Situations of Play: Patterns of Spatial Use in Videogames

Gameplay always occurs somewhere. Any discussion of situated play therefore should consider the actual spaces in which we play. Yet everyday real space is also deeply embedded in the games themselves. Videogames take patterns of spatial use from reality and situate them in their spatial structure. This paper explores these “situations of play” and their implementation in representational video game environments, seeking to understand game space through its connection to real space. But because play does not exist in isolation from its surroundings this paper takes into account the way videogames are situated in the world. How game space is presented, from screen-mediated game to pervasive games, affects how the patterns of spatial use are implemented. Game space also feeds back into real space, where their intersection forms what can be termed as played space. To understand the transfer of patterns from reality to games this paper examines games as spatial constructs, arguing that game space is architectural. Investigating the nexus between architecture and games, and using architecture as a tool to unpack spatial conditions in videogames, this paper explores how games are structured by their spatial qualities. Author