want to be
peaceful or violent in protests, whether you want to listen to your orders. Due to the fact that the
game also looks eerily realistic, this can have an effect on how us, the player, feels. This is a lot
to have to juggle and take into account while you play, and make the decisions.
Question B also has the same reason for importance. However it takes more into account
as to why they’re making the decision they make, and what led them to that decision. Take for
example, you’re a robot and your mission is to capture a Deviant who just killed a human.
Throughout this mission you learn that the human was “hurting” (they don’t feel physical pain),
the Deviant and killed another Android. Eventually you find the Deviant, and learn that she’s in
love with another Deviant and they’re planning to run away together. You’re put in the position,
after having to fight them to A, let them go and fail your mission, or B, kill them both and
complete your mission. So then the questions of: what choice did you make? Why did you
choose it? How do you feel about the outcome or about the choice you had to make? Do you
wish you could’ve made the other choice?

Why should other researchers care?

Other researchers should care because the questions in both of the above paragraphs are
all important, as they can also reflect onto our decision making in real life. The decisions we
make in real life can impact the thought processes we go through when it comes to making the
in-game decisions. Or even, the decisions we make in game can show how we think in real life.

What is it going to contribute and/or do that other research hasn’t already?

This research is going to add onto the research of how violence in video games and real
life coincide with each other. It is also going to, specifically, either add how moral decisions in
interactive storytelling video games affect people, or how people make moral decisions in
interactive storytelling video games. Do the moral decisions made reflect onto, or affect their
current morality?

Research Design/Description of study:

How will you conduct primary research?
I will look at articles that talk about violent video games, the moral decisions in detroit: become
human, look at the in-game statistics of the decisions players have made globally.
What will you actually do?
I will look at articles that talk about violent video games, the moral decisions in detroit: become
human, look at the in-game statistics of the decisions players have made globally. I will also
replay the game and take note of all the moral decisions. I will also take into account my own
morality and what I’m thinking during that moment, and what is the context of the decision and
what I believe the outcome of each decision will be/what actually ends up happening. This will
lead me to taking note on how I feel about the outcome, if I regret my choice.
Who will you talk to?
I don’t believe I will be talking to anyone during this research, besides MAYBE the writing
office for advice, or my professor.
How will you analyze, quantify, and/or otherwise make sense of the data you collect?
When I replay the game, I will take note of the moral decisions and their context. This
will then lead to me saying what’s going on in my head during the moment, making my decision,
and explaining why I made the decision (What I believe the result will be, and my own personal
thoughts on the situation and the characters). After doing so, I will let the rest of the scene play
out, and then write about how I felt about making the decision, how I feel about the result of the
decision (Do I regret it? Did the result end up being different than what I thought? What
emotions am I feeling regardless of if I feel as though I made the “right” choice or not). AS
WELL AS, looking at the in-game statistics and seeing how people's decisions compare to mine,
as it’s possible they had the same thoughts I had when they made the decision. AS WELL AS,
taking the information, results, and data into account, and seeing if there’s a correlation to their
findings and the choices I made/the feelings I felt.
All of this will go back to either question A or question B. It will show my thoughts
and/or why I made my decision.

How many people will you talk to?

Possibly 0-2
How many examples will you look at?
Unsure of what this is asking, if it means articles, about 4 or more

Possible Sources
*If there is a “?” at the start, it’s mainly a “This might help me with my research”, not a
definitive.

● Moral Minds in Gaming: A Quantitative Case Study of Moral Decisions in Detroit:

Become Human
○ https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resol
veService&package_service_id=9367079640006596&institutionId=6596&custo
merId=6560&VE=true
● “Liberty for Androids!”: Player Choice, Politics, and Populism in Detroit: Become
Human
○ https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resol
veService&package_service_id=9367238660006596&institutionId=6596&custo
merId=6560&VE=true
● How Violent Video Games Communicate Violence: A Literature Review and Content
Analysis of Moral Disengagement Factors
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonl
ine.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1080%2F03637751.2014.922206
● ?The Cyborg's Dilemma: Progressive Embodiment in Virtual Environments
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.
wiley.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1111%2Fj.1083-6101.1997.tb00070.x
● ?A massively moral game? Mass Effect as a case study to understand the influence of
players’ moral intuitions on adherence to hero or antihero play styles
○ https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resol
veService&package_service_id=9367236950006596&institutionId=6596&custo
merId=6560&VE=true
● Detroit: Become Human — Three Characters, One Story
○ https://blog.playstation.com/2018/03/22/detroit-become-human-three-characters-o
ne-story/
 ○ This is the director of the game, David Cage, explaining the characters and
partly also the game, which I’m going to need to have a background on each
of the three characters, which impacts the decisions I make (because they’re
all different). This game is so interesting, so if you want to take the time to
read it so you can better understand my questions.
● ?Moral foundations vignettes: a standardized stimulus database of scenarios based on
moral foundations theory
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.
com%2Fcontent%2Fpdf%2F10.3758%2Fs13428-014-0551-2
● Playing a Better Me: How Players Rehearse Their Ethos via Moral Choices
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sage
pub.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1177%2F1555412016677449
● ?"But They're My Avatar": Examining Character Attachment to Android Avatars in
Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human
○ https://ucf-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resol
veService&package_service_id=9367448650006596&institutionId=6596&custo
merId=6560&VE=true
● ?The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: A Meta-analytic Review of Positive and Negative
Effects of Violent Video Games
○ https://www.proquest.com/docview/233300765?pq-origsite=primo
● Just a Game? Unjustified Virtual Violence Produces Guilt in Empathetic Players
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonl
ine.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1080%2F15213269.2010.524912
● It’s okay to shoot a character: Moral disengagement in violent video games
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.
wiley.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1111%2Fj.1460-2466.2009.01459.x
● Video Games to Foster Empathy: A Critical Analysis of the Potential of Detroit: Become
Human and the Walking Dead
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.
com%2Fcontent%2Fpdf%2F10.1007%2F978-3-030-49108-6_16
● The effect of moral intuitions on decisions in video game play: The impact of chronic and
temporary intuition accessibility
○ https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ucf.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sage
pub.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1177%2F1461444816664356