The Moon is a Liar

The Moon is a Liar

Content Warning:
This game contains themes of sexual violence, emotional trauma, and insomnia. It includes references to gaslighting and psychological distress. Player discretion is advised.

 You don’t need to know my story to connect with the emotions here. Thank you for playing.

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About

The Moon is a Liar is a visual novel that depicts my personal story of sexual violence. When I finally confronted my abuser, a previous partner, he denied remembering the events before eventually backtracking on his words. Prior to these events, I had been struggling with insomnia, but afterward, it worsened significantly. At night, my room faced a window, and moonlight would constantly seep in, casting an unrelenting glow that often woke me. This inspired me to create this game, in which the Moon is personified as the liar—an ever-present figure you speak to during sleepless nights. My game weaves together real text messages and imagined responses. It is important to me because it is decidedly not a story of healing, at least not in the traditional sense. Rather, The Moon is a Liar is a game about the messy, often fragmented emotions that follow when trust is broken and the quiet loneliness that lingers in its wake. 

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This game was created for FEMGEN 95: Feminist Games Studios at Stanford University. I am deeply thankful to my friends, classmates, and Dr. Diana Cage for their thoughtfulness, support, and kindness throughout the creation of this project.  Their insight and care made it possible to make this game.