Abstract in English

Abstract in English

In the last few decades, almost every field has been touched by the new digital state of mind, beginning

with commerce, engineering, health studies, education, art, media, and so on. Architecture, traditionally

trapped in its physical container, is now being pushed towards the new frontiers of virtual reality with

the next generation. The digital age generation values virtual space experiences considerably more than

physical environments, resulting in an increasing migration towards virtual reality (Castronova, E, 2007).

According to Marie-Laure Rya`n (2001), virtual reality is “an immersive, interactive experience generated

by a computer, a potential that expands the creation process, opens up the future, and injects a core of

meaning beneath the platitude of immediate physical presence" (MarieLaure Ryan, 2001). This potential

applies in various mediums such as films, animation, simulations, videogames, multimedia, software, and

applications. However, due to computer limitations, digital worlds in interactive media based on real-

time rendering have not been developed to their full potential. The advancement of new media

technology (including computer graphics, animation, computer-aided design and real-time 3-dimensional

spaces, interactive tools, digital broadcasting, and movie-making) and the increase in computer

capacities will broaden the opportunities to create complex and dynamic settings accessible to

professionals and users being more user friendly. In this case, virtual space, as opposed to our reality,

and influenced by cultural, geographical, and economic factors, can provide different forms of expression

to build hybrid and complex realities.

This study will be focused on video game design and architecture to comprehend and investigate the

creative and interactive potential of space in a virtual setting. In this thesis, video games were chosen

since they are the most popular and advanced virtual reality and interactive media. Video game space

will be investigated by examining a series of behavior patterns and tools along with the understanding of

a narrative structure such as experience, discovery, interaction, and manipulation, simulation etc. Based

on that will be discovered and define a set of processes for storing and manipulating patterns to design

complex creative spaces, similar to the human creative process. By investigating the frontier of spatial

perception in virtual reality and video games and by exploring design tools, we may liberate imagination

and push our comprehension of architecture to the extreme, generating new forms of architecture, the

new spaces of our time.

Research methodology is based initially on literature review and the understanding of the current state

of art regarding transformation of real and virtual space and architecture in the digital era, elaborating

the idea that “architecture is virtual” and that virtual reality is the future of architecture.

Furthermore, architecture will be analyzed from the game/video game prospective. In this regard,

theoretical background will focus on video games design aspects of narration and ludology through

various authors (Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman (2003), Juul Jasper (2005), Michael Nitsche (2008),

Chris Crawford (2008); Ernest Adam (2010), drawing parallels and discussing the role of game

interactivity and narrative in architecture.

In particular, will be discussed the conception of an interactive story structure that enable interactive

space in videogames, elements that make up the spatial environment including object, characters and

space, interaction and challenges that the space offers to the player via virtual reality.

Following this, qualitative research on game design tools using the "research from design" methodology,

will be conducted considering successful game case studies. As result a list of game design tools will be

addressed and evaluated with the possibility to be applied in architecture design, architecture

visualization, virtual heritage, and urban planning, based on methodology, “research for design”. Analytic

tools find out from the theoretical background will be discussed, proposing also a new workflow in the architecture design/visualization process (including virtual heritage and urban planning) and made

suggestions with an outlook to further research and applications in architectural practice.

The research seeks for the answers the main characteristics of virtual space that makes them appealing,

considering the medium of video games and how they can influence the design process, its

representation and architecture in more general terms. The main finding of this research is the definition

of a series of behavior patterns that enable more physical interactions between the space and the user.

In this sense, the digital interface will be enriched by new architectural perspectives and through a new

understanding of object form, navigation, experience, manipulation, interaction etc. These will

constitute tools to design virtual interactive spaces, but also can help designers, architects or other

professionals dealing with space to develop their creativity.

Keywords: video game design tools, game space, narration, ludology, virtual architecture, interactivity,

representation of VR 3D world, VR Architecture.