Exoplanetary Exploration and the End of the World in 22 Minutes: Philosofiction in Outer Wilds

Abstract

In this essay, we work over the imageries of exoplanetary exploration in digital games, observing their connections with concepts from media theories and science fiction studies. This articulation aims to comprehend how, in a philosofictional manner, games fictionally extrapolate the conditions of possibility for astronomical observation, allegorizing a series of contemporary themes regarding the technoscientific knowledge of space and planetary systems. As an analytical procedure, we observe game assets, images, and design dynamics, articulating them theoretically in three axes: technoscientific paraphernalia, compared planetology, and oblique orbits. With this, we understand how games can creatively approach (and, in the light of science fiction, extrapolate) contemporary relationships between science, technology, and society.