Science fiction often isn’t really about the future. It’s a reflection of our present, how today’s anxieties and issues might be represented tomorrow.
Citizen Sleeper is a game about an android in a space station, overthrowing a corrupt corporation, and finding a home. But it’s also a game about identity, about capitalism, and about trans experience. And now, with the third and final arc of its DLC released today, it’s a game that explores refugees too.
Indeed, solo developer Gareth Damian Martin told me “the game is intended to be about now, as opposed to about the future”. That seems particularly pertinent when the game has been nominated for four BAFTAs, including British Game and Game for Impact. It’s something the developer admitted to feeling uncomfortable about.
