INVESTIGATING SPATIAL CONSTRUCTION IN VIDEO GAMES: METHODS, INSPIRATION, AND INTERPRETATION

Date

2026-4-10

Author

Uçan, Özüm

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Virtual cities in contemporary video games are commonly interpreted as representations of real urban environments. This thesis challenges that assumption by approaching game cities not as simplified copies of physical ones but as computationally constructed spatial systems in which space emerges through interactions among design decisions, technical constraints, and player engagement. The study investigates how virtual environments are spatially constructed in open world video games and how these construction logics relate to urban design. Addressing the lack of a systematic analytical framework examining virtual urban environments as spatial production systems rather than representations, the research adopts a mixed-method approach. Qualitative insights obtained from interviews with twenty professionals working in virtual spatial design are combined with a comparative spatial analysis of selected game environments structured around design objectives, boundary conditions, and data utilization. Within this framework, virtual cities are examined as distinct spatial models. Mimetic strategies in Assassin's Creed Unity emphasize architectural simulation and historical reconstruction, while ludic strategies in Grand Theft Auto V prioritize movement, interaction, and navigational flow. Additional cases illustrate variations in spatial construction. The findings reveal a fundamental fidelity–flow paradox indicating tension between visual realism and navigational continuity. Virtual environments therefore operate through selective fidelity, concentrating detail in symbolic landmarks while simplifying the broader urban fabric to support movement and gameplay performance. The study also identifies technical non-places and conceptualizes virtual environments as systems of spatial sequencing.

Subject Keywords

Urban Design, Spatial Construction, Video Game Environments, Virtual Urbanism, Mimetic and Ludic Space, Fidelity–Flow Paradox., Kentsel Tasarım, Mekânsal Kurgu, Oyun Ortamı Tasarımı, Sanal Kentçilik, Mimetik ve Ludik Mekân, Fidelity–Flow Paradoksu

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119054

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis