Narrative and Experiential Qualities of Architecture and Places in Video Games’ Virtual Environments

Abstract

The research presented in this chapter focuses on a preliminary investigation of narrative and experiential qualities of architecture and places in the virtual environments of video games. This writing shares information from a research study in progress and other reflections based on parallel research studies and publications. This research investigates a selection of case studies through direct experience of their virtual environments. During these virtual explorations and analyses, concepts and definitions from both the architectural and video games’ fields, and from previous research and publications in this area, are used. The tradition of designing imaginary architectures and places has expanded from architecture into other fields, and video games have added a new dimension to this. Video games allow users a freedom of movement that cannot be experienced in any other media. Thanks to the continuous artistic and technological progress accompanying video games, titles published in recent years present architectural and spatial characteristics that can compete with real-world buildings and places, and VR technologies bring these experiences to a new level. The conclusions describe possible relationships between virtual environments and reality.