To the Moon (2011)

Roger Ebert once said that videogames, by their nature, could never truly be art (see the comment beginning with “Roger if you don't really consider games as art then would be it be fair to say…” and Ebert’s pithy response for a real treat (use Ctrl+F, kids!)). The resulting internet firestorm brought forth some interesting counterarguments. There was a lot of back and forth—too much for me to link to everything, so I’m not going to try.

Ultimately, I found some of Ebert’s arguments to have merit—like the idea that the mechanics of goal-and-reward-based gameplay are not conducive to artistic expression—but he misses the larger picture. In recent years, we have seen videogames that forgo traditional gameplay in favor of experimental interactive experiences.  Even outside of artsy (yes, artsy) indie games, there exists a genre which encourages the creative process (something which, as Will Wright points out, can bring strong emotions of pride when a player succeeds and guilt when they fail).

Anyway, this is all kind of a roundabout way of me saying that, yes, To the Moon is art. I will cede that the way in which it is art—essentially eschewing gameplay in favor of creating an interactive story—actually gives some credence to Ebert’s arguments about gameplay mechanics—the game had to become less game-like in order to successfully tell its story. Nevertheless, it utilizes what gameplay it does have to move the plot along and takes advantage of videogame elements to tell the story. I will also admit that upon misty-eyed completion, I wondered how the story would work in cinematic form. Whether it suffers from its choice of media is unknown. To the Moon did not need to be a game, but since it is, it makes the most of the art form.

The story itself deals with themes of loss, memory, relationships, and loneliness. The premise, which is better explained by this video than by me, raises some interesting questions about whether our actual experiences are as valuable as the memories we take away from them.

The main character’s narrative is told in reverse chronological order as the memory technicians jump back through memories using “mementos”—specific objects linked to different points in the character’s life. Most of the gameplay takes the form of exploring and finding significant objects within the memories. I confess that I found parts of “Act I” repetitive and slightly boring, but the plot was interesting enough that I retained the desire to play through. The game is around 5 hours long, by Steam’s estimation, and I completed it in three sittings.

I found To the Moon to be an enjoyable, cathartic experience. To quote my friend, who introduced the game to me on facebook, “Anyone who has ever been remotely interested in games as interactive storytelling should definitely check out To The Moon…”