2. Definition
• Imaginary place (setting, world,
game setting, game world, etc.)
• Definition: “A game world is an
artificial universe, an imaginary
place in which the events of the
game occur” (84)
• Place where players pretend to
be when they enter the magic
circle of play
GameWorld
3. Five Dimensions
• Physical dimension
• Temporal dimension
• Environmental dimension
• Emotional dimension
• Ethical dimension
GameWorlds
GAME WORLDS, FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN (ERNEST ADAMS)
4. • What parts of the world afford interaction?
• What parts of the world are rule-based?
AffordancesinaGameWorld
7. GAME WORLDS, FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN (ERNEST ADAMS)
• This refers to the simulated physical space of the game
• Properties of the physical dimension of a game world include:
• Spatial dimensionality: 2D, 2.5D, 3D, 4D
• Scale: refers to the absolute size of the space represented and the
relative sizes of objects in the game world
• Practice of scale distortion to enhance gameplay
• Boundaries: the limits of the world; the edge of the game world
ThePhysicalDimension
8. • Defines how time is treated in the game world and the ways it differs
from time in real world
• How is time meaningful in the game?
• Variable time: time often moves faster in games (e.g., The Sims)
• Anomalous time: time that changes with different parts of a game
• Adjusting time: letting players adjust time
TheTemporalDimension
GAME WORLDS, FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN (ERNEST ADAMS)
9. • Describes the world’s appearance and atmosphere; what’s in the space
• Cultural context of the world: what are the beliefs, attitudes, values of
the people in the game
• Physical surroundings: what the game actually looks like
• Includes nature, architecture, sounds, music, ambient noise, indoor
and outdoor environments, etc.
• Sets the tone and mood of the game
• Style of the game: visual style of things in the world (both style within
the world and style of aesthetic depiction)
TheEnvironmentalDimension
GAME WORLDS, FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN (ERNEST ADAMS)
10. • Defines what right and wrong mean within the context of the world
• Most game deviate from the real world
• Games can spark interest through ethical dilemmas and amibiguities
TheEmotionalDimension
GAME WORLDS, FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN (ERNEST ADAMS)
11.
12. • All games are abstractions of the
real world
• Best to think of game worlds on a
continuum/spectrum from…
• highly representational
to
• highly abstract
• Realism often varies in different
parts of a game
Realism:game’srelationshiptoreality
