Game Education Summit North America

This paper presents a comparative analysis between Architecture and Game Design methods. Game design and architecture, though vastly different, are both fields of design that share common design generators, such as ‘core concept’, ‘narrative’ and ‘user experience’. This commonality creates a relationship between game design and architecture that has the potential to become symbiotic. At the same time, the narratological nature of game design is similar to the narratological nature of architecture. They share concepts of space, symbolism and storytelling. Architecture is being used by game designers to explore evoked, embedded and emergent narratives (Jenkins 2004). An understanding of the ‘environmental storytelling’ methods of both the design fields will benefit each other.

The dissimilarities between game design and architecture are plenty. Game design lacks the real-world considerations that are taken into account in architecture, and exists in a much more fluid world of the imagination. Architecture is firmly rooted in the real world, focusing highly on the articulation of forms, both artistic and utilitarian. Buildings today often do not, however, focus on the user. Top-down design approach and lack of tools and methods to create effective spatial experiences are creating frustration and disinterest among architecture students and professionals.

3D technology and game design simulations are creating opportunities for architects to question how architecture and urban design can be handled by this media to create future cities. Architecture can benefit from game design through using its ‘user experience’ driven methods and tools. More and more architects are turning towards the gaming industry to explore the conceptual and technical freedom it offers, use the methods to craft user's experiences in space and test utopian ideas of architectural and urban designs. Due to popularity of game design, architects can reach a wider audience to relay complex ideas about space, innovative design styles and landscape through game design. It will allow them to create spaces and convey architectural languages that even those not educated in architecture can enjoy.

Simultaneously, game design is benefiting from the aesthetics of beautiful architecture, both historical and futuristic, enriching the visual world of games. The experiential concepts of architecture, including symbolisms, refuge, prospect, order and complexity aspects are becoming integral part of story telling in games. The 3D software have their advantages and disadvantages. Considering the differences between architecture and game design development processes, it is important to explore how the 3D design tool can contribute during the design development process of architecture and not only in production. As a result of new research being done in this area, many are suggesting the idea of introducing game design consoles in architectural design syllabi (Manaugh 2008). Game design engines are being introduced in architecture firms nowadays to help create more ‘dynamic’ and ‘user-centric’ designs. ‘Hybrid game design and architecture methods’ have been proposed by researchers as a fusion of the two design fields. (Totten 2008)

Selected Citations
Borries, Friedrich V., Steffen P. Walz and Matthias Böttger, eds. Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: The Next Level. Basel:  Birkhäuser 2007.
Salen, Katie, and Eric Zimmerman. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. London: The MIT Press 2004.
Manaugh , Geoff. Game/Space: An Interview with Daniel Dociu. Bldgblog. 24 April 2008. <http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/gamespace-interview-with-daniel-dociu.html>.
Jenkins, Henry. Game Design as Narrative Architecture. 10 July 2004. <http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/games&narrative.html> 
Totten, Christopher W. Game Design and Architecture, Master’s Thesis. The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. 2008-2009.