Architecture and space representation in Video games

they sense a new reality by being connected to computers with equipment’s that allow them also to interact through body motion capture.

The discussion on virtual space was additionally fueled by the 1999 release of the sci-fi movie “The Matrix” directed by The Wachowskis that presented a more contemporary picture of virtual space or

cyberspace, considered as a software constructed reality which occasionally resembles the real world. In

fact, the soft world in which inhabitants are absorbed appears to them to be the actual world, even

though it is merely a duplicate of it, a simulated reality. The most significant architectural aspect related

to the real environment is the film's setting in Mega City, an expanded virtual city in which the residents

of the Matrix dwell. It is a hyper-reality created by a computer with advanced AI machines, that rules this

society. This cinematic representation shows the possibility for spatial shift between the two worlds, in

order to extend real lives with additional experiences. Hence, it can be argued that it acts as an

instrument to define in contemporary architecture spatial theories a space which is not only perceived

but also offers the possibility to be created virtually.

Figure 15 Screenshots from movie Matrix 1999

The metaverse has similar rules as the physical world. Human society needs to impose his rules and

culture to the colonized or imagined digital world at the point that is remains globally institutionalized,

and lack freedom, and decentralization, as in the case of Woods free world. In his novel Stevenson

envisioned the evolution of digital world in the future, which is close to what is happening nowadays.

The notion of cyberspace and the integration of data in the virtual world envisaged in science fiction

literature, dominated architectural discourse in the 1990s. The use of new electronic technologies and

multimedia extended the domain of mainstream architecture to virtual reality and cyberspace.

Architecture and space representation in Video games

Since the earliest video game Tennis for Two which go back to the 1950s, graphics and space

representation has become more and more realistic and hyper realistic blurring the line between real

and virtual. The first game engine to offer rendered graphics of 3D geometry was "Freescape," which

was developed in 1986 and first used in games like Driller (1987) with full 3D environments in which the

player could move and look around in first-person view, and then perfected with the release of “3D Construction Kit”, which allows users to create their own worlds by manipulating objects and geometric

shapes in the virtual environment and moving around or flying in this environment. Users may modify

the color of objects, scale them, and conduct basic animations. This makes the virtual environment more

interactive and engaging. The 3D environment was separated into different rooms to support the

processing capacity of existing computers.

Figure 16 Snapshots from Driller and 3D Construction kit video games.

Another remarkable example of game artwork, "Another World," was created in 1991, with an emphasis

on 3D space storytelling rather than gameplay. "Another World" is a cinematic sci-fi action-adventure

game with a simple physical environment and no text or dialogue that transports the player to an alien

world where he suddenly finds himself. Lester, the protagonist, avoids obstacles by running, jumping,

attacking, fighting, and doing particular activities such as swaying a cage back and forth. The game's visuals and animations were designed by Éric Chahi, who used bitmap pictures to save computer storage

space and added real-time cinematic effects and cut scenes. The game emphasizes storytelling in this

aspect by establishing ambience and a rhythmic pace.

Figure 17 Cover and snapshot of Video game "Another world" (1991)

One of the most important games that changed the video game history was “Doom/ DoomCAD” introduced in 1993, in which were used 3D graphics to create 3d perspective environments with FPS

where user moves and take actions. It was a predecessor of AutoCAD. Some years later successors such

as Quake (1997) and Half-Life (1998), build on it and improved a lot computer graphics simulating real

world physics.

Figure 18 Screenshot from Doom, Screenshot from half-life

Recent game artists, such as Daniel Dociu, Nicolas Bouvier have transformed stunning speculative

paintings into 3D game environments using digital technologies. Virtual reality allows to depict and

examine the work from an unlimited number of perspectives and forgetting the constrains of physics

laws such as gravity, weight, size etc. Daniel Dociu in Guild Wars depicted cities with a dismal

atmosphere, big ruined structures, and little humans, conveying the same feeling and dread as our

developing cities do. Nicolas Bouvier, a modern French artist is best known for the futuristic 3D settings

for video games such as Halo. Halo presented the player to an artificial planet, a massive space with a

complicated labyrinth of subterranean tunnels. Later in the series, Assassin's Creed, he will depict 15th-

century towns, with their important monuments and historical personalities.

Figure 19 Digital conceptual art for video game Guild Wars 2 by Daniel Dociu and Halo spaceship concept by Nicolas Bouvier

Sublime landscapes, drawing fantasies of Piranesi, Panini, Boulle’s, Woods, and others, the delirious cinematic manifestations of Metropolis and Blade Runner, up to the most recent fantastic video game