"But They're My Avatar"

Abstract

This study examines how players describe their rationale behind decisions made during gameplay of Detroit: Become Human and how responses may coincide with character attachment (CA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the presence of character attachment and how it may lead to the player's understanding of their gameplay choices. Both the emotions (or lack of) of the avatar and strategizing about gameplay emerged as two central themes. Results are discussed in light of human-robot interaction based on popular media.