73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Paris, France, 18-22 September 2022.

Copyright ©2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.

IAC-22-D4.IP

LET'S GO TO THE STARS: A SURVEY OF INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL IN POPULAR CULTURE TO

INFORM PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FOR FUTURE INTERSTELLAR MISSIONS
Jason D. Batt
a
100 Year Starship, United States, jbatt@100yss.org

Abstract
From interactive entertainment such as Horizon Forbidden West, television shows such as the Expanse, and a
widely expanding list of novels, short stories, and graphic novels, interstellar travel has captured the public
consciousness. Science fiction literature (and its descendants in film, television, interactive entertainment, and
graphic novels) has been a guidepost for space exploration from the early days. Adam Roberts, in The History of
Science Fiction, “Stories of journeying through space form the core of the genre . . . Are the trunk, as it were, from
which the various other modes of SF branch off.”
To truly succeed in the large-scale mission of interstellar exploration, public engagement must be at the forefront.
As well, examining popular video games of the last several years provides us an insight into the perception of
interstellar by the public and helps answer several critical questions to engage the population for future interstellar
efforts: What is accurate in popular media? What misconceptions have developed? What barriers are there towards
gaining wide acceptance and support of future interstellar efforts?
The presentation will present a survey in review of current science fiction video games on the topic of interstellar
space missions and the impact of those games on the perception of interstellar travel.

Keywords: interstellar, video games

Science fiction stories are a form of scenario analysis

1. INTRODUCTION
Humans now stand on the shore of the solar system,
ready to leap into the dark interstellar waters. Humanity
will bask under the light of new stars—facts that insist
upon reorientation within the greater cosmos. While
Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and more
saw humans (and aliens) zipping from star to star, the
fiction of the last ten years, in particular interactive
media such as video games, has seen a much more
realistic understanding of interstellar travel and
embraced a certainty of humanity’s future amongst the
stars. Albeit, that future is less the fantastical and
utopian versions of the past, and instead seems to be an
extrapolation of our current world with its mixture of
commercial and public initiatives. Corporations explore
planets, interstellar initiatives fail, and the worlds
discovered (or left behind) are often ravaged from the
benefit of the elite, however, their fiction chooses to
define that.
The purpose of this presentation is to review the
representation of interstellar travel in recent years’
popular video games and analyse the impact of those
games representation on actual perception of interstellar
travel. Author James Blodgett, to the Lifeboat
Foundation SF Star Travel Bibliography, December 24,
2012: “Science fiction inspired our early steps in space.
If we think about how science fiction did this we may
be able to do it again. Science fiction has pictured many
methods of travel, and many motivations for traveling.
that helps us foresee problems and solutions” [2].
This presentation provides the results of a survey
presented to player communities of eight recent video
games that had manned interstellar travel as a
significant aspect of their story or gameplay mechanics.
In particular, the focus of the survey was to determine if
video games impacted the players favour towards or
against the idea of interstellar travel after playing the
game. As well, opinions regarding interstellar travel,
their questions about interstellar travel, and general
opinions on video games’ impact on players perception
of scientific endeavours were elicited through the
survey.
2. SELECTION OF GAMES
The games that were selected were based on those
that had been released in the last five years or had
received major updates on them. The stories of the
games had elements of manned interstellar travel,
leaving from Earth (or a home planet where the species
originated, as seen in Kerbal Space Program) to another
planet around another star. As well, the games must
have a robust community actively playing them.
The following games were selected based on the
above criteria (in no particular order):
• Horizon Forbidden West, developed by Guerilla
Games, published by Sony Interactive
Entertainment, in 2021.

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Copyright ©2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.
• The Outer Worlds, developed by Obsidian
Entertainment, published by Private Division, in
2019.
• Kerbal Space Program, developed by Squad,
published by Private Division, in 2015.
• Colony Ship, developed and published by Iron
Tower Studio, in 2021.
• Space Engineers, developed and published by
Keen Software House, in 2019.
• Outriders, developed by People Can Fly,
published by Square Enix Europe, in 2021.
• RimWorld, developed and published by Ludeon
Studios, in 2018.
• Elite Dangerous, developed by and published by
Frontier Developments, in 2014.
3. DESCRIPTION OF GAMES
The following is a summary of key story elements,
game mechanics, and core aspects of the different video
games. Spoiler warning: the below descriptions,
necessary for this paper, do spoil key elements of the
game’s story.
3.1 Kerbal Space Program
Kerbal Space Program allows players to develop an
entire planet’s space industry beginning with research,
hiring, and construction [11, 12, 13, 14]. The official
website states: “In Kerbal Space Program, take charge
of the space program for the alien race known as the
Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to
assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or
doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital
physics. Build spaceships, rockets, and vehicles using
any imaginable combination of parts, each with their
own function that will affect the way your spacecraft
behaves. Take full control over your ship’s setup to
execute complex flight maneuvers. Manage your Kerbal
crewmembers, including hiring, training, and sending
them into space to become heroes . . . Research and
develop new technologies to extract valuable
information and resources from all over the solar
system, and much more!” While the initial game
focused on space exploration within a singular solar
system, player modifications (mods) have allowed for
the development of interstellar ships such as colony and
generation ships. The upcoming sequel, Kerbal Space
Program 2, features interstellar travel as a core element
of the primary game mechanics.
3.2 RimWorld
RimWorld starts after a colony ship’s exploration to
a neighbouring star [21]. The game’s description
describes: “A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent
AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating
psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate,
biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art,
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medicine, trade, and more.” While not focused on the
technological aspects of interstellar travel, RimWorld
does present the challenges of generation ship’s social
aspects. The game further expands on its mechanics:
“RimWorld is a story generator. It’s designed to co-
author tragic, twisted, and triumphant stories about
imprisoned pirates, desperate colonists, starvation and
survival. It works by controlling the “random” events
that the world throws at you . . . Your colonists are not
professional settlers – they’re crash-landed survivors
from a passenger liner destroyed in orbit . . . The game
generates a whole planet from pole to equator.”
3.3 Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous is a massive multiplayer game
allowing individuals to craft their own ships and explore
space. The games describes itself as “the definitive
massively multiplayer space epic, bringing gaming’s
original open world adventure to the modern generation
with a connected galaxy, evolving narrative and the
entirety of the Milky Way re-created at its full galactic
proportions . . . Starting with only a small starship and a
few credits, players do whatever it takes to earn the
skill, knowledge, wealth and power to survive in a
futuristic cutthroat galaxy and to stand among the ranks
of the iconic Elite. In an age of galactic superpowers
and interstellar war, every player’s story influences the
unique connected gaming experience and handcrafted
evolving narrative. Governments fall, battles are lost
and won, and humanity’s frontier is reshaped, all by
players’ actions.” In recent years, the game has
introduced generation ships for players to discover.
The generation ships were all designed for
interstellar travel. Each ship has its own backstory
allowing players to engage with the concept of
interstellar travel from the very beginning of mission
conception, engineering to the result of the mission. The
overall inclusion of generation ship’s is often presented
as bleak, and the ultimate end of interstellar missions is
portrayed as failed in most cases. The story of
interstellar within the game reflects this pessimistic
perspective: “The first-Generation Ship was launched
from Sol in 2097, as early space colonization efforts had
finally begun to make headway on the Moon and Mars
after the setbacks caused by World War III. It was
followed by approximately 70,000 other vessels over
the next several decades. Most of these ambitious
expeditions were funded by large corporations, and the
penalties for interfering with them were severe, given
the enormous cost of mobilizing them. The deployment
of Generation Ships was not well regulated, however,
resulting in a number of issues. Some vessels launched
ill-prepared for the arduous journey that awaited them,
and many of the corporations that funded the vessels
were dissolved or assimilated by other organisations
over the years, making it difficult to keep track of their
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Copyright ©2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.
positions and ownership. Generation Ships were
rendered obsolete with the invention of hyperdrive
technology by Li Qin Jao in the mid-22nd century,
which ushered in a golden age of interstellar exploration
and colonisation between 2200 and 2700, and they have
not been constructed since. While the vast majority of
Generation Ships reached their destinations without
incident and established successful colonies, a fraction
counted among ‘the Missing’ were lost in transit and are
now sought by explorers and treasure hunters.”
3.4 Space Engineers
Space Engineers, much like Kerbal Space Program,
focuses on the mechanical and technological aspects of
space exploration, allowing players to build ships and
stations from the ground up [22]. Players are
encouraged to develop ships capable of exploring the
solar system and travel to other stars. Space Engineers
ties itself closely with actual space exploration. The
loading screens present quotes from Buzz Aldrin and
Robert Goddard, amongst others.
3.5 Colony Ship
Colony Ship takes place on a generation ship bound
for Proxima Centaur [4]i. The game describes itself:
“Colony Ship is a turn-based, party-based role-playing
game set aboard a generation ship launched to Proxima
Centauri. The game features a detailed skill-based
character system, multiple ways to handle quests,
choices & consequences, and branching dialogue trees.”
The game presents different scenarios that could happen
aboard a generation ship, with certain factions rebelling
against the original mission. In game, the story begins:
“It is the Year of Our Lord 2754 . . . You will never feel
the sun’s warmth under a blue sky, never hear the wind
in the branches of a tree, and never swim in the ocean,
because you had the misfortune to be born on the Ship.
You have never seen Earth, and you’ll never see
Proxima Centauri either, your past and future both
sacrificed by some dim and nameless ancestor to the
greater good of the Mission . . .No one is certain the
Ship will actually reach its destination, and nobody
much cares, since no one alive now will live to see it.
Fatalism is the prevailing philosophy of the Ship born . .
. The Ship was launched by a neo-Christian
conglomerate dedicated to establishing a religious
colony on a distant world. The original fifty thousand
passengers, the so-called First Generation, were true
believers in the Mission.”
3.6 Outriders
Outriders takes a different perspective on interstellar
travel, beginning with a more realistic background story
and evolving into a futuristic fantasy framework [18].
The game gives the following backstory: “During the
middle of the 21st Century, Earth has passed the point
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of no return as climate disasters grow more frequent and
dangerous, surpassing humanity's ability to mitigate
them. The major governments of Earth combine their
resources under the newly formed Enoch Colonization
Authority (ECA) in a last-ditch effort to preserve
humanity on Enoch, a distant Earth-like planet. Two
massive colony ships, the Caravel and the Flores, are
built, each holding 500,000 colonists. Despite the
Caravel suffering a catastrophic explosion in the middle
of construction, the Flores successfully reaches Enoch's
orbit in 2159, after an 83-year journey.”
3.7 The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds provides interstellar colony ships
as its backstory: “Lost in transit while on a colonist ship
bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake
decades later only to find yourself in the midst of a deep
conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony.
As you explore the furthest reaches of space and
encounter various factions, all vying for power, the
character you decide to become will determine how this
player-driven story unfolds. In the corporate equation
for the colony, you are the unplanned variable” [24].
3.8 Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is a sequel to Horizon Zero
Dawn. In this world, people play as the character Aloy
in a tribal-organized future where AI has run rampant
and robotic versions of animals from Earth’s history
roam the wild [8]. Horizon Forbidden West introduces
interstellar travel as a failed colony ship, powered by
advanced technology, and its crew return to Earth to
further exploit the rampant AI. Fan sites for the game
describe this interstellar crew: “Far Zenith, colonists
who fled Earth during its global extinction, having
managed to extend their natural lifespans. After their
colony on Sirius collapsed, the Zeniths returned to Earth
to use” the terraforming AI named Gaia [6]. Far Zenith
“is an Old World think tank organisation that comprises
seventy-seven members of the Old World's global elite,
and are responsible for the creation of the Odyssey
spacecraft, an extrasolar colonial space project that was
reconstructed in 2065 after the Faro Plague became
known to the public.” Within the game, a member of
Far Zenith, in the earliest years of interstellar
development, declares: “Humans - Homo sapiens. Us.
We have always pushed the boundaries explorers,
pioneers, trailblazers. That's why we're proud to have
resurrected the Odyssey. What our governments
abandoned in orbit. Far Zenith will actualize in less than
a decade. But that's only the beginning. When the ship
is complete, we will send the Odyssey and her crew
where no one's gone before… …the Sirius system.
There, we'll create humanity's first off-world colony.
The Odyssey may take 300 years to reach it, but when
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Copyright ©2022 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved.
we look up at the night sky, we'll know they're on their
way.”
3.9 Future Games
Interstellar games are currently being developed.
One of the most anticipated is Bethesda Game’s
Starfield featuring interstellar travel to local star
systems. Starfield is anticipated to be released in 2023.
The planets in this game are named after real world
astronauts. Players start the game on planet Jemison,
named after Dr. Mae Jemison. This game appears to
present a much more optimistic portrayal of interstellar
travel and, if its success mirrors the companies’
previous releases such as Fallout and Skyrim, the game
will be played in record numbers.
4. SELECTION OF COMMUNITIES
The survey was posted in various communities
surrounding these games including the community
discussion hubs on Steam, game subreddits on Reddit,
and officially sponsored forums. Communities were
chosen first specifically on their focus on the individual
games (the survey was not posted to general gaming or
space communities). Second, communities were chosen
based upon the overall activity of the community—
communities that showed lower activity were not posted
to.
5. SURVEY STRUCTURE
The survey was constructed to elicit the player’s
personal reflection on their own general attitude and
receptivity to the concept of interstellar travel before
and after playing the game.
5.1 Questions
• How familiar were you with the concept of
interstellar travel (travel to another star) before
playing [GAME TITLE]?
• If you were familiar with interstellar travel
before playing, how favourable were you to
interstellar travel as an actual goal for the
future?
• After playing [GAME TITLE], how favourable
are you to interstellar travel?
• How realistic is [GAME TITLE]'s portrayal of
interstellar travel?
• After playing [GAME TITLE], which of these
statements to do you agree with (check the box
of all you agree with):
o Interstellar travel is a dream for the
elite of society.
o Interstellar travel is only going to be
possible for the rich and powerful.
o Interstellar travel is never going to
happen.
o Interstellar travel is very possible.
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o We should prioritize interstellar travel
as a goal for the human race.
o Interstellar travel will benefit all of
humanity.
• After playing [GAME TITLE], what questions
do you have about interstellar travel?
• Do you have any additional thoughts regarding
video games' impact on scientific endeavors
such as interstellar travel?
5.2 Opinion Statements
The six statements that were presented to the
respondents were sourced from various blog posts,
social media posts, and online community statements
regarding interstellar travel and space exploration in the
last few years [25, 19, 20, 17]. These statements are
summaries of various viewpoints actively shared. The
statements were meant to reflect general perceptions of
interstellar travel at the current time.
5.3 Survey Delivery
The survey was constructed within Google Forms
and respondents were given a link to the survey form.
Respondents were only allowed to complete the form
once, within the limitations of Google’s tools.
5.4 Respondent Demographics
No personal data was requested. No demographic
data was requested. While it would be possible to
speculate on the demographic of the players derived
from the game and the community characteristics,
ultimately, the key focus of the survey was on the
change in perception of interstellar travel before and
after gameplay. The game’s impact on the perception
was what intended to explore, regardless of player
demographics.
6. RESULTS
6.1 Respondents
602 individuals responded and completed the
survey. Different game communities responded better to
the game. For example, while featuring a robust online
community, players of Horizon Forbidden West showed
less interest in the survey. However, Outer Worlds, a
game featuring a strong story dynamic as robust as
Horizon Forbidden West, actively engaged with the
survey and saw a lively discussion form around it on
their respective community sites. Each game saw the
following break-down of respondents (in order of the
number of respondents):
• The Outer Worlds: 192 Respondents
• Elite Dangerous: 181 Respondents
• Space Engineers: 127 Respondents
• RimWorld: 54 Respondents
• Outriders: 15 Respondents
• Kerbal Space Program: 13 Respondents
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• Colony Ship: 11 Respondents
• Horizon Forbidden West: 9 Respondents
6.2 Shifts In Perception
On average, individuals playing Elite Dangerous
experienced a positive shift in their favor of interstellar
travel. The majority of the respondents saw no shift in
their perception. Of those that did, all but six shifted
positive. More so, fewer players (compared to players of
other games) agreed with the statements (only 15%):
“Interstellar Travel is a dream for the elite of society”
and “Interstellar Travel is only going to be possible for
the rich and powerful.” 38% of Elite Dangerous players
agreed that “Interstellar travel is very possible” and 51%
agreed that “We should prioritize interstellar travel as a
goal for the human race.” Over 65% believed that
“Interstellar travel will benefit all of humanity.”
Space Engineers players saw a similar shift in
attitude towards a positive favor of interstellar travel.
While the majority of players believed Space Engineers
portrayal of interstellar travel was not realistic, they did
see a shift in their overall perception positively. More
so, fewer players (compared to players of other games)
agreed with the statements: “Interstellar Travel is a
dream for the elite of society” and “Interstellar Travel is
only going to be possible for the rich and powerful.”
Nearly half of all this games’ players agreed that
“Interstellar travel is very possible” and “We should
prioritize interstellar travel as a goal for the human
race.” Over 67% believed that “Interstellar travel will
benefit all of humanity.”
Colony Ship players saw an overall negative shift in
their favor of interstellar travel. 30% of players agreed
that “Interstellar Travel is a dream for the elite of
society” and “Interstellar Travel is only going to be
possible for the rich and powerful.” Only 20% agreed
that “Interstellar travel will benefit all of humanity.”
Similarly, Outriders players saw a generally negative
shift in favor towards interstellar travel after playing the
game. 46% of players agreed that “Interstellar Travel is
a dream for the elite of society” and 26% agreed
“Interstellar Travel is only going to be possible for the
rich and powerful.” Yet, 60% agreed that “Interstellar
travel will benefit all of humanity.”
RimWorld players saw no change in favor after
playing the game. However, 57.7% agreed that
“Interstellar travel will benefit all of humanity.” 28.8%
of players agreed that “Interstellar Travel is a dream for
the elite of society” and 30% agreed “Interstellar Travel
is only going to be possible for the rich and powerful.”
Only 23% agreed that “Interstellar travel is never going
to happen.”
The Outer Worlds players provided the largest
response to this survey. Overall, players saw a negative
shift in their favor to interstellar travel. Regarding the
statements, the results were mixed. 38% agreed that
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“Interstellar travel will benefit all of humanity.” 44% of
players agreed that “Interstellar Travel is a dream for
the elite of society” and 49.5% agreed “Interstellar
Travel is only going to be possible for the rich and
powerful.” Only 16% agreed that “Interstellar travel is
never going to happen.”
Players of Kerbal Space Program saw a significant
shift in favour of interstellar travel. 75% of respondents
agreed that “We should prioritize interstellar travel as a
goal for the human race.” 75% believed that
“Interstellar travel will benefit all of humanity.”
Players of Horizon Forbidden West saw little change
in favour towards interstellar travel. 62% of players
agreed that “Interstellar Travel is only going to be
possible for the rich and powerful.”
7. CONCLUSIONS
Video games with story components about
interstellar travel do impact and adjust players’
perceptions on scientific endeavours, in this case,
interstellar travel. As well, video games can inform and
education players regarding these efforts.
The nature of the story and how the material is
presented affected the shift in perception. Those stories
where interstellar travel was presented as a path towards
opportunity and ultimately was successful showed a
more positive shift in perception. However, those stories
that framed interstellar travel as having negative origins
or negative results, shifted perception of interstellar
negatively.
7.1 Questions Raised
More so, video games fostered curiosity about
interstellar travel amongst their player communities.
The following is a list of questions that players
submitted at the end of the survey based on their
experience in playing their respective video games
(comments are provided anonymously and respondents
are not able to see other respondents’ submissions;
responses have not been edited):
• “Can we even do [manned interstellar travel]?”
• “Why do we spend so much time on politics and
not prioritize scientific endeavors?”
• “How will it work? How attached to Earth are
we as a society in order to account for the
obvious passing of great amounts of time spent
in space?”
• “How is it not a priority the globe over?!”
• “How are we going to make a similar engine
with FTL capabilities? With wich materials?
Where the humanity will get them and how?
How humanity will even test that? I just dont
understand that. Maybe like in ED there is
somewhere some corporation or a country
secretly experimenting with that already.
Maybe.”
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• “Is actually FTL interstellar travel possible?”
• “Another question (less about Elite), since star
systems move in the universe at great speeds,
we would need a special computer to calculate
the trajectory to our destination. What would be
the reference point in those calculations? If it
was the origin system, wouldn't we need to
analyze the direction and speed of the
destination? Would that be possible in a short
amount of time? (Say a couple hours.”
• “How long will it take us to determine a true
method to travel such vast distances? And what
will that method be?”
• “Will we be better humans when we leave
home? Will we stop seeing each other as
strangers from other nations and more like
fellow humans? How will we treat other life
if/when we find it?”
• “In video games and media it's often portrayed
that interstellar travel includes a small group of
explorers going out and about. However, taking
into account the time it would take to reach a
destination it makes me wonder just how large
in scope long-term missions would have to be?
How much equipment and personel would be
necessary for a successful expedition with no
support from a home system? I assume that a
single rocket ship with a few buggies and tents
wouldn't be enough to even warrant such a long
trip.”
• “Have you considered if humans as a species
should be allowed to leave the containment of
the Sol system. In many ways we are like a
virus that is currently contained but once we
leave there is no more chance to undo this
action. So consider the should not just the how.”
• “The game mostly amplified my existing
concerns about travel in sub-lightspeed
conditions and general interstellar
communication. The main questions are
probably about how are we going to coordinate
those travels and keep the whole thing
functional, from the ships themselves to
optional, probably not feasibly possible stuff
like cryptosleep and AI guidance.”
• “Once popular and accessible, how and who
will be in charge of regulating vehicles and
operators?”
7.2 Gamers On Video Games’ Impact On Perception
More so, many of the respondents believed that
video games could have an impact on perception of
interstellar travel. The following represents a selection
of their reflections (all comments are submitted
anonymously):
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• “It can arouse the interest of lay people in
different areas of science. On the other hand, it
can lead people to believe that very theoretical
or impractical scientific endeavours are more
worthwhile than they actually are.”
• “Video games influence our way of thinking
towards interstellar travel by showing us how
easily it can be warped and perverted by the rich
and powerfull”
• “I think that the presence of games such as KSP,
SE, and other titles focusing on existence and
life in space are fantastic. They encourage
players to get excited about ‘real’ things and
spend more time creating and learning as
opposed to the pointless cycles of most FPS
games. I think public interest and societal
interest will ultimately drive more R&D and
funding directed to space programs and
sciences.”
• “Makes it far more accessible to the general
person, having it as a story device in a more
well understood medium gives the impact and
uses, allowing the consumer to research on their
own and think up their own possibilities and
opinions.”
• “Should interstellar travel occur, I think video
games could be useful from a simulator
application. I also think that a well executed star
travel game can inspire people to continue
developing technologies for stellar travel.”
• “Much like the science fiction books that have
inspired scientists, thinkers and the general
public for over a hundred years, modern video
games will help to inspire the innovations of the
future. They will also help to inspire people to
look more to the stars and have the drive
required to make the sacrifices necessary to get
there.”
• “Video games are a wonderful mechanism for
sparking interest on complex subjects by
delivering them in an easy digestible, goal-
oriented, format.”
• “I think that having people play these types of
games in their formative years is absolutely
vital to reaching a critical mass of humanity
thinking bigger more often.”
• “They let us live our dreams. They may also
inspire young folks to pursue science, which
would be awesome. That's pure speculation,
however.”
• “Games like this give an excellent sense of scale
of star systems and the galaxy, and the more
realistic the depiction of the stars and planets
the more it makes gamers more curious and
interested.”
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• “It is a dress rehearsal, virtual problem solving
for the future of space travel - it also encourages
scientific endeavour to see if we can create
some of the tools of interstellar travel e.g. in the
same way that Star Trek inspired cellphones,
current work on warp bubbles inspired by Sci-fi
in all its forms could yield warp drives.”
• “Elite lets me jump into my childhood fantasy
of exploring distant unknown planets. I’ve
always been fascinated by astronomy and
related topics, and certainly that interest has
been affected and enhanced by numerous books,
movies and games along the way. Of course, the
real-life challenges of space travel are much
more complicated. But, more people thinking
and dreaming about it can’t be a bad thing for
the scientific challenges we face.”
• “Elite Dangerous has really helped me
understand just how big and empty space is.
Even traveling within solar systems is a hugely
daunting task. Interstellar travel would take
scientific breakthroughs that are currently
nothing more than figments of imagination.”
• “I think literature and games provide inspiration
to ask questions. I hope there are kids out there
playing and use it as an inspiration into careers
in science and engineering.”
• “I think it could have a combination of negative
and positive impact. In our present
understanding, it's impossible to travel faster
than the speed of light, so any scientific
endeavours would likely be aimed toward
generation ships. But generation ships aren't the
fun, glamorous kind of interstellar travel that
exists in video games, because of time
constraints and, well, fun. Could lead to
unrealistic expectations of space travel, even as
interest in it increases. Games might also lead
some people to consider it as an option for the
survival of humanity, in the event that we wipe
ourselves out with climate change.”
• “It makes interstellar travel more appealing to
the public, thereby influencing public funding to
the purposes of research.”
8. FUTURE ACTIONS
Interstellar initiatives can engage with software
development companies to work towards improving the
portrayal of future interstellar missions. The greater
potential lies in connecting with video game
communities to help embrace their curiosity of
interstellar travel, inform and educate, and gain further
support amongst the general population for future
interstellar efforts.
As well, future games will focus on interstellar, and
these communities should be engaged with in the
IAC-22-D4
manner of this survey. The potential between interstellar
initiatives and video game communities is great and
much public support could be garnered from
engagement with those communities.
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