Analiza diegetycznej pętli czasowej w grze I Was A Teenage Exocolonist.

Kacper Kidziak

doi:10.21697/kmt.2025.65.05

Published: 2026-03-31

Vol. 65 No. 1 (2026)

Case study of diegetic time loop in I Was A Teenage Exocolonist.

Kacper Kidziak

Kultura Media Teologia

Section: peer-reviewed article

https://doi.org/10.21697/kmt.2025.65.05

Abstract

This article examines how the diegetic time loop in the independent game I Was A Teenage Exocolonist shapes the narrative and rhetoric of the game. The author employs a case‑study approach with autoethnographic observations, discourse analysis (interviews with developers, reviews, fan discussions), and comparative analysis of time‑loop topoi in popular culture. Adopting Ian Bogost’s concept of procedural rhetoric, the study argues that game rules themselves act persuasively, prompting players to reflect on the consequences of their choices. The analysis shows that IWATE’s time loop encourages developing eudaimonic stance focused on communal well‑being, while still allowing for hedonistic exploration; it also addresses queer and neuroatypical themes.

Keywords:

Procedural rhetorics, time travel, time loop, video games, indie games, life sim

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Citation rules

Kidziak, Kacper. “Case Study of Diegetic Time Loop in I Was A Teenage Exocolonist”. Kultura Media Teologia, vol. 65, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 80-94, doi:10.21697/kmt.2025.65.05.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Kacper Kidziak

nemozordia@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8276-5806

Affiliation:

Adam Mickiewicz University Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Kacper Kajetan Kidziak - a graduate of the first cohort of Game Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, currently a student of Interdisciplinary Individual Studies with Sociology as the major, under the supervision of tutor Dr Zuzanna Wnuk. His research interests include digital games, traditional and board games, independent games, detective games, challenging games, and Asian games, as well as time travel, with particular emphasis on time loops.