Embodied Simulations and Neurodivergent Temporalities in To the Moon

Abstract

We position games as ludic time machines; beyond simply representing neurodiversity, they can prompt players to consider neurodivergent temporalities. In the 2D psychological adventure game To the Moon (Gao 2011), players control two scientists who travel through the memories of a man on his deathbed. Digging ever deeper into their seemingly neurotypical client’s past, the scientists learn how his marriage was strained by the complexities of cross-neurotype communication. We show how To the Moon’s storyworld and gameplay destabilize fixed understandings of neurotypicality, encourage deeper mutual understanding of temporal embodiment, and prompt players to reconsider their relationship to neurodiversity.