Architectural Approach to Level Design

This book explores the principles of level design through the context and history of architecture. Written by a game developer and professor trained in architecture, it is one of the first books to integrate architectural and spatial design theory with the field of level design.

Fully updated for this third edition, author Christopher W. Totten presents architectural techniques and theories for you to use in your own work. The book connects architecture and level design in different ways that address the practical elements of how designers construct space and the experiential elements of how and why humans interact with that space. The new edition maintains a focus on player-focused design in handmade levels while addressing the ever-evolving technical pipeline.

Throughout the text, you will learn skills for spatial layout, evoking emotion through gamespaces, and creating better levels through architectural theory. This third edition contains a brand-new chapter on how to build levels that better connect with players and hold their interest over longer periods of gameplay, in addition to fully updated references, brand new industry perspectives, as well as a greater emphasis on practical elements of level design throughout.

KEY FEATURES

• Presents case studies that offer insight on modern level design practices, methods, and tools
• Presents perspectives from industry designers, independent game developers, scientists, psychologists, and academics
• Explores how historical structures can teach us about good level design
• Shows how to use space to guide or elicit emotion from players
• Includes chapter exercises that encourage you to use principles from the chapter in digital prototypes, playtesting sessions, paper mock-ups, and design journals

Bringing together topics in game design and architecture, this book helps you create better spaces for your games. Software independent, it discusses tools and techniques that you can use in crafting your interactive worlds.

Christopher W. Totten is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Animation Game Design program at Kent State University. He is also an award-winning independent game designer, artist, and animator. He holds a master's degree in architecture (M.Arch) with a concentration in digital media from the Catholic University of America. Chris is a co-founder of the Smithsonian American Art Museum Arcade and a lifetime member of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). He was a member of the inaugural class for the IndieCade Horizons Faculty Excellence Awards, winning the Innovation Award for his work building an appreciation for games in the context of the arts. He has written multiple books on design, including An Architectural Approach to Level Design and World Design in 2D Action-Adventures, he is also the editor of the collected volume, Level Design: Processes and Experiences and the Level Design Practices series.