When players enter the virtual worlds of video games, they are greeted by complex architectural environments. These virtual spaces do more than serve as mere backdrops for gameplay. The design of buildings, streets and entire cities guides player emotions, behaviours and even advances the narrative.
As an architect specialising in digital media, I am interested in how video games use architecture to convey meaning. Virtual worlds in video games are often rooted in real-world architectural principles.
Game rules are technically completely disjointed from our physical world: we could easily traverse a concrete wall as if made of air. However, how players understand how to play is the opposite. For instance, if I see a door in a game, I can assume that it can opened, or that it leads somewhere. Players need a frame of reference to understand games, and this is why most game environments resemble, at least in some way, real-world architecture.
