The Child as a Social Construct

Coded kids in computer-generated environments remind us that much of what we assume to be biological, obvious, and consistent about childhood is, in fact, the product of shifting cultural norms and social rules. In this chapter, I provide a whistle-stop tour of the history of childhood. I use Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human as a case study to demonstrate how the sign of ‘the child’ functions as a stage for performances of morality. I conclude that the simulated nature of ‘the child’ in videogames creates spaces in which we can ask questions about this role’s social, historical, and political function.