Playing Marathon As A Neurodivergent Gamer: First Thoughts

Within five minutes of loading into Marathon, I felt like the game was fighting me harder than any opponent. Here is the reason.

What I Love About Marathon

Last year, I was invited to join the Marathon alpha as a content creator. I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into the alpha. Unfortunately, I only knew the original lore of Marathon, the game. I had no context for what to expect from gameplay.

Once booting into Tau Ceti, which is the planet close to the Marathon ship, runners see a short animation clip. It explains to players who they are and what Marathon is. After this, players are greeted by Oni from CybiAcme—an AI hardwired into Runner core optics.

Her job is bringing everyone up-to-date on the latest.

Many of you know that when it comes to Sci-Fi narratives set in Blade Runner-esque style games, I will most certainly dive in to check it out.

Marathon as an extraction shooter is an interesting concept. However, the frequent glitch-style UI and jarring visuals push me away. They honestly discourage me from wanting to enjoy the universe.

The lore is rich. Many Destiny fans, including myself, have been eager to experience this titular new title. We want to continually support developers to see what impact it will have on Destiny’s long-awaited future.

While it isn’t Destiny the game, Marathon‘s unique charm lends well to the excellence of Bungie’s world-building. Once I booted into the training simulation, I adjusted my controls.

It took no time. I felt at home in this new alien world. It was full of psychedelic RGB color palettes and frustratingly well-optimized UESC patrol units. There were open-world public events and priority hit targets just a second before extraction.

For easy access, you’ll want to make sure all your player controls are set up properly. None of your Destiny 2 settings are carried over to Marathon, so please bear this in mind.

Does Marathon Have Accessibility?

Yes… and no! Let’s take this from the top shall we?

Visual Impairment Settings

In-game settings for players with visual impairment are fairly robust you’ll find:

• Subtitles options
• Colour blind mode
• Social system settings
  • Text Chat
  • Text Size
  • Voice chat
  • Crew Chat Voice Input Mode

Sadly, colour-blind mode doesn’t offer written cues indicating to a player which “colour-blind” mode they are in. I wear glasses myself, and I spent the good part of 1 hour trying to Google and figure it out.

In the end, I gave up and settled for the default setting, which meant I couldn’t clearly recognize enemy colours. This led to false callouts or shooting at allies, thinking they were enemies.

As a neurodivergent gamer (dyslexia, ADHD, and autism), this leads to extreme frustration, which either ends with me logging off for the day or just not returning to the game.

While launch can be bumpy, missing out on a really important label in accessibility settings is a big misstep. This choice unintentional, or deliberate can significantly hinder the user experience for those who rely on assistive technologies.

This oversight not only impacts users with disabilities but can also tarnish the overall reputation of a product.

Accessibility features must be comprehensive. Correct implementation is crucial. This demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and user satisfaction. By prioritizing attention to detail in these settings, developers can create a more seamless and fair environment for all users. This approach enables full engagement with the product’s capabilities without unnecessary barriers.

Is Marathon Neurodivergent-friendly

Note: All opinions shared are driven by my own lived/player experience.

The short version is: I have seen no evidence that Bungie’s new Marathon is designed with neurodivergent accessibility in mind. Also, nothing in any available reporting offers features that make it especially friendly for autistic, ADHD, or other neurodivergent players.

What we know about Marathon so far

Current reporting around the game highlight:

• Strong focus on competitive extraction-shooter gameplay.
• Fast-paced action, high sensory load, and visually dense environments.
• Early updates addressing microtransactions backlash, and gameplay clarity, like making objectives easier to spot and improving supply points.

None of these updates relate to accessibility, or sensory accommodations.

Does this align with neurodivergent needs?

Neurodivergent players have different sensitivities, but common needs can include:

Sensory Considerations

• High visual noise, flashing effects, and rapid movement can be overwhelming for autistic players or those with sensory processing differences.
• Competitive shooters often rely on loud, layered audio cues, which can be difficult for players with auditory sensitivity.

Cognitive overload

• Extraction shooters need situational awareness, multitasking, and quick decisions—challenging for ADHD players without adjustable difficulty.
  
• Neurodivergent brains (especially autistic or ADHD) often form strong, fast associations. A cue from Marathon—its name, visuals, or themes—can trigger a chain of memories. Conversations about it can also trigger memories that feel sudden or intrusive.
  
  This is not a disorder; it’s a cognitive style.
  
• Emotional flashbacks happen when memories involve stress, shame, or fear. Overwhelm can stem from losing items, feeling small in front of others, or cyber-bullying. The person experiences:
  
  • Increased anxiety
  • Feeling “pulled back” emotionally
  • Physical tension or shutdown

This is called Emotional flashback. It doesn’t need to be PTSD. But, it can overlap with trauma responses. These responses are indirectly connected to losing in any online or co-op game with a competitive nature.

Marathon is at the beginning of its journey, so it is hard for me to give you a definitive answer. Bungie’s developers are a group of creative and hardworking people. Since launch, updates have been churned out at breakneck speeds. I have no doubt the team is grappling with the multitude of feedback coming in. I am excited for all their teams and to see them do well.

Likewise, I don’t know if Marathon will be great for every single Neurodivergent. For me personally, it isn’t my daily-driver game. This too can be a good thing.

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“No matter what you are facing at this moment in time, you can do all things! Stay safe, and God speed!”