Architectural games are a great way of getting creative stimulation, as they inspire architects to look beyond just the mundane games and into the virtual reality, creativity, and design. This article lists 8 such games architects can enjoy to get rid of a creative block or just to take a virtual break.
Video Games have been long known for their immersive architectural details and graphics. Sometimes, letting off steam through stimulating creative, management, and action games can help unravel an architect’s block! The minute details of buildings, their space planning, and virtual movement may trigger an idea, hiding in a niche of your creative mind, to come forward! Since sitting wide-eyed in front of your laptop playing games in between design submissions is not an unknown concept for the architecture student community, here is a guilt-free list of a few more games that would tap into your creative supply-
1. Minecraft
System Requirements:
CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 2 GB
OS: Windows 7 and up
VIDEO CARD: Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with OpenGL 4.41Discrete: Nvidia GeForce 400 Series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with OpenGL 4.4
FREE DISK SPACE: 1 GB
What’s it about?
This wildly popular game has changed the landscape of PC Gaming. The 1×1 blocks comprise of various exciting terrains – mountains, valleys, lakes with cloudy backgrounds. This is a creative building game where you can use your skillset with limited tools available to build everything from rudimentary blocks to complex replicas of the wonders of the world. Add zombies, skeletons, and your own character to this game and you have an action-filled creative game on you!
2. Empty by Dusty Room
This cute “zen” like puzzle will tickle your perception skills. Your gears will start turning almost immediately with this game. Colour theory, harmony, contrast, spatial perception – stimulates everything you need to unclog that creative flare of yours!
3. SimCity
System Requirements:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0GHz or better
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7
RAM: 2GB RAM
Hard Drive: 10GB HD Space
Graphics Card: NVIDIA 7800 or ATI Radeon HD 2×00 or Intel Series 4 integrated graphics or better*
Broadband Internet: Minimum 256 kbps download, 64 kbps upload
What’s it about?
Are you an urban planner? Do you need to take a break and revamp your multitasking skills? This popular game encompasses everything an architect does and more. You choose an ideal plot, zone it according to your typology, design and creatively build roads, power plants, parks, apartments – plan, run and man9age everything a city needs along with keeping thousands of SIMS or your city dwellers happy! This city is uniquely yours and every outcome – good or bad – is based on every minuscule decision you make.
4. Blockhood
System Requirements:
CPU SPEED: 2.0 GHz Dual Core
RAM: 4 GB
OS: Windows XP, 7,8,10
VIDEO CARD: GeForce 600 series or better
PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
FREE DISK SPACE: 1 GB
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 512 MB
What’s it about?
If you loved Minecraft and SimCity and want to explore another architectural game that will poke your senses – this is it. The game features two absolutely adorable protagonists, do we need more? The inhabitants offer feedback as and when you build and plan your city or “nieghbourHOOD”. The game challenges the user to balance ecology and planning along with a combination of complex graphics.
5. Monument Valley by UsTwo
System Requirements:
CPU SPEED: 3.0+ GHz dual-core
RAM: 8 GB
OS: Windows 7 or newer
VIDEO CARD: GTX 650 or better, Radeon HD 7770 or better
PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
FREE DISK SPACE: 5 GB
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 1024 MB
What’s it about?
Here are a few terms that instantly invite mystery – minimalism with deconstructivism. This game has minimal but expressive graphics set up with parallels from architecture in the 1970s. Block Islamic minarets, Scottish castles, assorted arches, stairs, and a huge variation of labyrinths and maze. This game will definitely boost your creative juice supply by a notch.
6. Mirrors Edge Catalyst, Electronic Arts
System Requirements:
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit (use the latest Service Pack)
CPU: Intel i3-3250 / AMD FX-6350. (Note: Mirror’s Edge Catalyst requires at least 4 logical cores to run.)
RAM: 6 GB
Hard Drive: At least 25 GB of free space
Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB or better / AMD Radeon R9 270x or better
What’s it about?
This game is an action, jam-packed game with mind-blowing graphics that will provoke your architecture inspirations from the immersive storyline coupled with an unpredictable skyline. Work off excess energy with this adrenaline-pumped action game!
7. BioShock by 2K Games
System Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista
CPU: Intel single-core Pentium 4 processor at 2.4GHz
RAM: 1 GB, Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550)
Sound Card: 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card
Hard Drive: 8GB
What’s it about?
It is about time we start acquainting ourselves with the architectural features of one of the most popular games out there. This game is set up in historical contexts, underwater themes as well as futuristic backdrops. The details of the buildings and the interiors along with the character’s personal cultural attachment will not fail to amaze you. Along with this, complex storylines and equipment in this action game will not make you regret trying.
8. Prison Architect by Introversion Software
System Requirements:
OS version: Windows XP or later
Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 GHz or higher / AMD 3 GHz or higher
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia 8600 / Radeon equivalent (2009 era)
Hard Disk: 300 MB
What’s it about?
This game is literally about planning a prison such that the prisoners are kept locked in. But it takes more than walls, doors, and security to do that. The game is a construction management simulation that delivers a heavily addictive experience to gamers. As an architect, you would have to plan right down to the mundane details from barbed wires, fences, foundations, canteens, laundries to hiring wardens, chefs, and a lot more. This game demands your skills to feed both architectural and logical aspects.
