'It's fairly accurate': Video game shows predicted look of Gordie Howe bridge

If you've played Detroit: Become Human, developed by Paris-based Quantic Dream, then you might have caught a glimpse of the Windsor skyline from Detroit.

It includes a conceptualizationof the Gordie Howe International Bridge situated opposite to the Ambassador Bridge in the background in the game's later levels.

Though theGordie Howe bridge has yet to be built, it appears to be a largely faithful representation of what the bridge is expected to look like once it's completed.

"It's fairly accurate," said Mark Butler,Director of Communications for Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA).

"Generally, the description of the bridge as a cable-stayed and the size of it ...is a fair representation."

Butlersaid bridge progress is still in theplanning stages, and the developers of the game did not have any interaction with the organization.

"I think they've taken a bit of an artistic license, if you will."

Despite the bridge's accuracies, Butlersaid the game didn't capture the full details of the bridge like how the WDBA plans on lighting the bridge.

'Postcard material'

Butler said doesn't approve of the violent nature of the game, but he's pleased to see people are looking forward to the new Gordie Howe bridge.

"People are looking forward to the future. [It's] literally changing the landscape of Windsor and Detroit. It's going to be monumental," he said.

Developing a game like Detroit: Become Human, takes years, according toCal Wasylowich, professor and coordinator at the animation program at St. ClairCollege.

He, along with another animation professor, created a mock versionof the Gordie Howe bridge based off of renderings available online as part of a virtual reality experience project in partnership with the college.

Planning is key

Wasylowich says the planning stage is crucial, especiallywhen developing a video game of this quality and complexity.

"If you don't plan it, then, in my own personal opinion, the games don't usually work out. Planning is kind of key to keep everything on track, so you don't get derailed," said Wasylowich.

He added that it would take significant workto change any details when the game is in its production stage.

Wasylowichsaid it's "neat"tosee a video game set in hishometown.

"You don't see too many video games based off of Detroit and or Windsor ...It's usually Los Angeles or something like that," he said, adding video games have come a long way and that people should pay attention to "the imagination and creative process it takes to bring any one of these games to life."

Once completed, Butler said the Gordie Howe bridge will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, measuring2.5 kilometres in length.

With an expected lifespan of 100 years, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set toenter service by the end of 2024.