Review of the book "Architecture of Video Game Worlds"

Contents:

• There will be a garden city here
• The road is mastered by the one who walks it

There Will Be a Garden City

"The Architecture of Video Game Worlds" explores the diversity of virtual spaces that open up to players when they launch video games. These spaces range from the abstract (such as a black screen with moving white sticks in Pong) to the realistic or, more often, the illusory, such as 18th-century Paris in Assassin's Creed: Unity. Analyzing such worlds allows us to better understand how designers use elements of architecture and visual aesthetics to shape immersive experiences, drawing players into captivating stories and interactive scenarios.

A game is shaped not only by its rules, but also by the space in which it takes place. This statement is true for all types of games—from sports to virtual ones. Without space, a game cannot exist, and therefore the topic chosen by the authors is key to the study of the gaming environment. It is not only significant but also virtually limitless. One could imagine a book entitled "Real-World Architecture" that covered the development of architecture, its analysis, and innovative utopian concepts. Such a work would likely fill many volumes if written. The history of virtual reality, although shorter than the history of traditional architecture, is also full of diverse projects and approaches. Packing all these aspects into one book is no easy task, but it is necessary for a deep understanding of virtual worlds and their impact on gaming practice.

The number of authors in the book coincides with the number of potential readers interested in its broad topic, including architects, developers, and the curious. However, by choosing such a broad field for research, the authors strive to create something resembling a utopia, similar to Tommaso Campanella's City of the Sun. The book tries to satisfy the interests of all groups of readers, but, in our opinion, no one will leave fully satisfied after reading its pages.

The book "The Architecture of Video Game Worlds" consists of three main sections: "Toolkit", "Spaces", and "Architectural Elements". The publication concludes with an extensive afterword entitled "An Architectural Approach". The authors offer readers various formats for perceiving the material: both a linear reading from beginning to end and a selective approach, in which you can focus on the most interesting chapters and skip less significant ones. This makes the book accessible to different types of readers and allows everyone to find their own unique path in studying the architecture of video game worlds.

"The Toolkit" is a key part of the book, dedicated to the evolution of game spaces, which is inextricably linked with the history of video games. The authors focus on games from the 1970s to 1990s, many of which may be unfamiliar to modern players. As they move into the modern era, the selection of games becomes more subjective, sometimes leading to significant leaps, such as from Deus Ex (2000) to NieR: Automata. This creates the impression that the authors are weary of describing each game in detail, as the process of writing and reading such descriptions can be quite tedious. Nevertheless, the "Toolkit" remains an important resource for understanding changing gaming technologies and their impact on modern game design.

On the first pages of the book, the reader immediately notices two significant shortcomings of the publication. The first of them is the almost complete lack of illustrations. In the electronic version of "Architecture of Video Game Worlds," the gallery is located at the end of the file, while in the printed version it is presented as a small color insert in the middle of the book. Video games and architecture are visual arts, and without visual examples, the discussion of them loses its fullness and depth. The lack of illustrations significantly reduces the quality of perception of the material and limits the possibility of a deeper understanding of the topic.

A solution to the lack of visual content in the book was proposed using QR codes placed on the pages. Scanning these codes allows access to a Google Drive folder containing screenshots of video games related to the corresponding sections. However, in practice, this approach proves inconvenient, as it requires simultaneously holding the book and a phone with an active camera and internet connection. Furthermore, the number of illustrations devoted to architecture and architectural concepts also leaves much to be desired. A single image of a meander on Google Drive makes it difficult to form a complete understanding of this object. This necessitates not only scanning QR codes, but also actively searching the internet for information on the terms and concepts mentioned by the authors.

The second significant drawback of the book is the writing style. The extensive style, with excessive descriptions and obvious stylistic flaws, as well as factual inaccuracies, evokes a feeling of boredom and despondency. Although the paperback version of the book has 384 pages, reading the e-book version took me over a month. At times, I had to struggle to get through some of the subchapters.

Open spaces present a unique opportunity for players, allowing them to move in any direction. These zones become both an advantage and a risk: staying in them for too long can lead to vulnerability. Players have the opportunity to move around the arena dramatically, but the need for constant movement makes it difficult to stay in one place. This creates an incentive to quickly master maneuvers and improve movement skills, which is crucial for successful play.

In the book "Architecting Video Game Worlds: Level Completed!", Chapter 6, devoted to the arena, examines key aspects of game space design that influence player interaction with the environment. The arena in video games is not just a game location, but an entire ecosystem, where every architectural decision shapes a unique experience for players. It is important to consider design elements such as scale, lighting, and textures, which create atmosphere and enhance immersion. A well-designed arena promotes dynamic gameplay and strategic interaction, which is the foundation of successful gaming.

In this excerpt about the locations from the game Control, space becomes an important element Gameplay. Movement around the arena loses its traditional form, leaving the player alone with the changing conditions. "Movement maneuvers" are something vague, hiding within the heroine's powerful abilities, such as dashing, levitation, and telekinesis. Unfortunately, there are sections of the game that can be difficult and slow progress, adding an element of challenge and tension.

The Road Is Mastered by Walking

If you're willing to accept two shortcomings and the multifaceted nature of a book that speaks to all audiences simultaneously, you'll find much to enjoy in "The Architecture of Video Game Worlds." A fast-paced narrative that accelerates as it moves into the future is followed by two engaging chapters titled "Scale and Rhythm" and "(In)Visible and (In)Available." These chapters explore the techniques level designers use to create video game spaces. The authors note that virtual doors differ significantly from real ones. For example, in Hitman: World of Assassination, their dimensions are 120 by 270 centimeters, which is approximately one and a half times larger than doors in our world. This is done to create the effect of depth and scale, which increases the player's immersion in the gameplay.

In video games, we see the projection of a single lens, and not Human binocular vision. The classic field of view in games ranges from 60 to 70 degrees on consoles and from 75 to 105 degrees on PCs. The smaller the field of view, the closer and larger objects appear. When designing doors, it's important to consider that the video game camera may be positioned above the character, so doorways must be wide enough for the camera to pass through freely. This affects the overall design of the playspace and player interaction with the environment. The story of creating game worlds extends beyond video games and encompasses many aspects. Vibrant game covers of old served as a platform for players' imaginations, allowing them to complement what they saw on screen. Such covers not only attracted attention but also inspired their own interpretations of in-game events and characters. Modern examples demonstrate how concept art and teasers shape expectations and perceptions of the game world, immersing players in a unique atmosphere. Worldbuilding in this context becomes not only a technological but also an artistic process that shapes the experience of interacting with the game.

An active skybox plays an important role in the architecture of the game world, filling empty space and creating atmosphere. In the original Deus Ex (2000), the skybox allowed players to see a distant, future New York City despite the limited explorable areas. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011), a similar technique was used to create the image of Detroit and Hengsha Island, where three-dimensional "ceilings" added realism. Detroit's high-rise buildings offer views of distant buildings and highways filled with traffic, although the only interactable vehicles are located in a police-sealed area. Looming over Hengsha is the Upper City, a mysterious place that remains inaccessible to the player, yet provokes many questions and allows for the development of the imagination.

An excerpt from the book "Architecting Video Game Worlds: Level Completed!", Chapter 3, devoted to the concepts of the visible and invisible, as well as accessible and inaccessible, in game world design. This chapter examines the principles that shape immersive environments and the ways in which developers create illusions that allow players to become more deeply immersed in the gameplay. Key design aspects that influence spatial perception, navigation, and interaction with game elements are discussed. The importance of these concepts becomes apparent when analyzing successful games, where visibility and accessibility play a crucial role in creating an engaging gaming experience.

Part Two The book focuses on different types of spaces: the City, the Labyrinth, the Arena, and the Vault. These chapters evoke contrasting emotions. The chapter "City" is a fascinating analysis that makes clear references to real-world architectural examples. Interesting typologies of urban representation are explored, such as the division between settlements that move "from order to chaos" and those that move "from chaos to order." In this context, it's interesting to compare Kirkwall from Dragon Age 2 and Night City from Cyberpunk 2077. This analysis helps to further understand how different game worlds reflect architectural concepts and interactions with space.

The remaining chapters of the book are more concise, and the chapter "Arena" stands out for its difficulty in understanding. This is due to the lack of necessary diagrams and illustrations, which are especially important in this section. The authors generally prefer to remain thoughtful commentators, avoiding bold concepts. However, in this chapter, they present their ideas for creating the perfect arena, which feels like an incongruous breakthrough that doesn't harmonize with the overall content and tone of the book.

The third part of "Architecture of Video Game Worlds" delves into the design details of game spaces such as bathrooms, doors, stairs, and monuments. This section examines various approaches to representing these elements in video games, supported by essays by the authors. They note that isometric RPGs largely lack such essential aspects of everyday life as toilets and bathrooms. The exception is the Pathfinder series by Owlcat Games, where these elements are integrated with attention to detail and aesthetics. This approach not only adds realism to the gameplay but also enriches the overall perception of the game world.

An essay on doors in Mass Effect 2 raises the question of how even something as simple as a door can significantly change the perception of game locations and the world as a whole. Doors in this project become not just functional objects but also an important part of the atmosphere, creating a sense of immersion and interactivity. Compared to Cyberpunk 2077, where the city is practically devoid of elements capable of captivating the player's attention, other than advertising billboards, the question arises of how details can influence the perception of the environment. In Mass Effect 2, doors not only open access to new spaces but also shape the narrative, enriching the gameplay experience. This highlights the importance of working out the smallest details in games, which can make the world more alive and interesting for players.

The book "Video Game Architecture" "Worlds" is characterized by its heterogeneity, which may be due both to the collective authorship and to the attempt to cover a wide range of topics for a diverse audience. Perhaps the authors should have focused on a narrower topic, as a collection of essays devoted to the architectural elements of video games could have been interesting and informative without excessive conceptual deviations. The problem of scale, characteristic of many architectural projects, is reflected in this book, emphasizing the connection between the object of study and its representation.