This document discusses game worlds and their dimensions. It defines a game world as an artificial universe or imaginary place where game events occur. Game worlds have five dimensions: physical, temporal, environmental, emotional, and ethical. The physical dimension refers to the simulated space and includes properties like spatial dimensions, scale, and boundaries. The temporal dimension defines how time is treated in the game world. The environmental dimension describes the world's appearance, atmosphere, cultural context, physical surroundings, and visual style. The emotional dimension influences what is right and wrong in the game context. Game worlds exist on a spectrum from highly representational to highly abstract, with realism varying in different game parts.

1. AN INTRODUCTION
Game
Worlds

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

5. Whatdogame
worldsdofor
players?
Whyaretheyso
importantto
contemporary
videogames?

6. gameworlds
fivedimensions

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)

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