With its accessible blend of interviews, essays, and practical insights, the book ‘Architectonics of Game Spaces’ bridges the gap between theory and practice, making it compelling for architects, gamers, and general readers alike. ‘Architectonics of Game Spaces’ aims to challenge readers to rethink the role of play in design, leaving space to think of new ideas for shaping the environments we navigate daily, both on-screen and off.
Understanding the Foundations
In ‘Architectonics of Game Spaces’, Andri Gerber, alongside Ulrich Götz, takes us on an intriguing journey that links architecture and video games in unconventional ways. If you’re someone who enjoys architecture or is just curious about the philosophy of spaces, both real and virtual, this book provides an outlook to think about things that may not have crossed your mind before. Its casual approach to blending disciplines also makes it approachable even if you’re not deeply entrenched in either field.
Andri Gerber, known for his expertise in urban design and metaphorical approaches, sets the tone with thought-provoking questions about how play influences spatial design (p. 9). As the book progresses, the idea that games are more than just entertainment becomes clearer; they’re spaces where real-world design principles merge with fantasy-like possibilities. Whether you’re into architecture or just like the idea of games teaching us about the world, there’s something in this book for you.
The Duality of Spaces
The book excels in its exploration of “virtual spaces.” Gerber highlights how games such as ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ use real-world architecture to serve gameplay needs, with a hint of architectural education. Taking Renaissance Florence, for example, its historical layout is adapted into a parkour-friendly virtual city, buildings become taller, and streets become more fluid, all to fit the protagonist’s movements (p. 15), emphasising how virtual design reinterprets history to create new experiences. Andri Gerber’s analysis reminds readers that even in the virtual realm, design is about meeting user needs while preserving authenticity.
A notable idea is the concept of “game spaces” as utopias. Architects have always imagined idealized environments, and video games carry this tradition forward. They’re playgrounds for testing ideas that might not yet be possible in the real world (p. 14). This realization bridges the gap between two seemingly distant fields. Andri Gerber emphasises that architects can learn from the way game designers tackle user interaction and spatial storytelling, skills that could be used to reshape urban design.
Play as a Design Tool
Play is at the heart of this book. As Gerber points out, play isn’t just for fun, but rather a tool for learning and experimentation. The authors argue that architects should spend more time playing video games to understand spatial interaction better, highlighting the book’s message that we should learn through play (p. 26). It’s a profound idea that isn’t as far-fetched as it seems, architects using Minecraft or other games as tools for urban planning would not be too out of the ordinary.
Later chapters delve deeper into how games’ design critiques societal norms. Games like Minecraft and Hitman are analysed for their spatial elements, revealing how they challenge our perception of movement and environment (p. 215). These findings illuminate the book’s central theme: the exchange of ideas between virtual and real-world design.
Interviews and Essays
The book’s structure—divided into interviews and essays—keeps the content dynamic and engaging. The interviews offer anecdotal points and professional insights, showing how various experts view the overlap between games and architecture. For instance, Paolo Pedercini discusses games as tools for critiquing power structures and assessing society, culture, and politics. Additionally, Konstantinos Dimopoulos reflects on the importance of believability in creating virtual cities and the integration of history and time into games (p. 19).
The essays provide a broader theoretical framework. Andri Gerber’s contributions stand out as he connects philosophical ideas to practicality, and his discussion on the emotional dimension of space (p. 111) highlights the importance of designing environments that resonate with users. This balance of personal stories and academic exploration ensures that those without knowledge of the subject can still find the book accessible.
The Future of Design
The book approaches its conclusion by turning its focus towards the future. Gerber and Götz vouch for a closer collaboration between architects and game designers. They suggest that lessons learned from virtual spaces could influence how we design real-world environments, especially by allowing us to personally experience these spatial arrangements before they’re applied to the real world, therefore making them more interactive and user-friendly (p. 293).
The final essays emphasise the role of video games as tools for participatory design. Projects like Minecraft’s involvement in urban planning show how games can aid the design process through their spatial elements, giving communities a voice in shaping their environments (p. 277). This is especially seen through MattuFIN’s scaled recreation of a ‘megacity’ in which he took on the role of an urban planner and architect to create a detailed city in Minecraft, inspired by Vancouver. The project encompasses Andri Gerber’s vision of designing through experience, and integrating these ideas into architectural education is a call to action for both industries.
Final Thoughts
Architectonics of Game Spaces is more than an academic text, it invites you to view the world and how you experience it differently. Whether you’re an architect, a gamer, or just someone curious about how spaces shape our experiences, there’s a lot to take from reading this book. Andri Gerber’s contributions make it a standout read, blending curiosity with expertise.
Reference List:
Gerber, A. and Götz, U. (2020) Architectonics of game spaces: The spatial logic of the virtual and its meaning for the real. Bielefeld: transcript-Verlag.
Landin, P. (2018) Big City Life, Minecraft.net. Available at: https://www.minecraft.net/ru-ru/article/big-city-life (Accessed: 16 January 2025).
