Comparing and Contrasting ‘Real and Virtual’ Cities

Abstract

The rise of the digital age has made the merging of video games with other media a common occurrence. The field of architecture is also subject to this collaboration. Architecture is now a prominent component of video game production, with increasingly elaborate games requiring more immersive virtual environments. Identical recreations of real-life buildings, cities and natural environments are increasing within video games. However, designing buildings for a virtual space is fundamentally different to making architecture for real-life use. This is due to how differently real-life and virtual environments are perceived. Human beings experience the real world with their eyes, while gamers experience the virtual world through in-game cameras. Both tools of visual perception come with different fields of vision. Add to that the boundless nature of a virtual environment and the playability element of a video game. These factors indicate that making architecture within video games must have different design nuances compared to their real-life counterparts. The gap in knowledge lies in the potential for said nuances to be applicable for designing real-life cities. The design of cities for critically successful open-world video games are often acknowledged as vibrant, engaging, interactive and visually pleasing. All the qualities we hope to see reflected in our real cities. In the pursuit of this, questions will be asked about in-game design methods that are insulated from our conservative understanding of architecture and scale. Can said methods then be applied to benefit real-life cities and urban environments? Can video games be a medium for teaching architecture student alternative approaches to designing better cities? The research seeks to discover novel ways to design the built environment, sourced from within video games. But to achieve this aim, understanding the physical elements that make an impactful city image must take precedence. A comparative study needs to be done between ‘real’ and virtual cities. This leads to the research objective, which is to identify physical attributes that determine a city’s design quality. The city determinants will then be observed across both research samples. The comparing and contrasting of physical elements between the two will potentially reveal patterns crucial to forwarding the study. The findings reveal design approaches endemic to video games, that can also be applicable towards real-life urban developments.