Abstract
Digital games are often situated within interactive 3D spaces that create the feeling of being in ‘another world’. The limitations of realtime simulation make it necessary for compromises to made in the representation of game worlds – it is not possible to recreate every detail of ‘reality’ within these worlds. So, they are abstractions of reality that rely on the player’s mind to fill in the gaps. This paper looks at principles of world design for digital games in terms of the most significant elements needed to ‘create a world’ in the players mind. The player becomes the subject addressed by the game world and enters a dialogue with it that both defines and creates it. Interpretation of the world occurs both at a macro level, through immersive experience of ‘being in the world’, and micro level, through the accumulated detail of events, actions and communications with the world. Principles of world design are articulated through a series of projects that attempt to create coherent, alternative worlds that express the artificial nature of digital game spaces.
Citation
Innocent, T. (2004) Designing Transmutational Worlds in Game Space., in Redmond, J., Durling, D. and de Bono, A (eds.), Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, 17-21 November, Melbourne, Australia. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/183
Designing Transmutational Worlds in Game Space.
Digital games are often situated within interactive 3D spaces that create the feeling of being in ‘another world’. The limitations of realtime simulation make it necessary for compromises to made in the representation of game worlds – it is not possible to recreate every detail of ‘reality’ within these worlds. So, they are abstractions of reality that rely on the player’s mind to fill in the gaps. This paper looks at principles of world design for digital games in terms of the most significant elements needed to ‘create a world’ in the players mind. The player becomes the subject addressed by the game world and enters a dialogue with it that both defines and creates it. Interpretation of the world occurs both at a macro level, through immersive experience of ‘being in the world’, and micro level, through the accumulated detail of events, actions and communications with the world. Principles of world design are articulated through a series of projects that attempt to create coherent, alternative worlds that express the artificial nature of digital game spaces.