Do Automatons Have Emotions? New Helldivers 2 Video Shows Enemy Infantry Protecting Its Mate From Gunfire

Automatons in Helldivers 2 have been known to bother the players, the citizens of Super Earth since the very beginning of the game. And they continue to be the most bothersome foes gamers have ever witnessed.

As the name suggests, Automatons are supposed to be mindless, bloodthirsty robots, that were coded by Cyborg for nothing but murder and violence. They are supposed to be machines with havoc and destruction being their ultimate task.

Video shows Automatons having emotions in Helldivers 2

Although Automatons are emotionless and mechanic robots, some players have claimed that automatons have shown emotions during gameplay. A user on Reddit shared a post titled, “I can’t do this anymore, automatons have emotions super earth lied they don’t want this war they’re just being forced to mine and fight.”

The Redditor also shared a 36-second-long video snippet to support their claims. The video showcases how an Automaton is clearly seen to be affected when the player shoots at a fellow automaton. Looking at their mate being killed, the automaton runs towards their mate instead of attacking the players.

I cant do this anymore, automatons have emotions super earth lied they don’t want this war they’re just being forced to mine and fight.
byu/warmarky123 inHelldivers

Players claim that the act of the automaton to run towards their mate shows the emotion of fear of losing their loved one and empathy.

Apart from the Reddit post, there is also a TikTok video collection titled “Helldivers 2 I Know Robots Can’t Feel Emotion,” that has been going viral over the internet. According to these players, automatons are foes that are capable of feeling empathy and emotions.

What do players feel about Automatons having emotions?

Players had mixed reactions to Automatons feeling real emotions. Several players were happy that they could cause fear and pain to automatons. These players were of the opinion that it gives them a sense of satisfaction that they are causing automatons real pain.

Meanwhile, there are other players who raised ethical concerns about using sentient beings in warfare. These players expressed their sympathy towards these bots while acknowledging the fact that the job of killing them needs to be done irrespective of their feelings, for the sake of democracy.

Others even tried to establish a relationship between automatons and humans, implying that they may have human elements. Others suggested that automatons blur the lines between man and machine.

The claims of automatons having emotions also spurred a debate on the true nature of these beings. Users suggested that the video raises existential questions about the purpose of wars in Helldivers 2. That being said, there was also a group of players who expressed their unwillingness to humanize the entities.