Virtual Cities
Virtual cities are places of often-fractured geographies, impossible physics, outrageous assumptions and almost untamed imaginations given digital structure. This book, the first atlas of its kind, aims to explore, map, study and celebrate them. To imagine what they would be like in reality. To paint a lasting picture of their domes, arches and walls.
From metropolitan sci-fi open worlds and medieval fantasy towns to contemporary cities and glimpses of gothic horror, author and urban planner Konstantinos Dimopoulos and visual artist Maria Kallikaki have brought to life over forty game cities. Together, they document the deep and exhilarating history of iconic gaming landscapes through richly illustrated commentary and analysis.
Virtual Cities transports us into these imaginary worlds, through cities that span over four decades of digital history across literary and gaming genres. Travel to fantasy cities like World of Warcraft’s Orgrimmar and Grim Fandango’s Rubacava; envision what could be in the familiar cities of Assassin’s Creed’s London and Gabriel Knight’s New Orleans; and steal a glimpse of cities of the future, in Final Fantasy VII’s Midgar and Half-Life 2’s City 17.
Within, there are many more worlds to discover – each formed in the deepest corners of the imagination, their immense beauty and complexity astounding for artists, game designers, world builders and, above all, anyone who plays and cares about video games.
Following a PhD and years of research in urban planning and city geography, Konstantinos Dimopoulos moved on to combine his knowledge of cities with his love for games in the field of game urbanism. He worked on the cities, settlements, mechanics, maps, and geographies of several games including MMO Seed, The Sinking City, Cyberganked and Cyberpunk Cities.
Maria Kallikaki is a visual artist specialising in landscape oil paintings, engravings, and ink illustrations. She studied Painting and Engraving at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy.